texfash

LiteHide is an innovative process that effectively eliminates the scourge of tanneries: the use of salt, which is a huge global land and waterway pollutant. Alexandra Pelka, Head of Europe and Business Development of Leatherteq Limited—the innovator of the technology—talks at length about leather, processes and technology.

The cotton misinformation problem needs to be seen in the light of today’s society where fake news thrives and wreaks havoc. It’s not difficult to find out how the cotton myths came into being. It’s also not difficult to find out who have been flinging and slinging these falsehoods. Cotton needs to be more assertive, and possibly a bit aggressive too. texfash tries to join some dots.

Oxford Economics, leaders in global economic forecasting and quantitative analysis, has just published an exhaustive report on the state of the second-hand clothing trade between the EU27+ and three African nations. Johanna Neuhoff, Director of Economic Consulting, Continental Europe, delves deep into the nuances of the sector and the bearing it has on people on both sides in this free-wheeling conversation.

NextGen materials innovator Keel Labs has announced the commercial launch of garments made with its seaweed-based Kelsun fibre as a range being released later today by California brand Outerknown. Co-Founder Tessa Callaghan tells texfash what it took to get Kelsun from the concept stage to its commercial arrival.

As of now brands and retailers that source from Bangladesh—and that have witnessed the industry’s sizeable safety and environmental investments—remain patient and committed. The long-term scenario, however, could be anyone's guess. texfash.com rounds up voices from across the globe.

Bangladesh's readymade garments (RMG) industry grew by a whopping 280% during the 15-year tenure of Sheikh Hasina Wazed's Awami League. Both the League and the RMG industry fed off each other, but with Hasina being ousted and public sentiments overwhelmingly against the Awami League, the country's political turmoil is bound to take its toll on the RMG industry.

The subject of cotton farmers keeps raising its head time and again, though in the context of broader discussions about cotton, but invariably the disconcerting issues facing them often languish on the periphery. An analysis of a Solidaridad paper that spotlights on the plight of farmers.

One of the product launches that the fashion world was eagerly looking forward to this year was that of Mexico-based innovator Polybion’s NextGen material, Celium. CFO Alexis Gómez-Ortigoza and CEO Axel Gómez-Ortigoza tell texfash what it took for them to get Celium to a global launch and how they see the market developing in the years ahead.

The last piece in this five-part series on the twin subjects of the second-hand clothing in Africa and that of post-consumer textile waste in the content emphasises that the two are, of course, related, but not in the way that Western activists would like us to believe.

The Uganda Circular Textile project is designed to support a transition to a local textile manufacturing base by incorporating clothes that would otherwise end up in landfills into new products and design. Leading the project, which kicked off earlier this year, is WasteAid. Director of Programmes, Michelle Wilson, explains what it takes to navigate the second-hand clothing landscape in the country.