Why are crises also powerful catalysts for textile innovation? How are digital prototyping and machine learning redefining design processes? And how do companies gain decisive competitive advantages through new environmentally conscious technologies? These and other questions formed the central themes of the panel discussion at the opening press conference on the first day of Techtextil, Texprocess and the one-time Heimtextil Summer Special.

The Heimtextil Summer Special, together with Techtextil and Texprocess heralds the re-launch of the global textile trade fairs in Frankfurt - finally enabling new international contacts, personal business encounters and intensive networking on site in Frankfurt. "Volatile energy costs and raw material prices due to the Ukraine war, bottlenecks in production and rising transport costs – given the challenging environment of the textile industry, there could not be a better time for the re-launch of the textile trade fair trio," stated Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board, Messe Frankfurt, in his opening speech. In addition, textile companies are faced with the task of finding their way in their own circular economy and rethinking their supply chains "Even in times of crisis, the following applies: Change always harbors business opportunities. And paves the way for progress and competitive advantages," Braun continued.

The panel speakers Lucie Brigham, Chief of Office of the United Nations Office for Partnerships and co-founder of the Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network, Matthew Drinkwater, Head of Innovation Agency at the London College of Fashion, Elgar Straub, Managing Director of the VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies Association, and Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt, moderated by Alexandra Bohn, Style Content Director of F.A.Z. Quarterly, spoke about the role of collaborations in innovation development as well as on challenges as business opportunities – and how sustainability is continuously becoming a business-critical factor in the textile industry. Key strategic decisions in light of the upcoming EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles and the Supply Chain Act coming into force were also topics of discussion.

In her keynote address, Lucie Brigham emphasized the importance of collaborations in identifying strategic market opportunities in sustainability: "Collaboration is key to fostering transformative sectoral engagement and accelerating the implementation of the SDGs. Mobilizing expertise, innovation, technology and resources can only be achieved through strong partnerships. Messe Frankfurt's Texpertise Network was one of the first members and valuable partners of the Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network. We are proud to have been involved in the extensive SDG activities from the beginning and look forward to developing these activities together in the future," said Brigham.

From 3D fabric simulations and machine learning for zero waste cutting technology to the use of blockchain for greater supply chain transparency, fashion-tech trailblazer Matthew Drinkwater shed light on how recent digital developments are redefining design processes and paving the way for innovation: " Emerging technologies are leading the textile industry into a new era, changing the way we create, communicate and consume products, redefining design processes as well as the deployment and tracking of ressources along the textile value chain.," Drinkwater explained.

Elgar Straub from the VDMA trade association highlighted the increasing demands on manufacturers of sewing and apparel technology and on machines for processing technical textiles, to automate and digitize production processes – while also showing how an increased focus on regional production can contribute to greater supply chain transparency: "Mechanical engineering and technology providers are the enablers for solutions to today's biggest challenges: Sustainability, flexibility, and regionalization," said Straub.

The panel discussion of the opening press conference is available in full length on the Texpertise Network as well as on the press pages of Techtextil, Texprocess and Heimtextil as a stream in English and German.