With more than two decades of experience in footwear and manufacturing, Santhana most recently worked at Bata as the Global Head of Quality in Singapore. Prior to that, Santhana spent seven years at Adidas where he served in director roles overseeing quality footwear and manufacturing excellence in footwear.

“In addition to his vast expertise in the footwear industry, Raj holds two engineering degrees and he will be critical to driving operational excellence programs for our global team of 3,200 people at OrthoLite’s owned manufacturing facilities around the world,” said Richard Bevan, COO of OrthoLite.

Additional personnel moves include the promotion of Shaw Kiat Phua to Vice President of Global Foaming, leading OrthoLite’s Global Foam Innovation Team. SK’s team is committed to advancing OrthoLite’s market leadership as the first and most trusted name in comfort, performance and less impactful footwear foams. In his new role, SK leads the strategic direction for OrthoLite PU material development with a focus on sustainable innovations in footwear and will continue to report to Bevan, COO at OrthoLite. SK is also based in Singapore and regularly travels to OrthoLite’s manufacturing facilities in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Europe, India, and Brazil

Since 1997, OrthoLite continues to drive innovation and continual improvement to build excellence in foam footwear products and materials consistently, at scale and with on-time delivery to more than 550 footwear brand partners.

OrthoLite has built a rock-solid reputation for innovation, reliability, capacity and is known for its collaborative approach in development with the world’s best footwear brands to create custom insole formulations that deliver unrivaled comfort and performance. OrthoLite insoles are the key interface between how a shoe is designed to perform and the discerning consumer, and its products can be found in more than 600 million pairs of footwear a year.

Posted: October 23, 2024

Source: OrthoLite

The Rinnovo mattress is elevating expectations of what sustainable luxury can look like in the hospitality industry. Piana Sleep offers a sleep solution that aligns with the growing demand for eco-conscious choices. The design delivers superior comfort, contouring, and support in firm, medium, and plush options. Available in standard sizes and custom dimensions, Rinnovo ensures a perfect fit for any hotel room, enhancing a hospitality property’s unique offering. Plus, Piana Sleep’s take-back promise extends beyond recycling its own mattresses: for every Rinnovo mattress purchased, Piana offers to take back a non-Rinnovo mattress, helping to reduce waste and promote a circular economy in the hospitality industry.

“At Reveille Hospitality, we only partner with brands that meet our highest standards for quality, innovation, and sustainability,” said Marco Roca Sr, Co-founder and CEO of Reveille Hospitality. “Piana Sleep surpasses all three, marking the most exciting advancement in hotel sleep systems since the Heavenly Bed.”

Roca Sr. revolutionized the industry 25 years ago with the release of the iconic Heavenly Bed, made for Westin Hotels and Resorts and available for consumer purchase exclusively through Westin. Led by industry luminary Roca Sr., Reveille Hospitality stands at the forefront of hospitality development, management, and consulting services. With decades of collective experience to draw upon, Reveille Hospitality ensures every venture not only meets but exceeds the highest standards of excellence.

“As a pioneer of mattress innovation in hospitality, Marco’s expertise is unmatched,” said Silvia Galasso, Executive Vice President of Piana Sleep. “Together with Reveille, Piana Sleep is poised to bring the next wave of disruption, combining advanced sleep technology with visionary leadership to redefine comfort for hotel guests worldwide while contributing to the health of our planet.”

Rinnovo highlights Piana Sleep’s devotion to sustainability, minimizing waste, and conserving energy in the bedding and hospitality industries. The Rinnovo mattress is made with Piana recycled technology, resulting in up to 46% fewer CO2 emissions than a comparable all-foam mattress, takes up to 52% less energy to make, and is up to 31% lighter than an equivalent all-foam mattress.

At the heart of Rinnovo is Piana Technology’s transformative V/SMART technology. V/SMART includes fibers that are vertically arranged in a unique high-loft nonwoven design that delivers a non-toxic, odor-free, VOC-free environment. V/SMART’s groundbreaking design includes the company’s Molecular Printing technology that infuses molecular compounds into materials tailored to deliver countless health benefits, such as active cooling, customizable aromatherapy, antimicrobial protection, sleep and mood enhancers, and much more. Piana’s SmartSilver® technology further protects the mattress by neutralizing bacteria and fungi—ensuring a cleaner, healthier sleep environment. Lastly, Piana Sleep’s CoolComfort technology, combined with V/Smart’s breathability, dissipates heat and moisture to keep sleepers cool and dry.

The Rinnovo is not just healthy for guests—it’s healthy for the planet.

Posted: October 23, 2024

Source: Piana Technology

Researchers from University of Fukui, Japan have optimized a decolorization process, known as supercritical fluid dyeing, in which supercritical carbon dioxide effectively penetrates fabric fibers to remove the dyes. The extracted dyes can be reused, and the fabrics be redyed. The study was led by Professor Kazumasa Hirogaki and Visiting Professor Teruo Hori and achieved successful optimization of the decolorization process, enabling the dye removal from clothes with minimal environmental impact. This study builds on outcomes from the NEDO Feasibility Study Program/Feasibility Study Program on New Technology and was further developed under the JST COI-NEXT Program on open innovation platforms for industry-academia co-creation (COI-NEXT).

The researchers first created supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) fluid inside a specialized heated and pressurized vessel and mixed it with a decolorizing agent before adding it to the dyed fabric. The idea was that by adding a decolorizing agent with a solubility parameter between those of the dye and the fabric, efficient decolorization could be achieved. Based on this premise, three decolorization methods can be outlined— to be used depending on the characteristics of the textile, the dyes, and the decolorizing agent.

The first method is called solvent trapping, in which supercritical CO2 dissolves and then traps the dye in a solvent phase at the bottom of the vessel. In contrast, the solid trapping method involves re-treating a processing body with a decolorizing agent or placing an adsorbent in the vessel. The supercritical fluid extracts the dye and then traps it onto the processing body or adsorbent. Finally, in the homogenous method, the decolorizing agent is completely dissolved in the supercritical fluid and the extracted dye also dissolves in the supercritical fluid.

Using these techniques, an astounding decolorization rate of over 90-100% was achieved. Notably, this strategy was found to be effective for polyester fabrics. Moreover, the processing liquids, extracted dyes, and decolorizing agents can also be repurposed and reused effectively.

Owing to its tremendous potential in terms of sustainability, the team of researchers from University of Fukui is actively seeking to commercialize this technology, with hopes of transforming the “make, use, and dispose” model of the textile industry into a truly circular and sustainable “make, use, and reuse” model.

Reference:

Research project name:

NEDO Feasibility Study Program / Feasibility Study Program on New Technology

JST COI-NEXT Program on open innovation platforms for industry-academia co-creation (COI-NEXT). 

Researchers name: Professor Kazumasa Hirogaki, Visiting Professor and President of SUSTAINA TECH Co., Ltd. Teruo Hori.          

Affiliation: University of Fukui

Link to research project summary page: https://fukumira.hisac.u-fukui.ac.jp/ 

Posted: October 23, 2024

Source: University of Fukui

The decision by the FLA board follows a rigorous, multi-year review of BELLA+CANVAS’ business systems for compliance with international labor standards designed to protect workers in its global supply chains. BELLA+CANVAS sources from eight self-operated facilities and two contract facilities across three countries.

“From the time they joined FLA, BELLA+CANVAS has been in the vanguard of responsible purchasing practices, with company leadership taking an active role in decisions that have an impact on workers,” said FLA President and CEO Jeff Vockrodt. “We welcome BELLA+CANVAS to the ranks of Fair Labor Accredited members and congratulate them on this significant achievement.”

“In my 25 years in the apparel industry, I have found it widely recognized that FLA is the penultimate North Star regarding fair labor policies, sustainability in manufacturing, and ethical business practices,” said BELLA+CANVAS President Norm Hullinger. “I am so proud to be a part of an organization that has earned Fair Labor Accreditation and look forward to working closely with the FLA team to create a path of continuous improvement for BELLA+CANVAS.”

Since becoming an FLA member in 2019, BELLA+CANVAS has continuously improved its social compliance program and kept pace with the changes to FLA standards enacted over the intervening years. The accreditation report details FLA’s evaluation of BELLA+CANVAS’ social compliance program through September 2024.

Highlights of BELLA+CANVAS’ Fair Labor Accreditation include:

• Company-wide commitment: BELLA+CANVAS’ commitment to ethical and sustainable business extends throughout the company, beginning with the company’s co-founders and owners, who remain involved with the key production decisions that impact workers’ lives. Company leadership is actively involved in upholding workplace standards for factory workers, receiving frequent updates from the compliance team and supporting their efforts. A cross-functional leadership team collaborates to ensure that both contract and owned production remains in line with BELLA+CANVAS’ commitment to responsible purchasing.
• Factory monitoring: BELLA+CANVAS has developed an extensive assessor manual and audit tool that are fully aligned with FLA’s expectations for high-quality factory assessments. BELLA+CANVAS works with a qualified audit service provider and has provided extensive training to assessors on gathering and verifying information at the factory level, including using highly effective worker interviews to gain insight into factory conditions. BELLA+CANVAS’ auditing procedures, assessor manual, and audit tool are all aligned to ensure that assessments meet the company’s needs without reducing the quality of the audits or placing undue burden on assessors and factories.
• Supplier relationships: With social compliance staff located close to key production centers in Central America, BELLA+CANVAS provides oversight and support to both contract and owned factories. Compliance staff pay frequent visits to factories to provide training, follow up on the remediation of audit findings, and understand factory management’s perspectives on compliance topics. BELLA+CANVAS’ sourcing and production leaders also emphasize in-person factory visits as a crucial element of the supplier relationship, and the company maintains stable and mutually beneficial brand-factory relationships that advance the principles of responsible sourcing.

Fair Labor Accreditation helps investors and consumers make informed choices by showing that a company is actively fulfilling the highest standards in labor rights.

It is the only comprehensive program of its kind that is based on international standards and frameworks such as the International Labour Organization, UN Guiding Principles, the OECD, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Fair Labor Accredited companies are evaluated on an ongoing basis and must demonstrate continuous improvement in addressing working conditions and protecting workers’ rights. To see a list of Fair Labor Accredited companies and to learn more, please visit www.fairlabor.org.

Posted: October 23, 2024

Source: The Fair Labor Association (FLA)

Gianluca Tanzi commented: “Me and Giorgio Marcarino are thrilled to have the opportunity to revitalize the brands acquired. Our extensive experience and deep knowledge of the product and textile world will be crucial for advancing Chargeurs PCC’s development strategy, which includes the expansion of our portfolio, historically dedicated to inner components and interlinings, with the offering of the best fabrics aimed at the shirting sector. The combination of Swiss and French know-how will allow us to further expand our expertise and implement increasingly innovative solutions. ”

Giorgio Marcarino added: “The new shirting division fits perfectly into the business and growth strategy of Chargeurs PCC, which has always distinguished itself in the textile-clothing industry by offering cutting-edge products of the highest quality. Today we have a unique opportunity to engage in cross-selling with our interlinings, offering the company an additional incentive to boost performance while offering our customers an even more comprehensive and customised service.”

The fabrics produced by the Swiss heritage brands Alumo and Eugster & Huber represent the cream of the high-end shirting industry. Chargeurs PCC aims to maximise the potential of these brands, restoring their deserved leadership in luxury shirting. As for Brennet, the company has initiated a major repositioning plan focused on enhancing performance and innovation. The approach aims to meet the rising demand of contemporary consumers for high quality shirting fabrics.

Gianluca Tanzi is a highly experienced global executive who has designed and executed successful retail, wholesale and e-commerce strategies for textile, fashion and accessories companies in Europe and the US. He has held various executive positions within prestigious fashion groups. Since 2021 he has been Chairman and CEO of Chargeurs PCC Fashion Technologies and Chairman of Chargeurs Luxury Fibers.

Giorgio Marcarino boasts decades of expertise in the high-end textile sector, where he held responsible positions in the sales, operations and marketing areas of the most important Italian textile groups. He joined Chargeurs PCC Fashion Technologies in 2022 as General Manager EMEA, and since 2023 he has held the position of Chief Commercial Officer.

Posted: October 23, 2024

Source: Chargeurs PCC

Vietnam’s textile and apparel sector comprises approximately 7,000 companies and employs over three million workers, with 80% of production capacity used for export and 20% for domestic consumption. Progress is aided by well-developed logistics networks, skilled labour and a stable political environment. As its textile industry evolves, several key trends are influencing its future direction, reflecting a growing emphasis on sustainability and technological advancement, and leading to new opportunities for exhibitors and buyers across the value chain at Vietnam’s comprehensive textile showcase.

Major trends shaping Vietnam’s textile market reflected at VIATT

More Vietnamese enterprises are adopting eco-friendly materials, including organic cotton, recycled polyester, and Tencel, while numerous global brands manufacture in Vietnam, and have committed to the “Fashion Industry Charter on Climate Action”, aiming to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050[3].

To further advance sustainable initiatives in the domestic and international textile industry, VIATT 2025 will introduce Econogy Hub, a dedicated platform for innovative, eco-friendly suppliers and service providers to connect with like-minded visitors. The show’s other new Texpertise Econogy features will include the Econogy Finder, an independent verification tool to help sustainable exhibitors effectively communicate their green credentials, and Econogy Talks, the overarching category for eco-focused seminars, forums, and product presentations.

Apart from sustainability, the Vietnamese textile industry is also embracing advanced technologies in design and manufacturing. The launch of the fair’s Innovation & Digital Solutions Zone will provide a centralised platform for exhibitors to showcase innovations such as 3D printing, AI-driven design, and digital printing, which enable manufacturers to boost efficiency and customise products to meet specific market demands.

As well as the introduction of two new product zones, the India Pavilion, organised by The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL), will also make its debut at VIATT 2025. Additionally, the Japan and Taiwan Pavilions have confirmed their return, with the Japan Pavilion recognised by VIATT’s visitors as a standout showcase within Southeast Asia’s textile fair landscape. Overall, the fair will feature a diverse range of exhibitors across apparel, home textiles, and technical textiles, with many showcasing innovative and sustainable products. Highlighted exhibitors in each sector include:

Apparel fabrics, yarns & fibres and garments

• Alumo AG (Switzerland): with over a century of expertise, this STeP by OEKO-TEX-certified company creates high-quality cotton shirting fabrics utilised by leading shirt designers. The company is dedicated to maintaining the art of weaving, ensuring that each fabric is finely crafted.
• Wynist Retail Solutions (Taiwan): committed to sustainability, Wynist focuses on recycling and upcycling post-consumer and agricultural waste, transforming raw materials such as coffee grounds and textile waste into products with practical, on-trend industry applications.

Home & contract textiles

• Sigma Vietnam Industrial (Vietnam): specialising in home textiles, the company’s innovative range of products includes bedding, curtains, and upholstery fabrics. It integrates traditional craftsmanship with modern design, ensuring that its offerings meet both aesthetic and functional needs.
• Coolist Life Technology (China): the leading bio-based polyurethanes solutions and applications enterprise announced a new technology in 2024, that utilises captured carbon dioxide combined with bio-based polyol, to create a new generation of bio-based and bio-degradable foam.

Technical textiles, nonwovens, and textile technologies

• Ultra Tech Asia (USA): as a leader in advanced textile solutions, the company offers innovative nonwoven materials for various applications, such as medical, automotive, and personal care, designed to meet the rising demand for high-performance textiles in diverse industries.
• JB ECOTEX Limited (India): one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of high-quality recycled polyester staple fibre (RPSF) and rPET Flakes, the company has transformed millions of used plastic bottles into superior-grade, eco-friendly products. Since its inception, the company has maintained a zero liquid discharge policy, and 50% of its power is generated from renewable resources.

The Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE), covering the entire textile industry value chain. For more details on this fair, please visit [www.viatt.com.vn]www.viatt.com.vn or contact viatt@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com.

VIATT will be held from 26 – 28 February 2025.

Posted: October 23, 2024

Source: Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd

Despite this challenging market environment, the Rieter Group recorded a gratifying order intake of CHF 629.8 million in the first nine months of 2024 (2023: CHF 452.2 million) in all market regions. In the third quarter of 2024, orders increased by 78% year-on-year to CHF 226.4 million (2023: CHF 127.2 million). This means that the order intake has increased for the third quarter in a row.

Sales

Rieter’s cumulative sales in the first nine months of 2024 amounted to CHF 584.3 million (2023: CHF 1 092.9 million), a decrease of 47% compared to the prior-year period. Sales in the third quarter of 2024 were CHF 163.3 million (Q3 2023: CHF 334.7 million).

The Business Group Machines & Systems generated total sales of CHF 264.1 million in the first nine months of 2024 (-65% compared to the same period of the previous year). The Business Group Components posted sales of CHF 184.5 million, 11% lower than in the corresponding period of the previous year, while the Business Group After Sales recorded a slight decline of -1% to CHF 135.7 million in the first nine months of 2024.

Order backlog

As of September 30, 2024, Rieter has an order backlog of around CHF 690 million (September 30, 2023: CHF 900 million).

“Next Level” performance program

The transfer of resources and responsibilities to India and China to enable the key markets to respond in a more agile way to customer needs and cycles in the machinery business is on track. The planned cost savings were achieved. Rieter continues to consistently implement the action plan to increase profitability.

Outlook for the full year 2024

Due to the overall geopolitical situation and the general deterioration in consumer sentiment, the market recovery is proving to be more restrained than previously forecast. The first signs of a recovery in financial year 2024 have emerged in the key markets of China and India.

For the full year 2024, Rieter now anticipates sales in the range of CHF 900 million and an EBIT margin remaining at 2% to 4%.

Posted: October 23, 2024

Source: Rieter

X-Bionic combines expertise with passion to deliver products that enhance performance and comfort, and led by industry veteran Kris Kuster, formerly of Nitro Snowboard and Mammut Sports Group, who heads up the company as North American president and co-owner while the North American office occupies the iconic space at Battery 621 in Denver, a hub for high performance outdoor brands.

Overseeing the sales distribution and based out of the stunning X-Bionic showroom at Battery 621 is the experienced Global Sales Guys team, led by Marty Carrigan and Dave Rosenberger who have built and represented premium European brands in the United States and Canada for more than 30 years. With the guidance of Carrigan and Rosenberger’s team, X-Bionic is working to establish itself in key and specialty retailers including general sport emphasizing run and snow.

Another key hire is former World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympian Heidi Voelker, who has been named head of Key Partnerships, and comes from previous positions including Ambassador of Skiing at Deer Valley Resort for almost three decades, and as Western Region Manager with US Ski Team. X-Bionic inked a deal with the Park City Ski and Snowboard Team as the first official North American ski-industry partner to be representing X-Bionic, focusing on award-winning engineered socks and base-layers for product positioning.

“Entering the North American market enables us to connect with a community that shares our commitment to innovation, passion and quality,” said Kuster. “Our mission is to empower athletes of all levels with top-tier performance wear, and we’re thrilled to bring our X-Bionic vision to life in the US and the Americas as a whole. With top professionals and passionate sports enthusiasts themselves on our team, we ensure our brand offers best in class customer service, omni-channel experience focusing on Specialty Retail, to truly understand and  elevates the athletic experience.”

The FW24 product line includes snowsports and winter running apparel and gear crafted with moisture-wicking fabrics, ergonomic designs, and durable materials that withstand the rigors of intense workouts. Each piece has been meticulously crafted for an unrivaled experience in thermoregulation and with partial compression for flexibility, breathability, and support, ensuring that athletes can focus on achieving their best.

These collections are refined into Discover, Perform and Expert levels of performance for the socks collection, award-winning base layer systems such as Energy Accumulator, Symbio Merino, and InventFX, as well as recovery and premium sportswear line; X-Ential.
X-Bionic products can be found at x-bionic.com and at select retailers.

Posted October 22, 2024

Source: X-Bionic

The EUDR aims to prevent deforestation by ensuring products entering the EU do not contribute to deforestation or environmental degradation. To comply, companies must provide full traceability to the plot of land, and ensure their EU-bound products are free from deforestation-related practices. This is poised to have significant impacts across the retail industry, as widely used materials like rubber, wood, and leather fall within its scope.

“For businesses, navigating the complexities of EUDR is daunting; they are under immense pressure to produce granular traceability data, which makes compliance practices challenging since they need to integrate new processes into existing frameworks,” said TrusTrace CEO and Co-Founder Shameek Ghosh. “This is where our new Deforestation Compliance Solution comes into play. It is designed to seamlessly integrate into the existing processes, ensuring that EU-bound products in the brand’s supply chain are compliant with EUDR requirements. The solution is part of the TrusTrace platform, which harmonizes data collection and actions for efficiency and proactive compliance, enabling brands to leverage the collected data to adhere to a broader set of regulations.”

The TrusTrace Deforestation Compliance Solution, which was co-designed with leading enterprise brands to validate that it meets industry needs, enables shipment-level deforestation compliance with ease. The solution employs sophisticated automations to enable users to send hundreds of data collection requests with a single click, perform geospatial deforestation analysis in real-time, and generate pre-formatted due diligence statements for instant submission. The collaboration with OpenAtlas, a leader in geospatial analysis, ensures the highest quality satellite imagery and analysis, combining multi-spectral satellite imagery with state-of-the-art AI.

To aid EUDR compliance, TrusTrace encourages users of the platform to obtain an FSC Certification and ensure certification of their supply chain all the way back to the forest level. Material sourced from FSC-certified forests and plantations is largely aligned with EUDR requirements, providing assurance that strict requirements for sustainable forestry have been met in the country of origin.

The new solution specifically offers:

• Shipment-level traceability: Brands can map farms and collect EUDR-required traceability data including GPS coordinates and FSC certificates for each EU-bound shipment efficiently, ensuring full traceability of products.
• Precise risk assessment: Brands can automatically benchmark country-level risks, conduct detailed risk assessments, and instantly verify compliance with geospatial analysis powered by OpenAtlas satellite images – all at shipment level for precise evaluation.
• Real-time risk and compliance monitoring: The solution provides a comprehensive overview of data, insights, and reports for each shipment on an intuitive, easy-to-use risk and compliance dashboard, which enables users to monitor and mitigate risks while maintaining full visibility into compliance status.
• Automated DDS generation: Brands can automatically generate due diligence statements in the required format for each shipment, and easily submit them to the European Commission via API integration.
• Access to supplier support and policy teams: TrusTrace provides support on the customer and supplier level. Policy and regulation experts keep customers up to date on the latest regulatory developments, and dedicated trainers will help suppliers efficiently share their data.

While the EUDR is top-of-mind for businesses around the world, the reality is that they are under pressure to comply with a host of regulations. Within deforestation alone, the UK Environment Act and the US Lacey Act are planned to be amended, and multiple laws require supply chain traceability and due diligence.

According to Ghosh, TrusTrace is the perfect solution for brands to rely on to manage risk and compliance across-the-board. “TrusTrace’s proprietary data collection framework for risk and compliance enables companies to leverage the data collected across regulations,” Ghosh said. “This means that they have the data foundation in place to easily comply with current and future demands, without the need for multiple individual solutions,” he concluded. “With our cutting-edge technology solutions and partner network, we are uniquely positioned to help brands achieve full supply chain visibility and meet global compliance standards.”

Posted October 22, 2024

Source: TrusTrace

This year, Pacsun introduced a new range of limited-edition styles as part of its F1 US Grand Prix Collection, featuring designs for men, women, and kids. Fans were able to shop these pieces at Pacsun’s trackside booth, which served as a hub for attendees to discover the brand’s latest offerings.

In addition to exclusive merchandise, fans were treated to a photo moment and tote bag. Allowing consumers to fully immerse themselves in the world of Pacsun and Formula 1®, creating unforgettable moments that extended the race-day energy beyond the track.

Pacsun’s continued involvement with Formula 1 reinforces its role as a key player at the intersection of motorsport culture and contemporary fashion, offering fans unique, stylish ways to express their passion for the sport.

The 2024 F1 US Grand Prix Collection is available now at Pacsun.com, in Pacsun stores nationwide.

Posted: October 22, 2024

Source: Pacsun