Democratising Design: How On-Demand Customisation is Transforming the Apparel Value Chain
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.
WRITTEN BY FESPA TEXTILE AMBASSADOR DEBBIE MCKEEGAN
What if the fashion industry wasn’t dictated by mass production and limited choices, but by personalisation, efficiency, and sustainability? Enter the era of on-demand customisation, powered by advanced digital technologies, redefining how apparel is designed, produced, and delivered. For the fashion professionals keeping an eye on industry trends, this isn’t just an idea for the future; it’s happening now and reshaping the sector more dynamically than ever before.
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. This not only cuts down on waste but also allows creative freedom and unique experiences for the consumer. Fashion is no longer just about mass appeal; it’s about designing for the individual.
The Technologies Making It Possible: Digital transformation is at the heart of on-demand fashion. Several critical technologies are driving this revolution along the value chain, from concept to final product.
Digital Printing: Digital printing methods, such as Direct-to-Garment (DTG), Digital Roll-to-Roll and Transfer Sublimation printing, have reduced setup times, eliminated the need for extensive physical screens, and enabled full-colour, high-definition designs. This gives designers an almost limitless canvas to create intricate patterns while minimising water usage and harmful chemicals in the process.
AI and Automation: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is empowering apparel brands to streamline their processes. Algorithms can predict consumer preferences, helping brands curate bespoke designs. AI also ensures operational efficiency—from automated pattern cutting to optimised production timelines.
3D Sampling and Virtual Fitting: Digital prototyping with 3D sampling software allows brands to visualise designs in real-time, saving time and material waste. Virtual fitting tools further reduce the notoriously wasteful sampling process by providing accurate simulations of garment fit and drape.
Advanced Supply Chain Solutions: Digital supply chain platforms provide visibility and transparency, allowing brands to coordinate localised production closer to the demand centres. This decentralised approach reduces shipping emissions and ensures quicker turnarounds.
Industry Challenges and Key Insights
While the promise of democratised design is appealing, implementing on-demand customisation is not without its hurdles. Fashion professionals and manufacturers face several pressing challenges:
Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Transitioning to digital tools necessitates a workforce equipped with the knowledge to operate them. Many design teams lack training in digital printing, AI tools, or 3D sampling technologies, which slows adoption. Upskilling talent through targeted training programmes and collaborations with educational institutions is essential.
Managing Sustainability at Scale: Sustainability isn’t just about using eco-friendly fabrics; it’s also about minimising waste across the value chain. Without clear strategies around overproduction, logistics, and waste management, brands risk greenwashing rather than achieving actual environmental impact.
Leveraging Consumer Demand for Personalisation: Consumers increasingly value personalised fashion options, yet brands often struggle to integrate personalisation without disrupting existing workflows and production costs. Early adopters employing modular design systems are already seeing measurable success.
Cost and Infrastructure Constraints: Adopting digital design and printing technologies often requires significant upfront investment, which can deter smaller players. Shared resources, co-working manufacturer hubs, and scalable platforms will help reduce this barrier to entry.
The Opportunities Are Boundless: Despite its challenges, on-demand customisation represents a massive opportunity for growth and innovation. Here's why the future of apparel design and manufacturing looks brighter than ever before:
Sustainability as a Competitor’s Advantage: Ethical production is fast becoming a non-negotiable in fashion. By prioritising on-demand manufacturing and reducing surplus waste, brands can not only meet global sustainability goals but also enhance their reputation and create loyal customer bases.
Unlocking New Revenue Streams: A personalised design model opens doors to higher-margin products, such as limited-edition pieces and customer-curated collections. Brands have already shown that consumers are willing to pay a premium for individuality.
Enhanced Consumer Experiences: With ultra-customised designs, brands can foster deeper emotional connections with customers. Offering co-creation tools, virtual design studios, or direct input into print patterns creates a powerful sense of ownership for shoppers.
Growth of Digital-Only Apparel: The rise of virtual fashion in the metaverse has introduced digital-only apparel, further enhancing customisation opportunities while minimising the environmental impact of physical product creation.
Driving Change Across the Value Chain: True democratisation of design requires the entire apparel value chain to evolve. Digital design tools, on-demand production facilities, and efficient supply chains must work seamlessly to create the personalised, sustainable future consumers are asking for.
For high-street retailers and e-commerce brands, digitising design processes is no longer optional; it’s imperative. By adopting technologies like digital textile printing and shorter production cycles, businesses can react to trends in real-time, without the burden of excessive inventory.
At the same time, textile innovators and manufacturers must integrate sustainable practices, such as circular fashion programmes or waterless printing technologies, to stay competitive in an eco-conscious marketplace.
Join the Conversation: The shift toward democratised design calls for bold thinkers, innovative solutions, and a community of changemakers.
That’s why we’re thrilled to invite you to SmartHub at the FESPA Global Expo 2025 in Berlin: Join us at the Smart theatre to listen and learn from the many experts and industry specialists contributing to our talk programme. Connect with industry-leading digital specialists, technology providers, textile pioneers, and on-demand manufacturers who are paving the path forward. Explore cutting-edge technologies, uncover emerging trends, and step into the future of printed apparel.
Innovation starts here. See you in Berlin!
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 question the panel addressed was not whether to adapt, but how and at what pace.
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”.
Are we witnessing the reinvention of Merch driven by adaptive, digital technologies?
The commercial opportunity presented by printed, personalised merchandise is already a lucrative revenue stream; it is the core driver of growth in a multi-billion-pound industry. And the mandate for print businesses is clear: automate, adapt, and offer undeniable added value, or choose to gradually lose market share.
Powderless DTF is an important area of innovation. It deserves research, investment, and thoughtful development.
“But at its current stage, it often feels like the industry is attempting to commercialize the concept ahead of the underlying chemistry and system readiness”.
All Apparel Manufacturers face an Urgent Mandate: “Automate or be Left Behind”.
Industry leaders like Super Nova Sports and Ryozo International were struggling with severe pre-press bottlenecks and unsustainable fabric waste. By integrating AI Sublimation Software into their workflows, these forward-thinking businesses eliminated manual variable data entry, boosted fabric efficiency to over 80%, and reduced delivery times by more than half, establishing a highly profitable, agile, and environmentally responsible production model.
Braintree, Essex – 2 September 2026 – Venture Banners, a leading UK trade-only large-format print supplier, will highlight its expanding textile signage range, including its newest solutions, at The Print Show 2026, taking place from 29 September to 1 October at the NEC, Birmingham.
Frankfurt am Main, 7 September 2026 – Heimtextil has unveiled its Trends 27/28 forecast, titled 'Home-Maxxing – The Performance of Everyday Living', developed in collaboration with Milan-based design platform Alcova.
The forecast examines how efficiency-driven thinking and technology are reshaping the design of interior spaces and textiles across residential, hospitality, workplace and healthcare environments.
Leicester UK – September 2026 – Vivid Laminating Technologies Ltd has announced the delivery of its latest Veloblade Nexus cutting system this week, produced for Krit Patel and Printvision (UK) Ltd.
The milestone marks another significant step forward in the company's mission to lead the print finishing industry with precision engineering and innovative technology.
The Veloblade Nexus represents one of Vivid Laminating Technologies' most advanced digital cutting solutions to date.
MUTOH has announced that its XpertJet 661UF UV-LED flatbed printer has been named a 2026 Pinnacle Product Award winner, recognising the device's capacity to bring professional-grade UV-LED printing to businesses of all sizes.
The compact printer enables users to print directly onto objects up to 5.91 inches thick across a 19 × 23-inch print area, all within a footprint small enough to fit in the corner of a shop.
Accrington, UK, September 7, 2026: Soyang Europe will showcase three core products from the Platinum Technologies LIYU range on its stand at The Sign Show 2026.
Following its debut in 2025, The Sign Show will return to NEC Birmingham this autumn, once again co-located with established print industry exhibition The Print Show.
This year, the two events will run from 29 September to 1 October, with thousands of visitors expected across the shows.
Soyang, which exhibited at several previous editions of The Print Show, will take the largest stand in The Sign Show section of the hall, with a focus on its new distribution partnership with Platinum Technologies LIYU
Amsterdam, Netherlands – September 2026 – Dutch fashion designer Tess van Zalinge and Epson Europe have unveiled a limited-edition scarf collection to mark the tenth anniversary of the Tess van Zalinge label.
The collaboration demonstrates the creative and environmental possibilities of digital textile printing, while giving new life to archive designs spanning a decade of the label's history.
The collection revisits three archive prints selected by Van Zalinge from collections created over the past ten years
Dorking – UK – September 7th 2026 – FESPA has announced that entries are now open for the FESPA Awards 2027, the print and signage industry's longest-standing and only independent awards programme.
To encourage early participation, FESPA is offering a 50 per cent early bird discount on all entries submitted by 7 September 2026.
Entrants who secure the reduced rate will have until 2 December 2026 to finalise and refine their submissions, giving businesses ample time to present their work at its best.
Pointcarre, a leading provider of AI-powered textile CAD software, has highlighted its new AI-driven image upscaling feature designed to help textile designers restore and enlarge low-resolution pattern files without compromising design integrity.
The new capability addresses one of the most persistent challenges in the textile industry: working with legacy or low-quality design assets.
Klagenfurt, Austria – September 2, 2026 – J. Zimmer Maschinenbau GmbH Klagenfurt and J. Zimmer Maschinenbau GmbH Kufstein | Digital Printing Systems have announced the launch of "Zimmer 2028", a strategic transformation initiative that will unite the two operating companies into a single, unified organisation effective January 1st, 2028.
The initiative represents a decisive response to evolving market demands and increasing economic pressures facing the industrial printing and textile machinery sector.
Birmingham, UK – September 2026 – Epson UK & Ireland will be exhibiting at The Print Show 2026, taking place at the NEC Birmingham from 29 September to 1 October 2026.
Visitors can find Epson at Stand S130, where the company will present live demonstrations of its latest professional printing technologies across UV, Direct-to-Garment (DTG), Direct-to-Film (DTF), and flatbed printing.
Aarhus, DK & Milwaukee, WI — September 2, 2026 — FASTSEWN will showcase the next generation of its flatbed automated textile finishing at PRINTING United 2026 with the U.S. debut demonstration of its innovative full 3.3M width StitchNCut™ flatbed sewing and laser cutting solution.
This solution is designed specifically for high-volume production of Silicone Edge Graphics (SEG), pillowcase graphics, and other grand-format and industrial textile applications.
The centerpiece of the launch will be live remote demonstrations from FASTSEWN’s headquarters, where attendees will see the company’s full-size StitchNCut 3.3-meter automated flatbed sewing and laser cutting system producing finished SEG graphics and pillow graphics under real market-based production conditions.
Newtown PA – 11 August 2026 – Hybrid Software will showcase the technologies shaping the future of print production at PRINTING United Expo 2026. At booth C1371, visitors will see how artificial intelligence, GPU-native rendering, workflow automation and advanced colour management are improving productivity, quality and efficiency across print production.
Demonstrations will span the Hybrid Software Group portfolio, including Labels & Packaging, Brandz, Helix, Color, Xitron and Meteor Inkjet.
For sticker businesses, moving from offline to online sales is more than simply adding a new sales channel.
It requires a well-structured process that makes product discovery, customization, ordering, and fulfillment as seamless as possible for the customer.
According to Wacław Mostowski, CRO & Co-founder of Antigro Designer, when implemented effectively, online sales can expand market reach, improve operational efficiency, and create new opportunities for scalable growth.
A strong e-commerce presence allows print businesses to reach customers beyond their local market while creating a more accessible and convenient buying experience.
Crewe , United Kingdom – September 2026 – Hybrid Services Ltd, the exclusive distributor of Mimaki technology across the UK and Ireland, has confirmed that its dedicated Mimaki showroom remains open to visitors five days a week following the successful conclusion of its recent Demo Weeks event.
The Demo Weeks programme welcomed a wide range of visitors to the showroom, giving attendees the opportunity to explore the latest print technology, discover new ideas and advance their Mimaki journey.
With the event now complete, Hybrid Services is reminding those who were unable to attend that the showroom continues to operate on an ongoing basis.
Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, the Mimaki showroom houses an extensive range of technology spanning sign and graphics, industrial printing, textile and apparel, and 3D printing.
Hamamatsu, Japan – 2 September 2026 – Roland DG Corporation, the world's leading provider of wide-format digital printing solutions, today announced the launch of the TrueVis AG-640, a next-generation 64-inch latex printer/cutter that expands what's possible with latex printing.
Combining low running costs, high output quality, expanded colours, dense white ink, and integrated contour cutting, the AG-640 helps print professionals move beyond traditional latex limits to take on more profitable work with confidence
Leicester – UK – September 2nd 2026 - VeriVide have launched UltraView60, a new, compact, cost-effective colour assessment cabinet that expands the existing UltraView product range and makes its tuneable LED technology accessible to more organisations.
Developed as a lower cost entry into the UltraView range, UltraView60 gives businesses, who have limited space available, the opportunity to benefit from the features and colour assessment capabilities in VeriVide’s UltraView technology.
Anglesey – September 2026 – Nova Chrome UK, one of the UK's longest-standing suppliers of dye sublimation printing solutions, has announced it will exhibit at The Print Show, taking place at NEC Birmingham.
Visitors can find the company at Stand P240, Hall 1, where its specialists will showcase the latest sublimation products and equipment.
Telford, UK – September 2026 – China Print Supplies UK Ltd invites businesses considering an investment in new print equipment to experience a range of machines in action at its showroom, where prospective buyers can assess print quality, ask questions, and test their own materials before committing to a purchase.
As demand for high-quality, versatile printing solutions continues to grow, seeing equipment perform under real conditions has become an increasingly valuable step in the buying process.
China Print Supplies is addressing this need by offering hands-on access to a selection of its latest demonstration machines, allowing customers to make informed decisions with confidence.
Clay Cross – August 2026 – Resolute DTF has announced it will take a prominent stand at The Print Show 2026, held at the NEC Birmingham from Tuesday, 29 September 2026.
The company will also maintain a presence at The Sign Show, which is co-locating with the event, marking a significant dual appearance for the brand at one of the UK's most anticipated print industry exhibitions
Comun Nuovo, Lombardy – September , 2026 – EFI has announced its EFI Reggiani pigment printing solutions, a suite of integrated digital technologies designed to help textile producers achieve faster turnaround, greater flexibility, and more sustainable production.
The announcement responds to mounting industry pressure for cleaner, more efficient manufacturing without compromising on quality or profitability.
Las Vegas, NV – August 2026 – Agfa will return to PRINTING United Expo 2026, one of the printing industry's most important events, to connect with print professionals from across North America and beyond.
The company will exhibit at Booths 1149 and 1161 at the Las Vegas Convention Centre from 23–25 September 2026.
At the show, Agfa will demonstrate how its latest inkjet solutions help businesses increase productivity, expand application possibilities, and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving print market.
Geretsried, Bavaria, August 2026 – Rudolf has introduced RUCO®-THERM PCM BIO MFT, a bio-based textile finishing technology that brings intelligent thermoregulation to functional apparel, helping hikers stay comfortable as temperatures rise and fall on the trail.
London, UK – August 2026 – The Royal College of Art (RCA) has announced the launch of the fourth RCA x Design for Good Academy, an ambitious live online short course that, for the first time, will open its places to the public alongside Design for Good alliance members and RCA students.
The programme begins in October 2026 and runs until March 2027.
Las Vegas, NV – August 2026 – Sun Chemical today announced its participation in PRINTING United Expo 2026, taking place 23-25 September 2026 at the Las Vegas Convention Centre.
Visitors are invited to booth C2880, where the company will present its latest advances in digital ink, textile, industrial, and sustainability-focused printing solutions designed to help printers transform their businesses.
At the heart of Sun Chemical's presence is a commitment to helping customers improve print quality, enhance sustainability, and optimise productivity.
Peterborough – August 2026 – The addition of embroidery to Snuggle Ltd’s in-house embellishment services, united DTF, DTG, Sublimation, UV and embroidery under a single roof at its UK headquarters.
The move positioned the company as one of the most comprehensive garment decoration operations in the industry.
The decision to invest in embroidery was driven directly by customer demand.
Milan, Italy – 26 August 2026 – Viscom, the international event dedicated to technologies, applications and materials for visual communication and the graphic arts, has revealed the key themes shaping its 2026 Conference programme.
Taking place on 28 and 29 October at the Allianz MiCo Convention Center in Milan, the event will explore how technological innovation, creativity and design capabilities are converging to transform the industry.
With its new Exhibition & Conference format, Viscom is strengthening its role as a hub for visual communication in Italy.
Matthews – NC – August 2026 – Fisher Textiles has announced the launch of its Enviro-Tex® fabric line, a range of sustainable textiles crafted from post-consumer recycled PET bottles.
The new offering delivers the quality, stretch, durability, and print performance customers expect, while helping reduce environmental impact across a wide variety of applications.
Enviro-Tex® is designed to meet the growing demand for sustainable materials without compromising on graphic quality.
Dubai, UAE – August 2026 – FESPA Middle East has announced FLEX, the FESPA Leadership Exchange, a landmark gathering of the print and signage industry's most influential decision-makers.
Taking place in Dubai, UAE, on 26 November 2026, the event will bring together the leaders shaping the future of the sector to exchange ideas, share perspectives and define the opportunities ahead.
As the market continues to evolve, FLEX responds to a clear need: the most valuable conversations happen among those driving change
Birmingham UK – August 2026 - Epson will showcase its latest ColorWorks colour-on-demand label printing solutions at PPMA Show 2026, taking place from 22–24 September at the NEC Birmingham.
Visitors to Epson’s stand (A54, Hall 5) will be able to discover how businesses can transform their labelling processes through in-house, full-colour label production that delivers greater flexibility, lower costs and reduced waste.