Textile Insight

Showcasing Fabric Innovations for F/W 22/23 Digitally & Successfully. nvironmental consciousness ruled at Performance Days, which was held virtually in December. From the 240 fabrics plus accessory trends at this year's Performance Forum, to the Focus Topic "Nothing to Waste – Closing the Loop" to the conference within a conference called Sustain & Innovate, there is no doubt that textile circularity will define industry trends in seasons ahead. Natural fibers such as hemp, organic cotton and wool remain in demand, while manufacturers are also increasingly refraining from the use of environmentally harmful chemicals, avoiding microplastics, advocating natural dyeing processes and trying to return fabrics to the cycle through recycling and biodegradability. Seminar sessions during the two-day virtual event, held December 9 - 10, 2020, drilled down on advances in sustain- ability with expert input from a wide range of panelists and speakers. (The Technology story on page 15 provides details.) Fabric fairs have taken it on the chin during the pandemic in terms of bringing fabrics realistically to life online, but Performance Days made strides in this area. For example, to offer visitors a better under- standing of products in terms of feel, design and structure, the Forum was equipped with 3D technology, including tools such as 3D images, video animations and U3M files for download. In the Marketplace section of the site, visitors could view more than 9,500 exhibitor products. A "Contact Supplier" function was supple- mented with a new online tool that allowed exhibitors to be contacted directly via chat, call or per video and could be accessed for several days following the show. According to Performance Days organizers, the Digital Fair counted 191 exhibitors, over 15,000 visits and more than 3,000 sample requests. Category Snapshots Next season's baselayer trend is all about natural fibers, as the category will be dominated by wool, wool blends, organic wool jersey, hemp, bamboo or coconut shell. Blends with Tencel will feature, but watch for unusual additions such as Seacell, a fiber made from seaweed. Recycled fibers across the board are important. The natural fiber trend carries over to the midlayer category for Winter 2022/23 as does eco-responsibility around product development. Focus is on micro-modal, cotton, hemp, organic cotton, Tencel, merino wool or fabrics made of soya. Hemp continues to make inroads, both for the fiber's sustainable attributes — low water and chemical usage — along with its properties of strength and abrasion resistance. Innovation around microplastics is resulting in new products constructed to mitigate microfiber shedding while still retaining thermal properties. And there is a return to Sherpa, as a new generation comes to appreciate this cozy cold weather textile. 2-layer developments combine performance with aesthetics. New structures, from classic extremely durable variants to new 3D structures offer modern design formats while these lightweight fabrications bring high breathability and high water column, in addition to excellent stretch. EcoNylon is a sustainable alternative that suppliers continue to see value in. Econyl produc- tion uses waste materials such as production waste from the nylon manufacturing process, fabric remnants and carpets and fishing nets from the oceans. Polyester with a recycled PET membrane is also directional for F/W 2022-23. A couple of seasons ago, Performance Days Forum iden- tified an emerging category, Outer Midlayer / Softshells, described as warm windproof/water-repellent jackets worn as an outer layer during outdoor sports or leisure activities and giving the classic softshell style a run for its money. These new Outer Midlayer products provide plenty of weather protection and thermal ability are strong for 2022/23. Here again, environmental consciousness plays a role, with new developments featuring recycled and biomaterials, in addition to natural fiber blends. The next edition of Performance Days is planned as a hybrid fair and will take place on May 19th and May 20th, 2021 in Munich as well as online. l E IN THE MARKET | PERFORMANCE DAYS Eye on Eco 12 • Textile Insight ~ January/February 2021 textileinsight.com In the Marketplace section of the Performance Days Digital fair website visitors could view more than 9,500 exhibitor products. Extensive wiring is now critical to enhanced digital trade show presentation and webinar recordings.

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