Future Fabrics aims to provoke mindset shift
The two-day Future Fabrics Expo has closed its doors in London, showcasing more than 10,000 material samples from 700 companies and 14 panels covering topics including regenerative agriculture, regulation, circularity and routes to upscaling for start-ups.
The expo differs from many trade shows in that it is specially curated, with exhibitors and their supply chains needing to pass certain criteria, and with a focus on education and specially curated arenas, organisers told sportstextiles.com
The idea is to create a springboard for innovation and start-ups, as well as showcasing the commercially available options that could help move the fashion sector away from conventionally-grown cotton and fossil fuel-derived fibres and finishes.
Exhibitors said visitors included high-end brands, and that the show acted as a starting point for conversations around sustainability, rather than a fabric buying exercise.
Statistics mentioned in panels included that ‘next-gen’ materials make up less than 1% of the fibre ‘basket’ currently, but this could increase by up to 13% by 2030, according to Georgia Parker from Fashion for Good. The sustainability hub has grown from supporting 130 innovators in 2017 to 650.
Consultancy Quantis suggested there are up to 35 new regulations that will affect the fashion sector in the next five years, and that brands’ profits could be affected by up to 8% if they fail to comply – in terms of products not reaching the market, and fines.
Companies exhibiting included Hyosung, Santis Textiles, Lenzing, Raddis Cotton, the Mills Fabrica, Ventile, Beyond Surface Technologies, NFW and Thermore.
We will be covering some of the developments presented at the fair over the coming days.
