Innovation in adaptive apparel

April 1, 2025  |  Markets, Product Trends

Today’s adaptive apparel brands are more attractive, wearable and functional than ever before thanks to customer-responsive and thoughtful design development, especially with locations of findings and softness of fabric. They offer significant benefits for elderly populations; those recovering fro…
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Innovations in smart textiles

March 1, 2025  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Though 2024, like any year, was imperfect, it saw progress in smart textiles research, sustainability efforts and product development, especially in areas focused on solving problems in the health care space and with accessibility. For Specialty Fabrics Review’s Women in Textiles issue, we shine a…
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Wool industry eco-improvements

March 1, 2025  |  Industry in Focus, Markets

As consumer sentiment increasingly turns toward sustainability, many textile providers are striving to make their operations and goods more eco-friendly to meet their customers’ standards. The wool industry is one of those providers taking notice, with many throughout the supply chain undertaking …
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Fabric awnings vs. metal

March 1, 2025  |  Markets, Product Trends

There’s no denying it: Metal has become popular for shading products and is taking market share from fabric. However, that doesn’t mean that fabric can’t compete. It brings qualities to the table that metal does not have.
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Advances in textile recycling

February 1, 2025  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Many consider advanced textile recycling, including chemical, enzymatic and molecular technologies, to be the path to true circularity, making waste into materials not once but repeatedly.
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Four-dimensional leadership

February 1, 2025  |  Business, Markets

Traditional leadership philosophies focus on what it takes for a leader to have sway over a team, to drive toward an outcome and to create coordinated movement. These aspects of reaching a goal are critical components of leadership, but they are one-dimensional.
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Blue and green roofs use many kinds of geosynthetics

February 1, 2025  |  Markets, Product Trends

In the global push to lower buildings’ carbon footprint and energy and water use, some look to blue and green roof construction. These roofs can help combat urban environmental challenges such as the heat island effect and rapid inundation of sewer systems from stormwater and are a small but growi…
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Awning business succession: An in-and-out approach

January 14, 2025  |  Awnings & Canopies, Business

The awning business offers enough challenges to keep you growing, consistency you can plan around, and is rewarding enough to keep you fulfilled.
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Navigating global trade

January 1, 2025  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Advanced textile manufacturers often are new participants in young markets, so the regulatory hurdles can be challenging or unexpected. To succeed in the international market, newcomers must learn to navigate the various regulatory issues related to global trade compliance, such as government contra…
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Hemp, hemp, hooray

January 1, 2025  |  Industry in Focus, Markets

Industrial hemp has the power to revolutionize the manufacturing industry. It can be used for a variety of applications in everything from farming to textiles. However, the U.S. hemp industry is nascent, the crop having been banned for 82 years until the 2014 Farm Bill legalized hemp through a pilot…
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