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.

London April 2026 – ARTS THREAD has officially announced the opening of the seventh edition of the Global Creative Graduate Showcase.

This proactive initiative provides a crucial platform for art and design students graduating between September 2025 and August 2026.

By inviting graduates from anywhere in the world, including Southern Hemisphere students graduating after September 2025, the organisation continues to address the urgent need to elevate emerging talent in a rapidly evolving global market.

London – March - 2026 – Arts Thread has announced its continued partnership with TEX+ for 2026, reaffirming its commitment to supporting emerging textile graduates as they transition from education into professional careers.

TEX+ is a career accelerator designed to bridge the gap between the next generation of textile designers and industry professionals.

NEW YORK – January 2026– The Brooklyn Museum is proud to announce the North American debut of Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses, a major exhibition running from 16 May to 6 December 2026.

This global presentation celebrates one of the most forward-thinking fashion designers of this generation, exploring the convergence of traditional couture artisanship with innovative technologies.

Organised by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, this extensive exhibition reveals the experimental spirit that has reshaped 21st-century fashion

London January 2026 – Arts Thread has announced it is partnering with Real Leather. Stay Different. for the sixth consecutive year to launch the International Student Design Competition 2026.

This global initiative seeks to identify the best new designers from around the world who are dedicated to promoting slow style and a more sustainable future for the fashion industry.

The competition aims to address the urgent environmental crisis created by the fast fashion business model.

London, United Kingdom – January 2026 – ARTS THREAD has announced a strategic collaboration with Mikser to launch Design Link, a transformative project supported by British Council Serbia.

This new initiative aims to bridge the gap between skill development, digital visibility, and international opportunities for young creatives, empowering them to become catalysts for positive societal change.

London 2025 – Ian Krebs, a Master’s graduate from the Swedish School of Textiles, has been announced as the winner of the prestigious Arts Thread 2025 Textiles Knit/Weave Award.

Recognised for a forward-thinking approach that marries traditional craftsmanship with digital technology, Krebs’ winning project challenges the fashion industry’s perception of standard materials by reimagining jersey as a dynamic, sculptural medium.

The award-winning project investigates the latent potential of machine-made tubular knits, transforming a fabric typically regarded as utilitarian and plain into complex, expressive garments.