Today’s consumers do not just want a printed t-shirt. They demand high-quality, sustainable, bespoke products delivered with the frictionless transparency of an Uber ride or an Amazon parcel.

“To capture premium margins in this crowded, accelerating marketplace, garment decorators must move beyond apparel and embrace a new frontier of end-to-end automation, hybrid technologies, and ethical production”.

What Is the Digital Product Passport?

At its core, a Digital Product Passport is a digital record attached to a physical product - typically accessed via a QR code, NFC chip, or barcode – that documents everything about that product across its entire lifecycle.

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 future of print is not something that will happen to us. It is something we must create - together.

“What does it mean to truly lead an industry through transformation? Not to follow trends, not to react to disruption - but to architect it? That question hung in the air at the Durst NEXT Technology Festival in Brixen, Italy, this June, as Christoph Gamper, CEO and co-owner of the Durst Group, took to the stage…”

The Security Case for Indentity Based Licensing

A lack of visibility is not just a security risk - it is a missed business opportunity. Without knowing who is actually using your software, you cannot personalise the experience, identify underused features, or proactively engage with customers between renewal cycles.

The Printed Textile Industry Does Not Sustain Itself.

“Bringing this community together matters. It matters for the graduates, who leave with contacts, confidence, and in many cases, job offers.

It matters for the industry professionals who attend, who leave with a clearer sense of the talent pipeline feeding into their sector. And it matters for the broader culture of British design, which has always depended on the willingness of each generation to invest in the next…”

Grace Holden, Stories in Bloom – Textiles, Heriot-Watt University

Expanding the Map: New Products and New Revenue Streams:

Across textile, signage, photo and proofing, and CAD ranges, Epson is building product ladders - entry, mid, and high-end - so businesses can bring work in-house rather than outsource it.

“This is about helping businesses say "yes" to their customers more often, turning a single client relationship into multiple revenue streams.”

“In an industry obsessed with the next game-changer, the discipline of listening, refining, and improving what already works is its own competitive advantage”.

What if covering a wall or window was never really the point? What if the goal was to dress it - to give it texture, character, and a story all its own?

“Moderated by Debbie McKeegan, CEO of Texintel and FESPA Textile Ambassador, the discussion brought together Mathew Faulkner of Canon, Terry Raghunath of HP, and Rodd Harrison of Mimaki - each offering a distinct vantage point on a sector McKeegan rightly described as "ripe for disruption."

And the numbers back her up. The digital decoration marketplace is forecast to grow at a CAGR of up to 20.3% through to 2030."

Premiumisation: The Customer Demand Driving Innovation

What made this discussion so valuable was the breadth of expertise around the table.

The panel, hosted by FESPA Textile Ambassador Debbie McKeegan, brought together perspectives from every link in the manufacturing relay race - because, as McKeegan rightly noted, "at every touchpoint of the relay race of manufacture, all of this wisdom and knowledge carries along the supply chain, and without it, we can't move to seamless manufacture."

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.“

Sportswear held relatively firm throughout the downturn, and customised apparel is now showing renewed momentum. Duncan noted a significant rise in interest around direct-to-film (DTF) technology - while direct-to-fabric printing is also regaining traction.

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.”

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 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.