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2026 SPESA ADVANCEMENTS CONFERENCE
WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA?
One of SPESA's keystone events, the annual Advancements in Manufacturing Technologies Conference, is designed specifically for manufacturers, brands, retailers, suppliers, and industry stakeholders to learn about new innovations and advancements in manufacturing sewn products.
This year’s SPESA Advancements in Manufacturing Technologies Conference will focus on AI, Automation, Accessibility, and Beyond.
Click the link below to see what we have in store!
MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS
INDUSTRY NEWS | 3.18.26
How Apparel Supply Chains Can Navigate Ongoing Iran Conflict
Just Style | March 18, 2026
As conflict in the Middle East continues, a new report from the British Standards Institution says the apparel sector faces two possible scenarios — and suggests how they can navigate the volatile situation.
This Startup Transforming Carbon Emissions into Fashion Textiles Just Raised $7.5 Million
Fashionista | March 18, 2026
Rubi, co-founded by sisters Neeka and Leila Mashouf, is gaining significant traction with fashion brands as it builds out an innovative new manufacturing system. The mechanics behind this approach are Rubi's proprietary cell-free enzyme platform, which uses specialized enzymes to convert abundant carbon sources, such as CO2, into complex materials, including cellulose polymers.
Shima Seiki Partners with CLO Virtual Fashion
Knitting Industry Creative | March 18, 2026
Shima Seiki Mfg., Ltd. of Japan has announced a partnership with CLO Virtual Fashion of South Korea to integrate their respective technologies for garment design and simulation.
The collaboration brings together Shima Seiki’s APEXFiz 3D design software with CLO’s advanced 3D garment simulation capabilities, creating a unified workflow that spans knitwear planning and design through to high-quality simulation, animation, and broader digital content applications, while maintaining a direct link to manufacturing. The integration is scheduled for release in April.
AI-Powered SaaS Platform GARMENTICK Aims To Transform Garment Factory Operations
Textile Today Bangladesh | March 18, 2026
U.S.-based GARMENTICK, an AI-powered Software as a Service (SaaS) platform, has emerged as a technology solution designed specifically to digitize garment factory operations. According to the company, a growing number of garment factories around the world are adopting GARMENTICK to optimize production processes and reduce operational costs.
INDA Honors Four Industry Leaders with 2026 Lifetime Service and Technical Achievement Awards
Press Release | March 17, 2026
INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, has announced the four distinguished recipients of the 2026 INDA Lifetime Service Award and Lifetime Technical Achievement Award. Tom Daugherty, Pricie Hanna, Carey Hobbs, and CK Wong are being recognized for their exceptional leadership, innovation, and enduring contributions to advancing the nonwovens industry and strengthening the global community it serves.
Worn Again Unveils Textile Recycling ‘Accelerator’ Plant
Just Style | March 17, 2026
Worn Again Technologies has unveiled a new Accelerator plant in Switzerland designed to scale its textile-to-fibre recycling process and demonstrate the technical and economic viability of polycotton recycling.
Jeanologia Launches AI Platform for Laser Design
SJ Denim | March 16, 2026
This week, Jeanologia unveiled Billy AI, an artificial intelligence platform capable of extracting precise laser designs directly from a garment photograph. The system has been trained on a large database of more than 5,000 laser designs collected from Jeanologia’s archive, together with synthetic datasets generated with the firm’s design software, eDesigner.
Upholstery Manufacturers Eye AI for Efficiencies, Cost Savings
Furniture Today | March 16, 2026
This article from Furniture Today highlights how several different furniture companies are utilizing AI in design and production.
Circ Expands Network of Manufacturing Partners with New Partnership
Just Style | March 16, 2026
Textile-to-textile recycling expert Circ has announced a new partnership with viscose filament producer Xinxiang Bailu Chemical Fiber Co.
Texprocess 2026 Signals Investment Confidence
Knitting Industry | March 14, 2026
Texprocess 2026 will bring together 200 exhibitors from 28 countries, underlining its role as a key barometer for the global textile processing sector. Among the exhibitors are SPESA members Amann, Brother, Durkopp Adler, Eton Systems, MACPI, Morgan Tecnica, Pathfinder, Pegasus, Veit, and Zünd.
SPESA will be attending Texprocess, our sister trade show, in Frankfurt, April 21-24. Be sure to stop by the booth and say hallo!
Read More...
10-yr Strategy Launched for Australian Fashion & Textile Manufacturing
Fibre2Fashion | March 14, 2026
The Australian Fashion Council and R.M.Williams have launched the National Manufacturing Strategy for Australian Fashion and Textiles 2026-2036 at Parliament House in Canberra, the first coordinated national roadmap to rebuild targeted domestic manufacturing capability across Australia's textile, clothing, and footwear sectors.
Desperate for Skilled Workers, a Furniture Maker Looks to Apprenticeships for Relief
NPR | March 13, 2026
This is an interesting look into a strategy some manufacturers have embraced to fill critical gaps in the workforce — one the Trump administration has made the centerpiece of its promise to bring American workers into a golden age.
Ashley Furniture Shuttering Manufacturing Operations, Cutting over 260 Positions in DFW
Dallas Morning News | March 12, 2026
Ashley Furniture is ending its manufacturing operations in Mesquite, Texas. The retailer will cut 266 positions with the move that consolidates production efforts, according to a letter sent to the Texas Workforce Commission. The cuts at Ashley’s manufacturing site include jobs that involve machine operations and upholstery.
Knitting Together Design and Production for the Sock Industry
Knitting Industry Creative | March 12, 2026
AI is enabling Japan’s Shima Seiki and Italy’s Lonati to create ever more seamless links from basic design through to final production for the knitted socks industry, via the streamlining of their respective APEXFiz and Orion software systems.
Speaking during a webinar on March 4th, Shima Seiki’s digital solutions manager Mai Fukamara said that her company, while primarily a flat knitting machinery builder, was also now a leading supplier of design software, with more than 30,000 units delivered to 40 countries.
Knowledge that Drives Progress: Techtextil and Texprocess Forums Strengthen the Global Textile Industry with a Future-Oriented Programme
Press Release | March 11, 2026
“From AI-supported production optimization and digital manufacturing solutions to circular technologies and bio-based high-performance materials: the Techtextil and Texprocess forums provide answers to the key challenges of the global textile industry with a curated content programme.”
Nextil and Varsity Form an Alliance To Advance Sustainable Textile Manufacturing in Central America
Fashion Network | March 10, 2026
Spanish textile company Nextil Group has signed a framework collaboration agreement with Varsity, one of Central America’s leading garment manufacturers, with the aim of "strengthening the region's industrial capacity to support the growing development of sustainable textile programmes aimed at the U.S. market."
NCMBC To Host Defense Textile Summit May 19–20
Specialty Fabrics Review | March 9, 2026
The North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC) will host the Federal and Defense Textile and Tactical Equipment Summit (FEDTEX) on May 19–20, 2026, in Raleigh, North Carolina. FEDTEX connects the U.S. Department of War (Defense) and federal agency clothing and individual equipment buyers directly with U.S. textile manufacturers, supply chain partners, cut-and-sew contractors, R&D organizations, testing laboratories, and academic institutions.
‘46,800 jobs’: Xinjiang Official Says Textile Industry Is Growing Despite U.S. Sanctions
South China Morning Post | March 7, 2026
Despite U.S.-led sanctions, Xinjiang’s textile industry expanded last year to create tens of thousands of jobs, according to Wang Kuiran, secretary general of the far western Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region government. Wang stated yarn output rose more than 20% in the region in 2025 while fabric production increased 36% year on year.
The United States, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom all previously announced sanctions on multiple Chinese officials and businesses for what they described as genocide against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Turkic Muslim minorities in the region.
What Does U.S. Apparel Import Data in 2025 Reveal About the Cost of Sourcing?
Just Style | March 6, 2026
When it comes to the cost of sourcing apparel in 2025, Dr. Sheng Lu, professor of apparel studies at the University of Delaware, says the data reveals four clear patterns.
Growing Out of Uncertainty — How the Sewn Products Industry Adapts and Grows in the Face of Uncertainty
California Apparel News | March 6, 2026
SPESA President Michael McDonald explains to California Apparel News some of the key trends we’re seeing emerge across the industry during uncertain times.
This is the first installment of an ongoing series featuring SPESA!
