2025 SPESA Executive Conference To Prioritize Industry Resiliency with Theme: Forging Forward - Building Resilient, Future-Ready Businesses
Registration is open for the 2025 SPESA Executive Conference. This year’s event will take place August 27-29 at the Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile.
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We're operating in a time of uncertainty — from fluctuating markets to geopolitical concerns to supply chain disruptions. Yet, despite hurdles on the horizon, the sewn products industry has remained resilient. For the 2025 SPESA Executive Conference, we’d like to lean into that resiliency by providing conference attendees with the tools, insights, and inspiration needed to prevail.
Click below for a first look at some of the topics we’ll be covering.
INDUSTRY NEWS | 7.2.25
Deloitte Global and Global Fashion Agenda Publish Fashion Impact Toolkit To Help Build Resilience Across Textile Sector’s Value Chain
Press Release | July 2, 2025
The free interactive toolkit can help textile companies understand their environmental footprint across operations and supply chains, enhance transparency across the textile value chain to help advance sustainability efforts, and drive long-term and industry-wide transformation.
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Afreximbank To Set Up $5-bn Textile Industrial Facility in Nigeria
Fibre2Fashion | July 2, 2025
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) will begin constructing a $5-billion integrated textile industrial facility in Nigeria this month as part of its continent-wide industrialization strategy. The facility, to be developed under a partnership between Afreximbank, Dubai-based Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms and Swiss textile equipment manufacturer Reiter, is expected to revive Nigeria’s cotton industry, save the country up to $4.7 billion annually in textile imports, and create up to 250,000 jobs.
Some additional reading for you related to the African textile and apparel industries:
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Africa – The Next Frontier in the Global Textile Revolution - Kohan Textile Journal (includes a quote from SPESA member company Groz-Beckert)
Weaving the Future: How Siemens and Spinnova Are Reinventing the Future of Textiles
Interesting Engineering | July 2, 2025
Minimal CO2 emissions. Minimal use of water, and that too without releasing harmful chemicals. That’s the big dream for the textile industry, and Spinnova is already closing in on achieving it.
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All U.S. Military Boots Should Be Made in America, Lawmakers Contend
Defense News | July 2, 2025
New bipartisan legislation, The Better Outfitting Our Troops (BOOTS) Act, reintroduced in the U.S. Senate this week aims to ensure all combat boots worn by U.S. service members are manufactured entirely in the United States.
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Manufacturing PMI® at 49%; June 2025 Manufacturing ISM® Report on Business®: Apparel Reports Growth While Textile Mills Report Contraction
Press Release (via Textile World) | July 1, 2025
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in June for the fourth consecutive month, following a two-month expansion preceded by 26 straight months of contraction, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®.
The manufacturing industries reporting growth in June include: Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; and Furniture & Related Products, among others. The six industries reporting contraction in June include: Textile Mills; Wood Products; Paper Products; Chemical Products; and Fabricated Metal Products.
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Cone Denim To Launch Collaborative Hub The Cone Collective
Press Release (via Textile World) | July 1, 2025
Cone Denim® will debut The Cone Collective, a virtual hub for its cross collaborations with designers and students at the end of June. The Cone Collective is a creative initiative aimed at supporting and highlighting designers, brands, and students who help tell Cone’s story using its denim fabric through unique creations and art.
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This Family-Owned Knitting Mill Near Toronto Has Been Manufacturing Canadian Apparel for Decades
Toronto.com | July 1, 2025
More than 30 years ago, a knitting mill opened in Ontario. Fast forward to 2025, this family-owned factory has dominated the local apparel manufacturing industry from start to finish — from knitting the cotton, to dyeing the fabric and sewing up some quality clothing adorned with a “Made in Canada” tag.
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Industry Associations Unite To Honor Uniformed Workers on National Uniform Day
Press Release | June 30, 2025
SPESA is proud to be among ten leading organizations across the apparel, textile, uniform, and equipment sectors joining forces to celebrate National Uniform Day, an annual event recognizing the tens of millions of people who wear a uniform or workwear as part of their daily jobs. From police officers and healthcare providers to hospitality staff, utility workers, and delivery drivers, these uniformed professionals help keep the world moving — and they deserve to be seen, supported, and celebrated.
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Strike at Bangladesh’s Busiest Port Paralyzes Trade, Threatens $222M Hit to Garment Industry
Sourcing Journal | June 30, 2025
A two-day strike at Bangladesh’s biggest port shut down the movement of containers over the weekend, grinding shipping activity in the area to a standstill before the country’s government issued a back-to-work order late Sunday. Additional coverage is available here.
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Thailand-Cambodia Border Closures Snarl Regional Trade, Apparel Manufacturing
Sourcing Journal (via MSN) | June 30, 2025
A long-running border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia has escalated into a full-blown restriction in land border crossings. The move could potentially have a ripple effect on vessels seeking to stop at ports in both countries and compel apparel manufacturers to reevaluate their supply chain operations in the region. Tensions between the textile-producing nations inflamed in May when armed clashes along the border left one Cambodian soldier dead.​
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China Dominates Textile Machinery Investment as Global Shipments Show Divergence in 2024
SJ Denim | June 30, 2025
China continues to be the largest investor in new textile machinery, according to the 47th annual International Textile Machinery Shipment Statistics released by the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF). Overall, ITMF said global textile machinery shipments show mixed performance in 2024. ITMF also recently released its 32nd Global Textile Industry Survey revealing sharp regional variations across the global textile industry.
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Apparel Stays Resilient as Personal Luxury Goods Market Contracts
Fashion Dive | June 30, 2025
The personal luxury goods market is expected to experience a full-year contraction of between 2% and 5% in 2025, according to a new report from Bain & Company, in partnership with Italian luxury goods industry association Altagamma. Geopolitical challenges and regulatory oversight have stressed supply chains, and more than 70% of luxury brands have pulled back volume from multibrand retail platforms amid financial struggles.
The report also indicates the general apparel sector remains strong, however leather goods and footwear are “facing headwinds unless backed by true innovation.”
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Read More...
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U.S. Manufacturing Is in ‘Pretty Bad Shape.’ MIT Hopes To Change That.
Manufacturing Dive | June 30, 2025
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Initiative for New Manufacturing is an institute-wide effort to reinfuse U.S. industrial production with the latest technologies to bolster economic sectors and ignite job creation. Through a mix of research, hands-on training, and collaboration with corporate partners, the university plans to build the tools and talent to shape a more productive and sustainable future for manufacturing.
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Koobz Secures $7.2 Million To Bring Scalable, Automated Footwear Manufacturing to the U.S.
3D Printing Industry | June 30, 2025
California-based footwear startup Koobz announced a $6 million funding round this week, bringing its total seed capital to $7.2 million. The funds will be used to open a new factory and scale production over the coming years.
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The funding comes as more U.S. companies look to reshore manufacturing due to ongoing tariff-related supply chain issues. Founder Kuba Graczyk said this shift helped accelerate Koobz’s expansion plans.
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​Read More...
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World Emblem Announces Plans To Reshore Jobs to the United States — Doubling Space in Houston
Press Release | June 30, 2025
World Emblem, an emblem and patch manufacturer, has announced plans to reshore jobs to the company’s new factory opening in Houston in October.
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Read More...
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Apparel, Textile Manufacturers To Power Circular Goals with ATTI Initiative
Apparel Resources | June 28, 2025
A new program for promoting sustainability and innovations in the apparel and textile industry, the Apparel and Textile Transformation Initiative (ATTI), has been launched jointly by the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) and International Apparel Federation (IAF). The initiative aims to incorporate ecological advancements within the global supply chains by empowering manufacturers to take charge. The link below announces the creation and goals of the initiative. This Just Style article attempts to explain how ATTI is different from all the other initiatives that already exist in the sector.
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Read More...
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Tariffs Upend Fashion Sourcing and Disrupt Cash Flow Amid Widening Trade Gap
Sourcing Journal | June 27, 2025
“The Trump administration’s tariff policies have hobbled American fashion companies financially and scrambled their sourcing strategies.” New research from University of Delaware professor of fashion and apparel studies Dr. Sheng Lu shows that escalating duties on goods from countries across the globe — along with sustained uncertainty about the future of the tariffs — have majorly disrupted the industry’s sourcing practices and cash flow.
Dr. Lu will be sharing additional insights on this topic at the upcoming 2025 SPESA Executive Conference in Chicago.
Some additional tariff news for you this week:
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Do Trump's Tariffs Have Businesses Moving Production to U.S. Soil? - USA Today
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More Brands Turn to ‘Tariff Engineering’ To Avoid Higher Import Taxes - Modern Retail
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How Can Europe’s Fashion Supply Chain Adapt to Trump’s Tariffs? - Just Style
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Read More...
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U.S. Textile Manufacturers Are Building for the Future
AreaDevelopment | June 27, 2025
“There's a lot of buzz around ‘Made in the USA’ but turning that tagline into reality is more complicated.” Nothing in this article is particularly new, but it is a nice overview of some of the inspirations and challenges fueling the U.S. textile industry today.​
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Read More...
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India Eyes Top Spot in Global Apparel Race. Can It Topple Bangladesh and Vietnam?
Sourcing Journal | June 27, 2025
After years of trailing its regional rivals in apparel exports, India is upping its game. Buoyed by a series of factors — not least the geopolitics of the region and the specter of Trump’s tariffs, which have initially outlined big penalties for Vietnam and Bangladesh — India is prepping for a speedier ascent to the top of the apparel sourcing heap.
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What Brands Should Know About Forthcoming Canadian, U.S. PFAS Regulations
Sourcing Journal via MSN | June 26, 2025
About 12,000 different chemicals make up the family of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. These "forever chemicals" have innumerable uses across product categories like footwear, apparel, and accessories.
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U.S. Textile Makers, Feeling Forgotten by Trump, Hope Boom Days Are Ahead
The Herald | June 26, 2025
“Trump has raised trade barriers to the highest levels in a century, enacting universal levies, imposing reciprocal tariffs and picking economic fights with China and Europe. The approach is designed to bolster domestic production, but manufacturers are learning that not all industries are created equal. The frustration of those that feel left behind reflects an intensifying debate over what kinds of jobs America needs as Republicans and Democrats commit to their respective visions of industrial policy.”
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LaundRE Prepares To Open London’s First Tech-Driven Denim Laundry
SJ Denim | June 25, 2025
LaundRE, the London-based, tech-driven laundry committed to reducing waste, is getting ready to flip the switch and launch. Founded by CEO Salli Deighton, the Docklands facility aims to provide U.K. brands with a local solution for small-batch laundry and finishing powered by laser, ozone, and nebulization technologies.
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Wolverine Rolls Out New Made-in-America Program for Work Boots as Tariffs Persist
Footwear News | June 24, 2025
Wolverine’s new program will see the brand working with a production facility in Texas to manufacture a range of work boots.
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YKK Vietnam Co. Ltd. Nhon Trach Factory To Undergo Expansion to Phase 3
Press Release - June 18, 2025
YKK Corp. has made the decision to expand the YKK Vietnam Co. Ltd. factory in Nhon Trach, Vietnam — which has grown into a prominent global textile industry hub for items such as sportswear, outdoor apparel, and casual wear — to Phase 3. The expansion will increase the factories’ production volume and enhance product development faculties, thereby strengthening their function as a core technology base in the ASEAN region.
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Over One-Third of Retail Execs Say They Will Adjust Pricing in the Face of Tariffs
Sourcing Journal | June 17, 2025
Retailers are preparing to flex their prices to adjust for tariff-related impact. That’s according to data from software company 7thonline, shared exclusively with Sourcing Journal, which shows that 35% of retail executives said that, in response to a tariff increase, they would adjust product pricing.
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