Production news and archive

Textile production in Germany: “Inventing Industry 7.0” at Textile Factory 7.0

The German government-funded future project, “Textile Factory 7.0” (T7), launched almost a year ago. It is a collaboration between the University of Applied Sciences Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR) and other stakeholders from research, business and local authorities. The ambitious goals were announced in July 2025 already: Production and business...

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Business|Opinion

Remembering Rana Plaza: Bangladesh has changed, the narrative has not

Today, the fashion industry remembers Rana Plaza. It should. On 24 April 2013, 1,134 people were killed in the deadliest disaster the garment industry has ever seen. Rana Plaza was not simply a building collapse. It was a moral collapse across global supply chains, exposing what happens when speed, low cost and distance from risk are allowed to...

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Fashion |Opinion

Why we know everything and change nothing

I thought I understood the industry; its culture, its quality and its lack thereof. I knew the ateliers in Italy where you would discuss the quality of an espresso while standing next to an ironing machine that shaped a Prada blazer in twelve minutes. I knew the production sites in Belgium where the quality of the product and that of the people...

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Business

How the Made in France Alliance aims to revitalize French production

Launched at the end of January by the Confédération des petites et moyennes entreprises (CPME), the Made in France Alliance is part of a drive to revive national industrial production. Three months later, as new economic models redefine value dynamics, particularly those driven by the creator economy, the alliance has highlighted a series of...

Business

Argentine textile employment, a collateral victim of the opening to imports

Buenos Aires - At a clothing factory in Buenos Aires, dozens of workers watch with concern as the garments Imported sewing machines are gaining ground against idle sewing machines, a postcard from the crisis in the Argentine textile industry in the face of open-market policies commercial of the government of Javier Milei. At Confecciones Seman,...

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Business

UK MPs debate onshoring amid push for local production: What to know

On Thursday, MPs took to Westminster Hall to debate the case for onshoring in the UK fashion and textiles industry, zoning in on how domestic manufacturing could support economic growth, strengthen supply chain resilience and improve labour and environmental standards. Speakers from across parties explored the balance between cost...

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News

The Fabricant receives European support for AI project to improve fashion industry

The European Union is providing financial support to the Amsterdam-based fashion-tech company The Fabricant for the development of an AI-driven initiative. In collaboration with the University of the Arts London (UAL), the Image to Pattern project focuses on automating the conversion of design sketches into production-ready patterns, according...

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Fashion |Interview

How a furrier blends tradition and reinvention

When discussing fashion, the first thing that comes to mind is often the image of a finished product. This could be a dress, a catwalk, or perhaps a shop window. Fashion, however, begins much earlier. The creation of that product involves a process that passes through a creative's imagination, the crafting of the piece and, crucially, the...

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Business

Target leverages Gen AI to accelerate production and trend forecasting

The American value retailer is looking to move faster than ever before to engage with shoppers where trends emerge, as data from the HubSpot Consumer Trend Report 2024/2025 found that 85 percent of Gen Z and Millennials want to purchase trending products within 24 hours of seeing them on social media. Target has invested in new tools, such as...

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Business

The Lycra Company opens second production facility in China

US fibre manufacturer The Lycra Company opened its largest spandex factory in the world in the Chinese city of Yinchuan on Friday. “This milestone underscores the company's continued investment in the Chinese market and highlights its strong commitment to building localised supply and distribution networks, as well as promoting advancements in...

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Business|Reportage

The 'Prato system': corruption and illegal labour at the heart of the Italian textile industry

The fatal shooting of Zhang Dayong in Rome, who was found with six bullet wounds, initially seemed unconnected to Prato, Italy's textile hub. However, investigators now believe the murder is part of a brutal "hanger war" between rival Chinese mafia groups for control of Europe's largest garment manufacturing centre. This criminal escalation is...

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Business|Background

Changemakers in fashion (part 3): Saqib Sohail, head of Responsible Business Projects at Artistic Milliners

There are countless sustainability initiatives, but who in the fashion industry is truly driving the transition—whether or not their efforts are visible to the broader public? We interview changemakers, consultants, sustainable fashion experts and activists. What can we learn from their work? In this third installment, FashionUnited speaks with...