Creative Insights
Rebés's story isn't one of nostalgia - It's a working blueprint for how heritage manufacturers can stay indispensable in a market that rewards speed, certification, and specificity in equal measure. Four million metres of stock mean nothing without the digital printing capability to turn it into something distinctive.
A 150-year name means nothing without the R&D discipline to win a tender for antistatic, carbon-fibre-infused uniform fabric on the first attempt.
Image Credit: Tejidos Rebé
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 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.
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?
Creatives Newsroom
London, UK – October 2026 – ARTSTHREAD has today launched the Public Vote for its seventh annual Global Creative Graduate Showcase, inviting audiences worldwide to discover and support the next generation of creative talent.
The vote is now live at vote.artsthread.com, giving the public the opportunity to engage directly with graduating work from across the globe.
Leicester, UK – October 2026 – De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) will open a landmark exhibition celebrating the work of fashion icon Dame Zandra Rhodes, following her decision to donate a significant part of her personal archive to the university.
Zandra Rhodes: Archive Unfolded will showcase highlights from a donation spanning six decades of Rhodes' career, from 1964 to 2025, featuring thousands of objects including licensed work, press cuttings, film, opera material and colour transparencies.
The gift follows Dame Zandra's Honorary Doctorate of the Arts from DMU in 2023, when she announced her intention to place a key part of her archive with the university's Special Collections.
London, UK – September 2026 – ARTS THREAD hosted an in-person judging event for its Global Creative Graduate Showcase at the Zaha Hadid Gallery, Barbican, bringing together industry judges to evaluate the next generation of creative talent.
The event also marked the introduction of the ARTS THREAD Vault, a new initiative set to shape how creative work is archived and accessed.
The gathering reflects ARTS THREAD's ongoing commitment to supporting emerging creatives as they transition from education into industry, while also advancing the infrastructure that underpins creative recognition and opportunity on a global scale.
London, UK – Septembder 2026 – The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) has launched the latest edition of its Discover British Brands map, showcasing more than 100 British brands exhibiting across Paris Women's Fashion Week and the SS27 pre-collections from 28 September to 6 October 2026.
The initiative continues UKFT's commitment to strengthening the international standing of UK fashion businesses, giving global buyers and press a clear route into the depth and diversity of British design.
London – UK – September 2026 – ARTS THREAD has announced the call for applications for the Designers in Residence Pforzheim 2027 programme, a fully funded three-month residency hosted at EMMA Creative Center Pforzheim.
The residency will run from 1 April to 30 June 2027, offering emerging designers a rare opportunity to develop their practice within a dedicated creative environment.
Applications close on 2 November 2026 at 23:59 CET.
London, UK – September 2026 – The Only Natural International Student Design Competition 2026, supported by Artsthread, has revealed its Category and People's Choice winners.
Selected from an exceptional field of entries from student designers across the globe, this year's winning projects span Fashion and Home, showcasing outstanding creativity, craftsmanship and innovation in the use of natural materials.
Altrincham – Cheshire – August 2926 – Friedmans Ltd, a UK-based textile manufacturer and digital printing specialist, has announced the expansion of its wholesale stretch fabric and digital printing services, offering designers, brands, and businesses an accessible route to fully customised fabric solutions with low minimum order quantities and fast turnaround times.
London, UK – July 2026 – The UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) has announced its participation at two of Asia's most prominent textile trade events: Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics (25–27 August 2026) and CINTE Techtextil China (1–3 September 2026).
The organisation will promote and support British companies across both shows, connecting international buyers, brands, and industry partners with the full breadth of UK textile expertise.
London, UK – June 2026 – ARTS THREAD is delighted to announce that Alina Gamboa, VP Head of Design at Polo & RLX Men's (Ralph Lauren), has joined the judging panel for the Global Creative Graduate Showcase 2026, presented in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture.
Gamboa will lend her expertise to the Fashion, Accessories and Textiles categories.
The 2026 judging panel comprises esteemed leaders spanning diverse sectors, including digital visual communications, film, fashion, accessories, textiles, product design, architecture, interiors, fine art, photography, contemporary craft, and jewellery.
Over the forthcoming weeks, ARTS THREAD will individually unveil the judges from A to Z across its official social media platforms. This phased announcement highlights the calibre of expertise awaiting this year's cohort of creators.
London May 2026 – ARTS THREAD has officially opened applications for The Only Natural Student Design Competition 2026, an urgent call to action for visionary designers ready to disrupt the fashion, furniture, and furnishings industries.
Aimed at students and recent graduates from the cohorts of 2024 and 2025, the global competition challenges emerging talent to abandon synthetic, oil-derived materials in favour of renewable and durable natural fibres.
Submissions are open immediately and will be accepted until the 30th of June 2026.
FALMOUTH, UK – April 2026– Falmouth University BA (Hons) Textile Design graduate and technician Meredith Wood has been named a Top 20 finalist in the prestigious H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award.
Through her pioneering company, Colour Earth, Wood and her co-founders are addressing urgent environmental issues by developing scalable, lower-impact plant-based pigments to replace highly polluting petrochemical synthetic dyes.
“Recently, we had the privilege of collaborating with Kristine Go, founder of Pattern Curator - a Print forecasting and design service concept based in New Jersey, USA - giving us a fascinating glimpse into the future. Kristine Go's trend forecasting presents profound implications for the market, emphasizing the need for industries to attune themselves to the evolving consumer psyche. The ongoing dance between creativity and commerce is thus becoming more intricate, requiring a delicate balance to achieve commercial success without compromising on creative integrity or societal values.”
Colour Separation: The Craft Digital Textile Design Shouldn’t Forget
Textile designer Stephan Alker draws on more than 40 years in the industry, going back to his start at Transfertex in 1980, to trace how colour separation moved from drum scanners, hand-retouched films and engraved gravure cylinders to fully digital workflows.
He argues that this production knowledge still matters in the age of digital printing, because properly separated designs give brands far more freedom.
Shrewsbury, UK – November 2026 – Big Value Banners, a UK-based manufacturer of custom printed banners and signage, has chosen the Veloblade Nexus from Vivid Laminating Technologies Ltd to support its growing production capabilities. The announcement follows a period of evaluation, culminating in staff training completed today in Shropshire.
Exclusive Mimaki distributor, Hybrid Services will host two Mimaki Technology Taster Days at its Crewe showroom this November, giving businesses the opportunity to explore their next printing investment, diversification or upgrade in a relaxed, informal setting.
Taking place on Thursday 12th and 19th November, from 10am - 4pm, the events are designed for companies at any stage of their research, including those still considering which direction to take. Visitors can explore the Mimaki range, see printed applications and discuss their ideas with Hybrid’s product specialists.
Milan, 4 November 2026 – The 37th edition of Viscom, the international exhibition dedicated to visual communication, has concluded in Milan, debuting its new Exhibition & Conference format at the Allianz MiCo Convention Centre. The refreshed venue and identity reflect the transformations underway across the industry, delivering two dynamic days that brought together 5,189 visitors and more than 90 exhibitors to explore the sector's emerging opportunities.
Wednesday, November 04, 2026 - Aarhus, DK & Milwaukee, WI — To provide the proper level of support for customers in the Americas, Mikkelsen Innovation ApS has registered and started its U.S. subsidiary, FASTSEWN, Inc., located in Milwaukee, WI. In addition to the U.S. sales and management team, Steve Aranoff (Chief Business Officer) and Jim Manelski (Director of Sales, Americas), whom many in the industry already know, industry veteran Ranjan Singh has now joined as COO for FASTSEWN, Inc. Part of the engineering team is also in Milwaukee, bringing the number of U.S. employees to six so far.
Oswestry, UK – November 2026 – China Print Supplies (CPS) has confirmed it can supply ink, spare parts and servicing for Gongzheng printers across the UK, following the voluntary liquidation of Your Embroidery Services (YES) on 15 October. YES notified customers by email on 20 October that it could no longer provide servicing, technical assistance or customer support.
Gongzheng was one of the brands YES supplied in the UK, covering UV flatbed, eco solvent and UV DTF machines. The sudden withdrawal of support has left an unknown number of owners without a clear path to consumables, parts or engineering help, raising concerns about machine downtime across the sector.
CPS already supplies Gongzheng equipment and holds the supplier relationships needed to source consumables and parts for any Gongzheng machine in the country, regardless of where it was originally purchased.
South Normanton - UK – November 2026 - As the out-of-home advertising market continues its rapid expansion, Sun Chemical is driving the industry's shift toward water-based ink technology with its Streamline™ Toccata range, engineered to meet the rising demand for high-quality, durable graphics while reducing environmental impact.
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Join us at the Epson booth in Las Vegas for a conversation with Tim Check about the latest innovations in creative Merch.
Tim introduces Epson’s compact SureColor F370 dye-sublimation printer, designed to make printing more approachable for makers, small businesses, and shops looking to explore new products.
The interview explores how the printer’s simple, sheet-based workflow and convenient printing options can help creators get started with items such as towels, promotional products, and other personalised merch—without needing a large production setup.
Tim also demonstrates Epson’s sublimation primer, which prepares natural fabrics like cotton to receive sublimation prints. See how this approach could help businesses test new ideas, find their niche, and grow their creative offerings.
Watch to learn more >>
In this interview, Debbie McKeegan, CEO of Texintel, speaks with Micol Gamba of EFI Reggiani about ecoNEXT Plus and the growing opportunity for digital printing in interior textiles.
As demand grows for short runs, made-to-order designs, and less inventory, ecoNEXT Plus offers a flexible way to produce distinctive fabrics for spaces and products—from curtains and drapery to furniture and bed linen. The conversation explores how on-demand printing can help designers and businesses bring creative ideas to life and build more individual collections. Micol also discusses the printer’s pigment solution, compact footprint, and in-line fixation process, along with software that helps track productivity and resource consumption. Watch to hear how these capabilities could support more efficient, creative, and sustainability-conscious interior textile production.
Watch to learn more >>
In this episode, host Debbie McKeegan is joined by textile designers, educators and researchers Rebecca Hoyes and Jo Pierce co-authors of Reimagining Printed Textiles. Together, they explore how colour, pattern and materials can be rethought as the textile industry faces growing environmental challenges.
The conversation looks at emerging natural and bio-based colour sources, including microbial fermentation and dyes made from waste streams. Rebecca and Joe also discuss how patterns can tell stories about a material’s origins, how digital tools can complement craft, and how designers can reduce waste through practical choices such as reworking printed fabrics and using less ink.
Looking ahead, they consider what it will take to build a more nature-positive future for textiles - from scaling promising innovations to sharing knowledge across design, science and industry.
Their message to professionals, designers and students is to stay curious, question established practices and see the whole life-cycle of the materials they create with.
Listen to learn more >>
In this episode, Debbie McKeegan is joined by Frank Maeder of NedGraphics and Optitex to explore how digital tools are reshaping textile and apparel workflows. They discuss the industry’s push to move faster, reduce waste, and connect teams across design and production—wherever they are in the world.
Frank shares highlights from NedGraphics’ latest release, including OptiNet Cloud, a platform for managing and sharing digital assets and collaborating across teams. The conversation also covers enhancements to rotary printing, tufting simulation, and pattern resizing, as well as an integration that brings more detailed digital yarns into the design workflow.
The episode looks ahead at a more connected creative ecosystem, where cloud collaboration and shared development across NedGraphics and Optitex can help reduce friction between ideas and production. Debbie and Frank also discuss how AI is supporting product development internally—and how continuous improvements can give designers more time to focus on their work.
Listen to learn more >>
Join host Debbie McKeegan for an inspiring conversation with Danit Peleg, founder of 3D Fashion Lab and a trailblazer in 3D-printed fashion.
Danit reflects on her journey from experimenting with desktop printers to creating soft, wearable textiles—and explores how AI is helping designers turn ideas into garments more quickly. Discover how bio-based materials, custom-fit designs, and on-demand local production could reshape the way fashion is made and consumed, while reducing waste and opening up new creative possibilities for designers and customers alike.
Listen to learn more >>