#Retail & Brands

2021-12-02

VF Corporation Appoints Nina Flood as President, Global Packs – Eastpak®, JanSport® & Kipling®

VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC), a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear, and accessories, today announced the appointment of Nina Flood to the newly created position of President, Global Packs – Eastpak®, JanSport® and Kipling®. Flood will be based at the headquarters of VF International, in Stabio, Switzerland. She will report to Martino Scabbia Guerrini, Executive Vice President and President EMEA.

Together under one organization, the Eastpak®, JanSport® and Kipling® brands will work together to leverage synergies across the enterprise while also ensuring that each brand maintains its independent character and identity. The Eastpak® and Kipling® teams will remain headquartered in Antwerp and the JanSport® team will continue to be headquartered in Denver.

“I’d like to congratulate Nina on her new position,” said Martino Scabbia Guerrini. “Nina’s previous experience as President of Eastpak and President of Kipling North America make her the ideal leader for the Global Packs organization. Under Nina’s guidance, we will enable Eastpak, JanSport and Kipling to begin the next chapter of their individual success stories and together as a collective organization to become the global leader in packs.”

Flood most recently served as President of Eastpak®. After joining VF in 2003 as Senior Director, Marketing for the Nautica® brand (formerly part of VF Corporation), she quickly progressed in her career holding various senior positions, including leading global Marketing and Strategy for Nautica before joining the Kipling® brand as President of Kipling® Americas in 2016. Prior to joining VF, Flood spent 10 years with Guess, Inc., holding various marketing and brand leadership roles.

“I am honored to be leading the Global Packs organization and to be working on the Kipling brand again,” said Flood. “I look forward to working with the amazing team of talented people and growing our Packs business.”

Texprocess 2026: Automation, digitalisation and AI redefine textile processing

Making investment decisions in textile processing has become significantly more demanding. Increasing energy costs, a shortage of skilled labour and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties are compelling companies to focus on technologies that deliver clear gains in efficiency and process reliability. This applies equally to apparel manufacturing and to the processing of technical textiles and high-performance materials. As a result, modernisation initiatives are assessed more carefully – even as the need to upgrade production systems continues to intensify.

Techtextil 2026: Between innovation pressure & market reality

From 21 to 24 April 2026, Techtextil in Frankfurt am Main will once again become the central meeting point for the international technical textiles and nonwovens industry. Running in parallel, Texprocess will focus on the industrial implementation of textile processing technologies as the leading platform in this field. Together, the two trade fairs form a closely integrated presentation and working platform along the entire textile value chain – from material development to finished applications.

Between geopolitical pressure and industrial resilience

In this interview, Dr. Janpeter Horn (VDMA) discusses the current challenges facing textile machinery manufacturers, shaped by geopolitical tensions, regulatory developments and subdued investment. He also outlines why innovation strength, integrated solutions and strategic positioning remain key to global competitiveness.

Recover™ secures multi-year recycled cotton agreement with H&M

Recover™ has signed a multi-year agreement with H&M to support the integration of its recycled cotton fiber, RCotton, for use in H&M’s products. Since early 2024, H&M and Recover™ have collaborated on product development, which now enables scaled commercial introduction of Recover™ mechanically recycled cotton into H&M’s collections.

GORE-TEX® KIDSWEAR launches innovative membership scheme for kids’ jackets

With its revolutionary new membership model, GORE-TEX® Kidswear now offers families a simple, flexible and sustainable way of kitting out their children in top-quality jackets. It is aimed at the parents of children aged between five and ten and kicks off with a choice of functional winter jackets.

Kornit Digital launches Konnections 365

Kornit Digital (NASDAQ: KRNT) (“Kornit” or the “Company”), a global pioneer in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production today announced the launch of Konnections 365 - a year-round movement designed for the people moving the apparel, print, and retail industries forward. The strategy is built on the overwhelming success of Konnections 2026 held in Hollywood, Florida, featuring more than 500 customers, partners, and collaborators who together are driving the future of apparel and textiles.

Techtextil 2026: KARL MAYER impresses as an innovative sector partner

KARL MAYER looks back with satisfaction on its participation in Techtextil 2026. From April 21 to 24, the international industry leader used the trade show in Frankfurt to meet with numerous key customers at its booth and, at the same time, establish many new contacts. Most visitors came from Germany, followed by major markets such as Poland, the United Kingdom, Turkey, France, and Portugal.

BTMA backs global growth while investing in future UK leaders

As one of a number of new initiatives launched this year, the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) is launching the UK-India Textile Machinery Coalition. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement, signed in July 2025, has implications that extend across sourcing, competitiveness and long-term trade dynamics, believes BTMA CEO Jason Kent.

China projected to increase cotton production, yields, and imports in 2026/27

World cotton production in the 2026/27 season is projected at 25.9 million tonnes, exceeding global consumption of 25.2 million tonnes, according to the May 2026 issue of Cotton This Month. That means both production and consumption are expected to remain close to current season levels, while global cotton trade is projected to decline by 2.7% to approximately 9.6-9.7 million tonnes.