Textile Institute celebrates 100th anniversary
The Textile Institute held its centenary conference in Manchester, UK, from November 2-4. It was held at the Midland Hotel, where the institute was inaugurated 100 years ago.
Speaking at the event, former Textile Institute president, Xia-ming Tao, of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, discussed the potential of the smart textile sector. She said that this market was already believed to be worth more than $1 billion globally, but that it has the potential to rise to $1 trillion per year.
Other speakers included Lord Mervyn Davies, former minister for trade, investment and small business, who said that there is growing demand for “aspirational” new lifestyle brands, particularly from young people, and Ashroff Omar, CEO of Brandix, who said that larger UK textile firms should take advantage of what is currently a very fragmented clothing industry, using the latest technology and research.
