#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2022-12-08

Marimekko launches a new experiential store in New York in SoHo

Finnish design house Marimekko returns to New York with a new store and store concept. The brand’s new experiential retail space opens in one of the city’s most central shopping destinations, SoHo, at 97 Wooster Street. Located at the heart of the city, the SoHo area is known especially as the epicenter of international fashion and design brands. The new store celebrates the official opening on 8 December 2022.

Marimekko launches a new experiential store in New York in SoHo

North America is one of Marimekko’s key markets and Marimekko approaches its market areas through key cities. New York represents one of the most important cities in the global fashion industry, having a wider impact for building brand awareness and positioning extending also to Europe and Asia. Marimekko announced at the end of 2021 the closure of its New York flagship store following the expiration of the lease and its plans to open a new store in 2022.

The store opening now in New York launches Marimekko’s new, dynamic store concept that embodies the brand’s optimistic and creative lifestyle philosophy. The studio-like and modular spatial concept evolves with different seasonal themes and has been designed to act as a platform for inspiring visual activations and events as well as a creative hub for Marimekko’s community. In the store, inspired by the industrial architecture of Marimekko’s textile printing factory in Helsinki, traditional retail display fixtures have been replaced by carefully selected design gems from different decades and distinct material choices. The product assortment of the store includes fashion, bags and accessories as well as home décor items.

“Marimekko’s new store in New York is an ever-evolving concept that has been designed to be rediscovered over and over again: Marimekko’s collections and their themes come to life in the space through varying visual experiences. Marimekko has always walked its own path in the boundaries between fashion, design, art, and architecture. Continuing this tradition, our new store aims to create a dialogue with New York, its inhabitants and creative culture. Even in the digitalized world, creative and experiential physical retail concepts have an important role as the hearts of brand culture that build awareness, deepen the customer experience and support omnichannel sales,” says Rebekka Bay, Creative Director of Marimekko.

“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.

2026 general meeting of the Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen at ITA

The Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen e. V. (proRWTH) looked back on a successful year of support at their 2026 general meeting. The meeting took place at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen and was combined with a joint session of the Executive Board and the Administrative Board. Before the general meeting began, participants were given a guided tour of ITA, providing them with fascinating insights into current research and development topics in textile engineering.

Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brings supply chain leaders together around cotton innovation

Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brought together more than 300 industry leaders from 140 companies across 10 countries, including more than 45 top global brands and sourcing organizations, underscoring strong global interest in cotton-rich product development, sourcing and supply chain collaboration.

Footwear innovation enabled by warp knitting technology– insights from New Balance

The future of the athletic shoe is increasingly being shaped on warp knitting machines. For KARL MAYER, the footwear industry is one of the most important growth markets – and one of the sectors where innovative textiles can realize their full potential. In his keynote address at the opening of KARL MAYER’s TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER in Obertshausen in April, Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy, Senior Textile and Materials Engineer at New Balance, explained the opportunities that warp knitting technology opens up for performance, sustainability, and faster development processes, and why textile manufacturers are transitioning from suppliers to development partners.