Textile Insight

TEXTILE TALK | EMILY WALZER he last time I commuted to work was during the Reagan administration. I had recently moved to Boston, from New York City, and on weekdays I walked across the Boston Common to and from the Fairchild Publications bureau office where I was employed as an editor. At that time Fairchild had a roster of trade magazines, enough to fill an entire building floor with a cast of characters. It was a good time for publishing, and a good time to be covering the nascent world of active/ outdoor textiles. I left that gig after two years and I've been writing copy, conducting interviews, editing text and making a go at a career from home ever since. The pandemic has of course upended everyone's life, with remote work now a thing, and with more people exercising than ever. I have watched these trends take shape from my desk, which is stationed in front of a big window with a view of the street, a pretty country road that has become a parade of cyclists, runners, skateboarders and dog walkers during COVID as neighbors, neighbor's kids and others from our small community abandon makeshift home offices, escape their screens and get outside. One guy in particular stands out. In the early days of the pandemic he began a twice daily "running" routine that looped past my house. Dressed in baggy old-school style sweats and wearing Converse high-tops, he would chug up the final hill near his home, sometimes raising his arms in victory as if reaching a finish line. He has been relentless in his fitness over these many months. Still favoring sweats, he has, however, upgraded to New Balance running shoes, fancy headphones and now he even carries a nifty water bottle. Here is our new active outdoorist, someone seeking to be fit in a more casual yet committed way. We offer more about today's enthusiast, including statistics and supplier comments, in this month's cover story starting on Page 18. I like to think of the article's headline, "Performance for All," as a campaign slogan for the 2021 season. Suzanne Blecher's Strategies story on Page 22 and Kurt Gray's Out of Context essay on the back page build on this theme. This issue of Textile Insight also sends a strong message of sustainability's big next step: Climate. Climate change is now the overarching concern of our industry as a supply chain worth of efforts, ranging from seed (regenerative agriculture) to shelf (garment to garment recycling) strengthen and expand. The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) has set the goal of 2050 to be climate positive. In his keynote address for OR Winter Online, eco expert Andrew Winston stated,"If we don't solve the climate problem, then everything else is moot." He outlined factors connected to climate change that include inequality, biodiversity, and resources, and Winston made a strong case for circularity, as resources, already strained, will be stretched to the limit as our global population approaches 10 billion people. Check out stories on Pages 8, 15, 16 and 30 for more on textile companies focused on circularity solutions with scale and speed. l How We Work & Play in the New Year Here is our new active outdoorist, someone seeking to be fit in a more casual yet committed way. T T e x t i l e - B a s e d P r o d u c t S o l u t i o n s conceptiii.com It's time to look to the future. Let us help you get there. The past year wasn't without its obstacles, but as we head into a new one, it's time for a new outlook.Concept III is always looking ahead, anticipating your textile needs while sourcing and developing the sustainable fabric-based innovations of tomorrow. 4 • Textile Insight ~ January/February 2021 textileinsight.com

• Cover