“Everything that isn’t made by nature has been designed. That means design holds immense power—not only in shaping the crises we face but also in solving them.”

These are the words of Cat Drew, Chief Design Officer at the Design Council, and they couldn’t ring truer in 2025.

Discover how natural fibres, living materials, and craft innovation are creating healthier homes whilst eliminating toxic chemicals from interior design.

At the recent Future Fabrics Expo panel discussion, moderated by Carole Annet from Country and Town House, leading voices in sustainable design revealed how innovative materials and renewed craftsmanship are transforming home furnishings.

Textile brands in all segments of the market require textiles to be manufactured with conformance to a colour tolerance. This is a tolerance for each colour in the finished product - matching the colour to the specified shade for the design or colourway, typically as QTX spectral data. - Lou Prestia

The Power of the Hybrid Model

“The smartest screen printers aren’t abandoning what they know—they’re evolving with a hybrid approach. By blending digital and screen printing, you get the best of both worlds: the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of screen for high-volume runs, and the flexibility and responsiveness of digital for everything else”.

“A hybrid workflow optimizes production capacity, reduces waste, and allows you to say “yes” to more opportunities—whether it’s a 10-piece custom order or a 10,000-piece campaign”. - Brendan Mangan, Business Director DTG EMEA at Kornit Digital

In the last couple of years, new pigment inks formulations have been introduced by major ink manufacturers, and this time it looks like the pigment application is here to stay!

“Supported by the sustainability push from major fashion and home textile brands, pigment ink improvements followed each other quickly and meanwhile the major drawbacks have been reduced to a level that commercial production printing with pigment inks has become feasible”. Jos Notermans, The Note Consultancy B.V.

The consumer desire for personalisation is more than just a trend; it’s a seismic shift in shopping behaviour. A survey by Deloitte revealed that up to 50% of consumers are interested in purchasing personalised products or services.

For ecommerce brands, this represents an enormous opportunity to not only meet demand but to create premium offerings that justify higher price points and strengthen customer loyalty.

The Changing Landscape of Fashion Design and Manufacturing: For decades, the apparel industry has relied on rigid supply chains and high-volume manufacturing to meet consumer demand. While this model delivered affordable fast-fashion, it came at a cost—overproduction, significant textile waste, and a lack of personalisation in what customers wear.

On-demand customisation offers a radically different approach. By leveraging digital design and printing technologies, brands can now create apparel tailored to individual tastes, produced only when needed.

Supporting the Next Generation of Designers is Key to a Sustainable Print Industry:

The textile industry is undergoing rapid transformation, a transformation that is currently out pacing the transfer of knowledge. Sustainability, innovation, and digital proficiency have become non-negotiable for commercial success for all professionals in this space. A space in which the next generation of designers are uniquely positioned to drive change - making it essential to support and nurture their potential if we are to build a sustainable and thriving future for the print industry.

“Printing on Demand is a new concept for the interior design community. Digital printing has existed with products such as wallcovering and privacy screens or printing on panel systems, but that is usually in the hands of the manufacturer to determine what to print because often the product was sold with the print. Now, the designer can determine what to print and on which product to print.” Kristen Dettoni - Design Pool

Digital print technology has unlocked a whole host of new and exciting creative opportunities for designers. It’s now possible to print just one metre of fabric in minutes, direct from the computer to the print machine. Digital print is affordable, fast and efficient, making sampling and product creation, simpler and achievable for all.