Markets Archives

Renewed strength in domestic manufacturing

December 1, 2023 | Markets

Since the pandemic, the world economy has been full of anomalies. With a strong labor market, one normally expects higher demand in daily nonessentials such as clothing, home textiles and home accessories; the financial reports of major retailers, such as Walmart Inc. and Canadian retailer Loblaw Co…

Inflatable space habitats undergo testing

November 1, 2023 | Markets

Inflatable habitats are not only under development for the moon but also low Earth orbit (LEO). Sierra Space Corp. and Blue Origin are two of the organizations involved with the Orbital Reef, the first commercial space station. The goal is having it operational before the end of the decade because t…

Algorithms aid researchers with heat-responsive fabric

October 1, 2023 | Markets

Engineers from Japanese clothing company A-POC Able Issey Miyake and University of Tokyo startup Nature Architects Inc. Ltd. presented their innovative approach to the design process at this year’s Milan Design Week held April 17–23, showcasing how algorithms can be used to automate and streamli…

Inflatable textile art shown by Dior in Paris

June 1, 2023 | Markets

In partnership with Dior, Portuguese sculptor Joana Vasconcelos created the site-specific textile structure Valkyrie Miss Dior to present 20 fabrics from the fashion company’s autumn/winter 2023–2024 collection during Paris Fashion Week. The models walked through the giant fabric artwork as they…

Textile industry leaders discuss 2023 market challenges

May 1, 2023 | Markets

The Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) board chair, Amy Bircher, and the ATA first vice chair, Roy Chism, responded to questions about the industry in 2022 and where it may be going in 2023.

Out of this world inflatables

April 1, 2023 | Markets

When you hear the phrase “inflatable structure,” the first image that comes to mind is likely to be a brightly colored bounce house or maybe the temporary buildings that were used for COVID testing or administering vaccinations during the pandemic.

Bio-tech dyes

March 1, 2023 | Markets

Fabric dyeing is one of the more polluting industrial processes, using many toxic chemicals and more than 1.3 trillion gallons of water annually. Colorifix, based in Norwich, U.K., is the first company to develop an entirely biological process to produce, deposit and fix pigments onto textiles. The …

ATA podcast celebrates one year

October 1, 2022 | Markets

Want to learn more about what’s happening in the textiles industry? Just tune in to Talking Textiles, a series of free podcasts available online on Apple, Google, Spotify and Libsyn and at textiles.org/podcast/. The first show was posted online on September 8, 2021. New shows appear the third week…

Wide format graphics rebound

August 1, 2022 | Markets

To get a handle on how the wide format fabrics graphics industry is faring these days, as the worst of the pandemic fades, a good source to ask is Bill Farquharson, a well-known sales coach, author and print sales veteran who keeps his finger on the pulse of the field.

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