#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2022-06-02

ISPO Award validated: Sustainable fibers, circular systems and even lighter products are the major trends sweeping through the sports industry!

Sixty products and services made it into the main competition. Twenty-three of them ultimately emerged as winners of the highly coveted ISPO Award for the second quarter of 2022, having been selected as the best and most innovative products and services in the sports industry by a jury of experts. The competition was shaped by two unmistakable trends: “sustainability” and “weight reduction.” Most of the winners of the two rounds of competition held thus far in 2022 will appear for the first time at OutDoor by ISPO. They will also be showcased on ISPO.com for an entire year.

An ISPO Award is considered to be THE gold standard in the sports industry – the award not only serves as a guide for the media and retailers, but also provides consumers in particular with valuable information that they can use to make decisions. The ISPO Award was restructured at the end of 2021. As part of these modifications, the jury now meets quarterly, a change that enables the award to be more attuned to seasonal trends. This provides competitors with more opportunities to participate and enables the winner to be showcased for a year.

Future trends in the sports industry

Sustainability, digitalization, health and easy entry – these are the major trends driving the sports industry! To see why, you have to look no farther than the products that were submitted to the ISPO Award competition. “Two dominant trends crystallized among the winners of the latest ISPO Award,” said Andi Spies, a juror and editor at large on the ISPO.com news staff. “First: The weight of gear and the product is playing an increasingly major role among many manufacturers, things like extremely lightweight headlamps and trail-running shoes that are light as a feather. Lightweight products create added value for all athletes and enhance user-friendliness in virtually every type of sport. At the same time, product developers are focusing more and more on the issue of sustainability. This trend is continuing. The benchmark here is mono-material textiles and functional clothing that is completely biodegradable. Product durability is another aspect of sustainability. Modern products last longer thanks to the extremely tough materials and robust components that are used to make them. A supposedly higher price is justified in these terms.”

The winners of the ISPO Award include:

• Silva: Terra Scout headlamp

• Merrell: Rogue backpacking shoe

• Schöffel: Circ Pants Looop pants

• adidas Terrex: Free hiker XPL Gore-Tex Parley hiking shoe

• BN3TH Apparel: North Shore chamois bike pants

• Tropicfeel: Shell travel bag

All winning products will be gradually added to ISPO.com along with a review of the individual product itself. The award-winning companies can select the date on which the award is presented. As a result, some winners have not been announced yet.

An overview of the winners can be found here:

https://www.ispo.com/en/awards/ispo-award/winners-ispo-award-2022-glance

The ISPO Award

Companies from the entire sports industry – both those that are exhibitors at an ISPO trade fair and those that are not – are welcome to nominate their unique product or their exceptional service for the ISPO Award at any time throughout the year! The winners will profit from a comprehensive package of attractive benefits:

• The award-winning product or service will be presented in a review that will be written in three languages (DE, EN, FR) and posted on ISPO.com. The winner may decide when the product or service is announced.

• All reviews will be distributed on various media channels to reach specific target groups identified in coordination with the winners’ wishes – including B2B and B2C target groups.

• The product or service will be showcased at one of the two ISPO trade fairs scheduled for 2022 (ISPO Munich or OutDoor by ISPO).

• Information about the product or service will be included in the new ISPO Award magazine that is handed to every trade-fair visitor.

• Every award winner is eligible to take part in the Public Choice Award, a prize presented by end consumers of the ISPO Collaborators Club, free of charge.

• Both the three-level system of winners (gold, silver and bronze) and individual categories are no longer being used.

• Registration is free of charge. Award winners will be asked to pay only a fairly calculated price for the comprehensive communication package.

Nominations may be submitted throughout the year. The award-winning brands may select the launch date for communications and precisely define the target group to be reached – B2B or B2C. You will find additional information about the ISPO Award at https://www.ispo.com/award

The jury

Since the ISPO Award concept was expanded last year, the award jury now meets four times a year. The aim is to provide nominees with the highest degree of flexibility in these days of supply bottlenecks and delayed sell-in times. The second round of judging for the highly coveted ISPO Award, a process covered by clear rules and high standards, was held shortly before the opening of OutDoor by ISPO. An independent jury of experts met for two days, on May 13-14, 2022, to judge all nominations on the basis of such criteria as design, functionality, sustainability and innovativeness in the SportScheck Allwetteranlage in Munich (Unterföhring).

The jurors, a group made up of three highly respected editors on the ISPO.com news staff and three carefully selected consumer experts from the ISPO Collaborators Club, had the very best facilities where they could extensively test all products under realistic conditions.

You will find the article here:

https://www.ispo.com/news/so-war-das-jury-meeting-zum-ispo-award-2022

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.

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.

“We Believe in the Value of Textiles”: Successful Opening of the KARL MAYER TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER

KARL MAYER inaugurated its new, state-of-the-art TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER (TIC) with a four-day opening week from April 21 to 24. The highlight of the week was the grand opening on Thursday, which drew a strong turnout from the international textile industry: around 220 customers, brands, and partners from across the textile value chain came to the company’s headquarters in Obertshausen for a first-hand look at the new high-tech development environment and lively exchange with industry peers.

SHIMA SEIKI to show complete knitting and cutting workflow at ITM 2026

Leading computerized flat knitting technology provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, together with its Turkish representative TETAS IC VE DIS TICARET A.S., will participate in the ITM 2026 International Textile Machinery Exhibition in Istanbul, Türkiye this month with a full product lineup. In addition to flat knitting machines and design software, visitors will also have the opportunity to experience the full range of SHIMA SEIKI textile machinery with its automatic cutting machine exhibit, all geared toward the fashion apparel market as well as non-apparel related businesses.

European Flax-Linen & Hemp step into advanced manufacturing: Enabling filament winding, 3D printing and high-performance composite processes

The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp announces a new wave of technological advancements demonstrating how flax-linen and hemp fibres are now being successfully integrated into advanced composite manufacturing processes. These developments mark a transition beyond traditional hand lay-up techniques, positioning natural fibres as credible, scalable solutions for high-performance industrial applications.

SETEX turns dyeing and finishing data into daily production control

At ITM 2026, SETEX will show how textile mills can use machine, recipe, quality and energy data for more reliable daily production decisions — not as another reporting layer, but as part of the running dyeing and finishing process. With OrgaTEX X3 MES, E390x/C390x controllers, CamCOUNT and FabricInspector Portable, SETEX connects planning, machine execution and fabric-related quality insight within existing mill structures.