Occupying a middle ground between natural and petrochemical, synthetic fibres made from renewable resources may hit the right chord with brands looking to lighten their environmental footprint. But these biopolymers also come with their fair share of issues, related to land use, price competitiveness, and the term ‘bio’ itself, which can have many meanings.

Could it be the show’s early dates? The winter season session, when fabrics command higher prices allowing mills to invest more? Or a collective determination to buck the adverse economic context? Milano Unica was high on innovation this past July.

High-tech solutions that can ‘dye’ fabrics virtually without water promise to cut precious resources by 90% or more. But are traditional wet processes ready for disruption?

Armedangels has eschewed fossil-based fabrics for what it describes as the first natural jacket of its kind. Sportstextiles spoke with the German brand’s product director, as well as to Lenzing and Montebelo, to hear about the work involved in creating its ‘most difficult product yet’

Science that won the Nobel Prize for chemistry as long ago as 1950 could have a role to play in the textile industry’s transition to the circular economy.

Clothing designers expect to see further advances in automation in the near future, but we are some way short of seeing an all-AI produced garment, even if consumers were willing to accept such a product.

As Lycra’s partially bio-based elastane hits commercial volumes, Fashion for Good launches a pilot to validate lower-impact stretch fibres and galvanise support around nascent recycling systems.

A collective research programme to boost innovation in sustainable processes and develop industrial synergies in Portugal has brought together a consortium of textile and apparel manufacturers, research institutes and universities to unlock a circular, biobased and digital-ready ‘bioeconomy’.

Odour-capturing technologies are replacing traditional antimicrobial solutions to keep clothing smelling fresh. They are now being paired with complementary cooling and fibre-shedding mitigation to better align with evolving personal and environmental concerns.

The sentiment at the Italian fair was that manufacturing needs to be put back in the spotlight to differentiate high-end textiles.

Makers of waterproof-breathable membranes have been pressured to phase out PFAS chemistry, arguably its foundational chemical compound, leading to the overhaul of the offerings of legacy suppliers.