FESTIVAL OF FASHION AND A WINDOW INTO SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES AT PURE LONDON
Festival of Fashion, Pure London proved itself yet again to be a successful three days of business and inspiration, welcoming visitors from over 80 countries.
Despite hurricane Ciara, buyers from stores including Selfridges, Debenhams, Next, Galeries Lafayette, Pamela Shiffer, Sunday Best, Asos, New Look, The Dressing Room, and Jules B flocked to Olympia for the AW20/21 presentation of over 1,300 inspirational and trend-led collections along with a three-day programme of insightful, challenging and stimulating content.
While sourcing and manufacturing show Pure Origin attracted sourcing managers from brands including Prada, Burberry, Ann Summers, Gibbons, Next, Karen Millen, Maniere De Voir, Long Tall Sally, James Lakeland, Lipsy, Radley & Co, Monsoon, The Sourcing Team, YMC, Gloverall, Centro Sourcing, Amazon and TK Maxx.
Martin Arnold, Fashion Portfolio Director of Hyve Group plc said:
“Buyers really made the effort this season highlighting the importance and relevance that Pure London has in the buying calendar. It seems that even extreme weather cannot abate the insatiable appetite of the Fashion Industry. Even with trains and flights cancelled due to the weather they showed the true grit of UK fashion to keep it business as usual, demonstrating the resilience of the market.”
Matthew O’Brien, first time exhibitor was delighted by the response to his collection:
“Pure London is a great show, it’s our first season here and there’s a real buzz. We’ve seen some great customers from all over the world including South America, Israel, Ireland, Scotland and England. The international buyers seem to love that we are designed and made in the UK, it excites them, and they love the quality. We’re excited to come back for next season.”
Sharon Donovich, European Product Manager at Kornit Digital was delighted to engage with the Fashion community:
“Sustainable manufacturing is an essential component to accelerate positive climate change and must be utilised to reverse the negative impacts of fast fashion. Sustainability is at the heart of Kornits revolutionary Eco-Digital Printing technology. Knowledge is power, and it’s never been more important that we share our resources and together change the manufacturing processes of the past. Kornits technology offers the Textile Industry a clean, waterless alternative to the pollutant practices of the traditional print routes.”
The appetite for information and trends content saw no signs of abating. The AW20/21 catwalk shows and Unique Style Platform trend presentations were standing room only, whilst talks on the Nomad and Origin Stages were delivered to packed audiences with record numbers attending. Over 2500 people digested topics focused on sustainability, authenticity, visual merchandising, textile production and fabric life-cycles, garment marking, sourcing advice, industry standards, fashion-tech innovation, forecasting, inclusivity and empowerment, as well as a daily morning briefing outlining the unexpected benefits of Brexit and a workshop session on building business strategy to be Brexit resilient.
But aside from the many Collections on show at Pure London, an important new agenda is blossoming:
Brands must focus on sustainable supply and take their CSR (corporate social responsibility) seriously.
The numbers speak for themselves and according to research from the latest GlobalWireIndex Research report:
“68% of online consumers in the U.S. and UK would or might stop using a brand because of poor or misleading CSR. 84% say a poor environmental track record would or might cause them to stop buying from a brand. Nearly half are willing to pay a premium for socially conscious or environmentally friendly brands”.
With younger generations most aware of the impact of both their purchases and the brands they buy from, the pressure on brands to have a flawless reputation is set to increase as they move into higher-earning roles.
Trend partner Unique Style Platform outlined the macro trends for the AW20/21 season, highlighting a younger generational divide of Greta Thunberg vs Love Island groups – those fighting fast fashion opposed to those over-consuming it. Jane Kellock, Founder and Creative Director of USP said; “We are entering an era of extremes and conflict in society. AW20/21 is about finding balance.” The four key trends, Hibernate, Attune, Opulence and Nu-Tech were brought to life on the catwalk with a showcase of exhibiting brand collections.
Show organisers, Hyve Group plc, announced a number of changes for the July 2020 show. As it powers forward with its commitment to sustainable fashion in partnership with the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the Sustainable Development Goals, PureConscious will move from the National Hall to the front of the Main Hall, making it the first stop for buyers as they enter the show.
As Pure Origin outgrows its current space, next season sees it take over the entire National Hall and introduce manufacturing machinery. A dedicated space for machinery and manufacturing providers will showcase the latest and most innovative solutions for pattern cutting, trimming, sewing, printing and more….
The next show takes place on the 19th – 21st July 2020 at Olympia London.
Colour Is Too Important to Leave to Chance
Print will always be the part of the garment people see first.
But the sum of all parts — the fabric, the trims, the fasteners, the finish — is what determines whether a design actually delivers on its promise. Brands that continue to treat colour as a single creative decision, rather than a coordinated technical discipline spanning their entire supply chain, will keep paying for it in re-dips, delays, and disappointed design teams.
A Century of Textiles, and an Ever-changing World
Few companies can trace their roots back more than a century and still count themselves among their industry's innovators. Texia, headquartered in Monistrol de Montserrat, Spain, is one of them.
But the story of Texia is not simply one of longevity.
It is a story of continual reinvention. As the textile industry has grown more global and competitive, Texia has repeatedly reshaped its business, investing in technology, developing its own brands, and placing sustainability at the centre of its mission. In doing so, it offers a compelling example of how a heritage manufacturer can lead rather than follow through a period of profound industry change. Image Credit: Texia
What are we craving Ultimately?
The instinct to slow down while simultaneously optimising every measurable aspect of life isn't a passing curiosity. It's a structural response to a world that feels increasingly unstable, and it's reshaping what people expect from their homes, hotels, workplaces and healthcare environments alike.
For the design and manufacturing sectors, this means rethinking both product and process.
The Structual Shift is Real and its Already Here
Volumes are moving east, where digital production is accelerating rapidly. Consumer behaviour has shifted.
Demand is now driven by personalisation, shorter buying cycles, and an expectation of near-instant responsiveness. Regulatory pressure is intensifying, with supply chain transparency now a legal and commercial fact in many markets. And margins? They are under sustained, structural pressure.
This is not a temporary disruption. It is a fundamental reordering of how textile manufacturing must operate.
The Challenge: Standing Firm as the Industry Shifts
The wallpaper landscape has changed dramatically. Digital printing has lowered the barrier to entry, spawning countless direct-to-consumer brands and pushing much of the market towards faster, cheaper production.
At the same time, manufacturing in the UK has grown steadily harder - rising minimum wage, national insurance, energy and substrate costs all bear down on margins. Surface Print have embraced all of these challenges - and stand resolutely prepared for the future.
From Helsinki's printing mill to Paris's Le Marais, discover how Marimekko is scaling a design-led brand with purpose, craft, and bold innovation.
But what makes Marimekko's story compelling is not just its aesthetic legacy?
The word "toxic" carries weight. It conjures danger, harm, and things best avoided.
“Yet in the textile industry - Where between 3,000 and 10,000 chemicals move through the supply chain, a reflexive fear of the term is one of our biggest obstacles to progress.”
This article distils the key takeaways and what buyers, designers, and brands should be asking right now.
What Is the Digital Product Passport?
At its core, a Digital Product Passport is a digital record attached to a physical product - For a printed textile product, this means the DPP would capture data on the substrate, inks and dyes used, the printing process and technology, chemical compliance, environmental impact (including water and energy use), supply chain traceability, and end-of-life instructions.
The Market Gap that Changed Everything
Future Fashion was founded in 2019, timed deliberately to coincide with a pivotal moment in global textile technology: the commercial launch of the EFI Reggiani BOLT Single-Pass digital printing system.
The founders recognised that single-pass architecture had fundamentally changed what was industrially possible - and that Pakistan's domestic market had yet to catch up.
Print is no longer defined by the inefficiencies that once characterised it…as advances in production processes and technology have significantly improved its environmental performance.
Taran Rai, Corporate Sustainability Manager at Epson explains why?
The story of what happens when young designers access digital technology is still being written.
What once was a theoretical sustainability goal seems to have shifted into an active regulatory reality.
Is the Textile Market Finally Recovering?
After a difficult few years, there are genuine reasons for optimism. Duncan was candid about the challenges: "The market for textiles has been very difficult over the last three years. I'm not going to hide the truth there. But the tide is turning.“
A profound shift is currently reshaping the sector
Changing consumer expectations demand greater design diversity, faster turnaround times, and sustainable manufacturing practices.
To thrive, interior brands must adapt their supply chains, bringing production closer to the end consumer and moving away from bulk manufacturing.
Digital textile printing offers a definitive solution to these operational bottlenecks.
Digital transformation doesn't announce itself.
It accumulates - one innovation at a time - until an entire industry looks back and realises the ground has shifted beneath its feet. That's precisely where textiles stands today.
The conversations happening now about AI, automation, sustainability, and digital product passports are not theoretical. They are shaping decisions being made on factory floors and in boardrooms right now.
“By leveraging advanced digital textile printing, Marylene Madou has successfully merged traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. Her approach offers a blueprint for how independent designers can scale their brands globally while maintaining a minimal environmental footprint.”
The textile industry is undergoing a vital transformation. As the insights from Techtextil and Texprocess reveal, the path forward relies on a combination of sustainable hardware, intelligent chemistry, and seamless digital workflows.
From Zimmer's industrial-scale energy reductions and Stratasys's on-demand 3D embellishments, to Kornit's single-step technical printing and the unified digital ecosystems of NedGraphics and Optitex, the tools for change are here. To stay competitive, brands and manufacturers must adopt these innovations, moving away from fragmented, wasteful processes towards a truly connected, circular economy.
Friedmans stands as a testament to the power of combining traditional textile knowledge with forward-thinking innovation.
“Operating from their UK headquarters, Friedmans now serves a diverse array of sectors, including swimwear, dance, entertainment, sportswear, interior decor, prosthetics, and even pet apparel. With a strategic supply chain that reliably serves clients worldwide”
The apparel decoration industry is decisively moving away from isolated, analogue production tools toward connected digital manufacturing environments.
"Kornit’s unwavering commitment to transformative technology continues to disrupt the status quo. For business leaders and innovators ready to capture the future of apparel manufacturing, the path forward is clear”
The Urgent Need for Sustainability at Scale
The transformation at Coats provides a vital blueprint for the wider textile and apparel sector. True sustainability cannot be achieved in silos. As Dearing emphasised:
“Cross-industry collaboration is the engine of meaningful change. Brands, machinery suppliers, chemical providers, and fibre producers must act as an interconnected ecosystem”
Today’s customers demand superior product quality, real-time data visibility, and lightning-fast turnaround times.
For large-scale garment decorators, managing these expectations while balancing seasonal demand fluctuations - such as the massive surges seen during Black Friday - presents a monumental challenge.
"Relying on transactional vendor relationships and outdated legacy equipment is no longer sufficient to secure long-term stability and growth.”
Printing method is never a secondary detail. It shapes the entire life cycle of a product, from concept to customer. In today’s fashion industry, where margins are tighter and speed matters more than ever, technical knowledge has become a competitive advantage.
“The future of textile design belongs to professionals who can combine creativity with execution, aesthetics with practicality, and vision with production reality”.
Durst develops and markets advanced solutions for digital production, automation, and intelligent manufacturing across industrial applications worldwide.
Roland inkjet printers and printer/cutters are widely used in a variety of visual communication fields, including signage and interior decoration.
The leading manufacturer of digital and screen-printing machinery, coating, steaming and drying systems for textile and carpet processing
EFI Reggiani has become the trusted partner for integrated, scalable solutions for the entire textile process – from yarn treatment to fabric printing and finishing.
Epson industrial digital workflow for textile printing, from technology to inks, from pre- to post-treatment and learn about Epson Textile Solution Center.
Resolute isn't just a DTF printer and supply company, they are innovators in the field, shaping the future of textile decoration with innovative DTF solutions.
As the exclusive UK & Ireland distributor for Mimaki Engineering; its industry-leading product range that comprises solvent, LED UV, 3D, dye sublimation and textile inkjet printers, cutters, inks, software.
At Agfa, we believe in print as an essential and powerful medium of communication. Our mission is to enable printing businesses to achieve profitable growth.
Brother has a comprehensive range of solutions in the areas of direct-to-garment printing - from mass production to smaller printers for customisation.
VeriVide are the light and colour experts. UK based but global specialist in the design, development and manufacture of standardised lighting cabinets & digital imaging systems (DigiEye).
Since 1986, our aim has always been the same, to add value beyond print - to create cutting-edge laminating and print finishing equipment of the highest quality.
Kornit’s innovative printing technology enables businesses to succeed in web-to-print, on-demand and mass customization concepts.
Imagine a production process where 2D sewing and cutting happen in one seamless, automated operation - no manual handling required.
Award winning supplier wide range of Printers, Finishing Equipment, Inks & Media, RIP & Colour Management Solutions and Warranty & Service Support.
Soyang Hardware offers leading edge wide and superwide format print production hardware solutions from many of the industry’s biggest and best-known printer brands..
Klieverik is a leading manufacturer of rotary thermo-processing equipment, specialising in advanced textile applications.
With Barbieri, digital textile printers achieve professional ICC profiling, calibration, and quality control - leading to enhanced color consistency and confidence across all materials.
At China Print Supplies Ltd, we are more than just a distributor - we are your strategic partner in print solutions. With a commitment to excellence and a passion for innovation
A key supplier of dye-sublimation printing equipment, consumables, and support services to a diverse range of customers across the United Kingdom.