Interviews

It was in 1997 that a young girl in war-ravaged Somalia began to train women and girls in income-generating tye-and-dye programmes. By 2012 Qaal Designs was started in Los Angeles with the sole idea of reuse, recycle and repurpose products using digitisation. This ‘global movement’ in sustainable fashion is now moving from LA to the streets of Nairobi, Mogadishu, Arusha, Kigali and expanding to the rest of Africa. texfash.com in conversation with Founder Nimco Adam.

Stephen Mayfield is a distinguished professor of Biology at UC San Diego. Tom Cooke came with decades of experience in product development. Together, they created at Bluewear Footwear the world's first biodegradable pair of shoes made from plant-based fabrics and oils that decompose fully. A riveting interview with texfash.com.

The Amphitex project of Amphibio is the first 100% recyclable chemical-free waterproof breathable textile made for the outdoor and sportswear apparel industry. In April this year, Amphitex by  Amphibio was announced as one of four Terra Carta Design Lab winners. CEO & Founder Jun Kamei talks about ideas and how he sees things shaping up in the near future.

Zipper major YKK is conducting lifecycle assessment of all its products to help guide development of sustainable trims, even as the fashion element is changing for this fashion accessory with consumer-led demands.

Implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) along side supporting measures is widely believed to incentivise eco-design. Texfash.com talks to Toby Connock, Consultant at Eunomia, the agency that was commissioned by the Changing Markets Foundation (CMF) and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) to conduct a study on the role of EPR and supporting policy measures in driving a circular economy for textiles in Europe.

The textiles industry faces accelerated change throughout the entire supply chain in the years ahead, driven by trends including sustainability and near-shoring. Print is just a small part of the complete textile supply chain but, at each stage, transformation is afoot and evolving at a fast pace worldwide. Michael Ryan, Head of FESPA Global Print Expo, tells texfash.com what it will be like to be at the four-day event at Berlin, beginning 31 May, and how the interplay between the printing segment and others in the value chain is expected to play out.

Researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) have developed a new indigo dyeing technology that, they say, is an eco-friendly alternative to current methods. Sergiy Minko, a professor of fibre and polymer science at UGA and a corresponding author of the study, shares some thoughts on denim dyeing.

In March this year, Fashion Council Germany (FCG) published a landmark report on the environmental impact of the German fashion industry titled German Fashion Footprint. The first of a kind, the report is a treasure trove of information. The Council's Managing Director Scott Lipinski talks about the lessons learnt and the way forward in this freewheeling interview.

Less than a month from now, the world of technical textiles and nonwovens as well as the processing of textile and flexible materials will finally meet again at Techtextil and Texprocess. Michael Jänecke, Director - Brand Management - Technical Textiles and Textile Processing, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition, wraps up the last two years and tells texfash.com which way the industry is headed.

Founded in 1953, Orta transformed from a spinning & weaving company to a denim manufacturer in 1985. Today, Orta operates in Turkey with its 1000+ employees, creating a platform for leading manufacturers to step up and reclaim a denim industry where more aesthetics leads to more ethics. Orta’s Sustainability Consultant N Sebla Önder dwells at length on a holistic approach into creating eco-positive denim.