Future Fabrics Expo 2024
The two-day visit to the Future Fabrics Expo was truly inspiring, showcasing how this event has grown each year and attracted significant attention from the fashion industry. The expo is dedicated to inspiring the necessary changes to accelerate the adoption of next-generation materials and to challenge current practices and standards.
Despite the growing traction in communications, developments, and the support from various governing bodies, the 'golden answers' have yet to be unveiled. It is widely recognised that the climate crisis, partly driven by the exhaustive materials industry that supports fashion, interiors, and related sectors, demands a multi-pronged approach. However, there still appears to be a lack of accountability from large brands and corporations to take financial risks and demonstrate to their consumers and stakeholders their commitment to change. If they do not take this leap, who will?
It was encouraging to see a spotlight on the footwear industry, one of the most complex apparel sectors to navigate. The expo featured companies presenting alternative materials, disassembly techniques, and innovative manufacturing methods. While the focus remained on fashion trainers, there was little traction in performance footwear. Perhaps next year will bring new innovations?
The interior sector also had its official space in the sustainable fabrics arena. This sector is often overlooked due to strict flame retardant (FR) coating laws in the UK, which prevent most interior products from being recycled. The second-hand market plays a key role in the lifecycle of these products. There is growing concern that flame retardants offer minimal benefit in fires and actually increase smoke toxicity, the main cause of fire-related deaths. Reference
Engaging discussions in the regenerative agriculture industry focused on how other stakeholders, such as local governments and communities, can share more responsibility alongside farmers. By supporting data collection, we can enhance farm resilience to extreme weather and climate change, thereby boosting the sustainability and vitality of rural communities. This approach supports not just the farmers' economics but also local biodiversity.
Discussions on price points for next-generation materials, one of my favourite topics, explored whether larger companies can financially support material innovators during the upscale process. By offering lower costs for goods, smaller brands can gain accessibility. This green growth strategy can increase volume uptake, helping innovators accelerate towards efficiency while providing an opportunity for adoption by smaller brands.
Exciting times lie ahead in the alternative leather market. Innovations such as bacterial cellulose from XYMBIOZ, grape matter from Planet of the Grapes, and sugar cane waste from Hydefy are emerging. While these biobased leather alternatives are inspiring, we are still waiting for substantial progress in scaling up manufacturing and securing funding to bring these lab concepts to the commercial market with the durability that leather goods require.
Spotlight on new material innovations:
Lokareboon - A material from pre-consumer balloon manufacturing waste into a new 100% recycled and recyclable one.
Recinder - a 100% recycled material from discarded broken ceramic and waste ash that has been diverted from landfill. Suitable for tiling, lighting and tableware.
TATINOYA/KORI (Woven Wood) - Tatinoya unties traditional Nishijin weaving methods with paper thin slices of natural wood veneer from left over planks. Resulting in a lightweight and pliable material.
FIIBA - 60% regenerated banana fibre, 40% organic cotton material woven fabric. 100% of the banana feedstock is from agricultural waste using the lyocell process.