Sophie Bramel’s panel among Performance Days highlights
‘Reassessing raw material choices and impacts’ was the topic of a fascinating talk chaired by WSA’s technical editor, Sophie Bramel, at the Performance Days fabric show in Germany, which closed its doors this evening (October 5).
Brands and suppliers have been quick to switch to lower impact materials such as rPET, but this only shaves off a fraction of a product’s total footprint: is it time to reassess? she asked.
She was joined by Anna Beltzung, co-founder of membrane maker Dimpora; Andrea Crespi, general manager for Italian fabric manufacturer Eurojersey; Diederik Janssen, European sales director at US yarn supplier Unifi; and Mathieu Liebaert, general manager at Belgian elastic fabric specialist Liebaert, who gave their insights.
This year’s show was extended to include footwear for the first time, and the Innovation Forum, the Trend Forum and the Sustainability Lounge were updated and revamped, offering the latest products for the Autumn/Winter 2025/26 season.
Performance Days CEO Marco Weichert said: “The industry is currently in a state of transition. Never before have topics related to technical innovations and new approaches in the field of membranes focusing on sustainable aspects been so essential and exciting.”
This year, the Performance Award went to IdeaTex’s ENR324-3L – the first time a safety fabric has won; and the Eco Performance Award was presented to Bristex for its BX-PDEW260R-3UXPL, described as “monomaterial at its best“. It comprises recycled PES on the front and back, along with recyclable PET adhesive and a recycled PET membrane.
HDry in cooperation with Scarpa won the Performance Footwear category. “It is particularly surprising to see a high-performance model for athletes from the world of mountain sports with hardly any seams and the membrane directly on the outer fabric,” said judges.
Hohenstein with Lowa won the Eco Performance Footwear Award. The Lady Light GTX model is 100% OekoTex certified despite its more than 100 components. Features include a midsole made of 100% PU, an insole made of 10% mesh, 40% polyester and 50% visco-elastic latex foam. The upper material is made of 100% nubuck leather.
