#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2021-12-16

Ecovative launches Fashion for Good cooperative with BESTSELLER and PVH Corp.

Ecovative, the mycelium technology company, today announced the launch of an international sustainable fashion cooperative, with global brands BESTSELLER and PVH Corp. [NYSE: PVH] as founding members. Through the cooperative, these brands will have priority access to Ecovative’s mycelium innovations through its Forager™ Hides platform and will work directly with the Ecovative team to co-develop custom mycelium materials for a range of end products and consumer applications.

The global innovation platform Fashion for Good was integral in bringing these parties together to advance a petroleum-free vegan leather.

Brining Next Generation Mycelium Materials to Market

BESTSELLER and PVH Corp. share Ecovative’s commitment to sustainable fashion. Their designers will work in tandem with Ecovative’s team of engineers and mycologists to create mycelium solutions for their products. Members in the Fashion for Good Cooperative will bring their fashion industry expertise to work with Ecovative in a design, build and test research and development strategy. Together, the cooperative will develop mycelium materials for the consumer market.

“At PVH we are excited to explore innovations that reduce the environmental impact of our products. Mycelium provides us with an opportunity to respond to growing consumer interest in lower impact products while supporting quality and design that meet the needs and expectations of our consumers – in this case, made with 100% bio-based resources. We look forward to testing and learning alongside our partners to create scalable, sustainable solutions.” — Rebecca England, VP Innovation of PVH Europe.

“Mycelium shows great potential in the fashion innovation sphere – it even extends far beyond our own industry. We are keen on diving into the product development phase and really understanding the aesthetics and actual performance of Ecovative’s innovative materials in the lab. This pilot enables us to gain more insight into mycelium as a leather alternative, which ultimately is both biodegradable and fully bio-based.” — Anders Schorling Overgård, Sustainable Materials Engineer of BESTSELLER

Ecovative has more than a decade of experience producing mycelium materials for partners throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. The company launched Forager™ Hides, its alternative leather material, in March 2021. Forager™ Hides are based on Ecovative’s second-generation mycelium material, building on more than five years of research and development in Ecovative’s Mycelium Foundry. The 100 percent bio-based mycelium material is grown in sheets up to 24 meters in length and 1.8 meters wide, and can be grown to partners’ specific needs in terms of tensile strength, density, and fiber orientation. The entire growth process takes only 9 days and yields a ready-to-finish material free of plastic scrims and petroleum based coatings.

“By marrying innovation with legacy, we can focus on what we do better than anyone else in the world — growing the best mycelium at commercial scale. Working directly with fashion brands and tanneries, we make beautiful, high-performing and sustainable materials without harming animals or the planet.” — Gavin McIntyre, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of Ecovative

From soft and supple leather accessories and garments to durable and thick belts and shoes, Ecovative scientists are able to fine-tune their product to meet a wide array of end product needs.

“Biomaterials have been in development for years, but they have yet to reach even a small portion of customers. Ecovative has been focused on scaling its technologies to deliver mycelium at the scale necessary for industry leaders like BESTSELLER and PVH Corp. This is an exciting development in the drive to scale up these solutions and increase accessibility.” — Katrin Ley, Managing Director of Fashion for Good

“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.

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.

ATCO Hygienics, Uzbekistan, orders baby diaper production line from ANDRITZ

International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from ATCO Hygienics to supply a new baby diaper production line for its plant in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The order is included in ANDRITZ’s order intake for the first quarter of 2026. Commissioning of the production line is scheduled for the end of 2026.

Nico Pedretti appointed as Managing Director Graf Group

As of June 1, 2026, Nico Pedretti has assumed the role of Managing Director Graf Group. With more than 20 years of international industrial experience and extensive expertise in Operations, Supply Chain Management, Finance and Controlling, he brings a broad range of leadership and business experience to support Graf’s continued success.