#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2025-10-23

Nike unites innovation, design and product teams to accelerate athlete-centered innovation

Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse are uniting their Innovation, Design and Product teams in a single, athlete-focused creation engine designed to accelerate innovation and drive growth as part of the new NIKE, Inc. Sport Offense © 2025 Nike

Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse are joining forces under a new, athlete-focused creation structure aimed at accelerating innovation and driving growth across NIKE, Inc. The new setup unites the Innovation, Design and Product teams from all three brands into a single “creation engine” that will enable greater sharing of insights, technology and manufacturing methods throughout the innovation process. This integration is part of Nike’s new Sport Offense strategy and is designed to enhance the creation of products that help athletes perform at their best.

At the same time, Nike unveiled four new innovation platforms that demonstrate its long-standing commitment to solving challenges for both elite and everyday athletes:

Aero-FIT – A new cooling technology that channels more than double the airflow of previous Nike apparel, supporting peak performance in extreme conditions.

Nike Mind – A neuroscience-based footwear platform over a decade in development, launching with the Mind 001 mule and Mind 002 sneaker, designed to help athletes focus before and after competition.

Project Amplify – The world’s first powered footwear system for running and walking, helping athletes go faster and farther with less effort.

Therma-FIT Air Milano – A performance outerwear platform using Nike Air technology to regulate temperature without changing layers, offering warmth levels from hoodie to mid-weight puffer.

According to Phil McCartney, Chief Innovation, Design and Product Officer at NIKE, Inc., the unified structure is rooted in Nike’s founding spirit and inspired by the challenge from Kobe Bryant to “create epic s--- and make athletes better.”

“Everything begins and ends with the athlete’s voice — their goals, their struggles, their drive,” McCartney said. “By uniting our creation organization across Nike, Jordan and Converse, we’re accelerating progress and leveraging our collective strengths to deliver products that make athletes better. It’s a new day in Innovation, Design and Product at Nike.”

The company emphasizes that its innovation culture is powered by nearly 1,000 designers and experts working across facilities such as the Serena Williams Building on the Philip H. Knight Campus, the LeBron James Innovation Center (home of the Nike Sport Research Lab), and the Bowerman Footwear Lab, supported by leading global manufacturing partners.

“We are a team of dreamers, designers and creators with a responsibility to make athlete dreams real,” McCartney added. “We start with the athlete, stay grounded in sport, and push what’s possible in innovation, design and product.”

Nike’s mission remains unchanged: to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world — and, as the company reminds, if you have a body, you are an athlete.

Nike and NFL launch Rivalries program with new uniforms and fan gear inspired by communities

Nike and the National Football League are announcing Rivalries, a new and exciting uniform and fan gear program that will give athletes and fans an opportunity to connect like never before. The program will elevate NFL rivalry games over the next four seasons with specially designed Nike uniforms and fan gear. Rivalries will drive fan engagement by celebrating storied traditions and uniting communities with unique and elevated product designs.

Next week’s focus: Intertextile Shenzhen & Yarn Expo Shenzhen fuse textile tradition with sustainable, digital trends

Fashion will not be left behind in one of the world’s undisputed tech and manufacturing capitals. Which is why next week, at Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics and Yarn Expo Shenzhen 2026, the organisers have made special efforts to integrate textile topics such as materials innovation, holistic sustainability, digitalisation and AI. Yet, from 9 – 11 June at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, the platform also includes timeless tradition and heritage-inspired evolution in equal measure. Across both shows, over 600 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions are set to showcase everything from Peruvian alpaca wool fabrics to tea-derived fibres, while their fringe programmes will explore diverse solutions along the entire value chain.

Messe Frankfurt commits further to East Africa: three textiles trade fairs during Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week from 2027

Messe Frankfurt and its Texpertise Network continue their steady, successful trajectory in the region. As Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) opened today, Member of the Executive Board Detlef Braun announced that Messe Frankfurt is licencing its three leading international trade fair brands Texworld, Apparel Sourcing and Texprocess to Nairobi, Kenya for the first time in 2027. From now on, they will take place annually as part of the Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) Nairobi.

TM WEFT, 270" – More width, more design freedom for the fashion world

KARL MAYER is expanding its successful TM WEFT series with an innovative model that opens up new possibilities, particularly in the fashion & apparel sectors. With a working width of 270", this new machine with weft-insertion not only offers significantly higher output than its narrower counterparts but is also specifically tailored to the demands of dynamic clothing market – particularly in China and Türkiye. A well-thought-out upgrade also ensures even greater design versatility.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt