#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2020-11-05

VF Corporation appoints Lauren Guthrie as Vice President, Global Inclusion & Diversity

VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC), a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories, today announced the appointment of Lauren Guthrie to the position of Vice President, Global Inclusion & Diversity (I&D).

Guthrie will be responsible for leading VF’s global I&D efforts and directing, developing and operationalizing the company’s strategy with a focus on transformational change.

“VF has accelerated our focus on inclusion and diversity in recent years, both inside and outside our company, and we’re committed to maintaining the strong momentum we’ve created,” said Anita Graham, VF’s Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. “Lauren is a collaborative, proven leader who has spearheaded some of our most thoughtful and powerful I&D programs aimed at racial equity, social justice and fostering a more inclusive environment for all. She is the ideal person to lead VF and our family of brands into the next phase of this important work.”

Guthrie previously served as VF’s Vice President, Council to Advance Racial Equity (CARE) and Inclusion & Diversity for the Americas Region. She was selected by VF leadership to develop and activate the company’s CARE program to enhance VF’s external racial equity initiatives while also creating more opportunities to support the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) workforce throughout VF and its brands. Guthrie also helped to establish a network of employee resource groups across VF that focus on addressing the needs of underrepresented employees.

Prior to her involvement in VF’s inclusion and diversity efforts, Guthrie was Vice President of Regional Merchandising, Americas, at the company’s The North Face® brand, where she defined and executed the brand’s commercial strategic direction for the region. Before joining VF, Guthrie held merchandising and general management roles with Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike, Levi’s and Old Navy.

Guthrie received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, with a focus on African American studies, from Columbia University in New York and minored in Psychology. With this new appointment to Vice President, Global Inclusion & Diversity, she succeeds Reggie Miller who is leaving VF to pursue other opportunities.

VF recently issued its second Inclusion & Diversity Annual Profile, which provides an overview of the company’s I&D program and its progress toward meeting specific diversity goals.

“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

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Mario Jorge Machado re-elected President of EURATEX

The EURATEX General Assembly has re-elected Mario Jorge Machado as President of EURATEX, renewing its confidence in his leadership at a crucial moment for the European textile and clothing industry. The sector is facing rising costs, global competitive pressure and an increasingly challenging transition towards sustainability and digitalisation.

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.

ITM 2026 makes happy participants with its international and qualified visitor profile

ITM 2026 International Textile Machinery Exhibition, one of the most prestigious meeting points of the textile machinery sector, attracted attention in its first three days, particularly with its diverse international visitor numbers. Industry professionals from all over the world had the opportunity to closely examine the latest technology machines and solutions displayed in operation. Thousands of visitors from approximately 100 countries, primarily Egypt, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, met at the Tüyap Fair and Congress Center for new investment and cooperation opportunities.

KARL MAYER presents a textile TEXTRONIC® innovation at ITM 2026

With highly efficient machines and continuous textile innovations, KARL MAYER underscores its role as a reliable partner for discerning top-tier customers. Just in time for ITM 2026 in Istanbul, the industry leader is introducing a true innovation: an eyelash lace with its characteristic fringed look – combined with a previously unattainable 4-way stretch. While the established fabric could until now only be produced as rigid version or with one-dimensional stretch, the new elasticity in both dimensions expands the possibilities for cross-band panel fabrics.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.