Industry News | 10/3/25
- SPESA
- Oct 3
- 7 min read
SPESA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | CAREER OPPORTUNITIES | The Merrow Group Companies Is Hiring this October (Remote & Onsite)
Company Announcement | October 3, 2025
The Merrow Group Companies is investing to make dealers more competitive and manufacturing more innovative. Explore career opportunities with Superior — Merrow’s dealer-only distributor of industrial sewing & cutting parts/consumables — plus, Merrow Sewing Machine Co. and Merrow Manufacturing.
Inexmoda's Sebastián Díez Named to the Business of Fashion 500 Class of 2025
Business of Fashion | October 3, 2025
Strengthening Medellín’s position as a center of textile innovation and garment manufacturing excellence, Díez has prioritized high-growth sectors such as sportswear, swimwear, intimates and athleisure. Under his guidance, Colombiamoda has hosted events beyond Latin America, including showcases in Miami and roadshows across the wider US market. Díez rose through the ranks of Inexmoda for over a decade before taking the reins, developing deep connections with Colombia’s industry titans and creative leaders. Congratulations, Sebastián!
What Now? Legacy Africa Trade Preference Program Expires
Sourcing Journal | September 30, 2025
After nearly a quarter century, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has expired. President Trump’s administration has indicated that it supports a one-year extension of AGOA, but that did not happen prior to its expiration. “With avoiding a government shutdown being the administration’s and Congress’s top priority, there is little room left to consider AGOA,” added Dr. Sheng Lu, professor of fashion and apparel studies at the University of Delaware.
AGOA is credited with supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs in more than 30 eligible countries.
How Technology Is Revolutionising Fashion Manufacturing Today
Just Style | September 30, 2025
Our friend Laura Husband, Managing Editor at Just Style, investigates the major shifts in apparel manufacturing today and the groundbreaking technologies helping garment factories work smarter — not harder.
Lutz Wolf Becomes CEO of the KARL MAYER Group
Press Release | September 30, 2025
Effective November 1, 2025, Lutz Wolf will assume the role of new CEO of KARL MAYER Holding SE & Co. KG. Wolf most recently spent eight years on the Executive Board — including over four years as CEO — of the Neuenhauser Group, a family-owned, internationally active group of companies in the field of mechanical engineering and metal processing based in Lower Saxony with around 2,500 employees. During this time, he was responsible for the textile machinery and automation segments as well as the entire metal processing division of the family company, headed up central process optimizations, and shaped the strategic development of the group.
Game Changer: TCU ‘Poised To Lead’ in Athletic Textile Research
TCU News | September 30, 2025
What do astronauts, as well as health care professionals and agricultural workers, have in common with athletes? The gear that keeps them safe holds the key to the next big leap in athletic performance. This intersection informed the creation of the Athlete Engineering Institute at Mississippi State University and is a big focus for research in Texas Christian University’s College of Fine Arts.
Rockford Apprentices Graduate from Nation’s First Industrial Sewing Program
WIFR | September 30, 2025
Three apprentices in Rockford, Illinois, marked a milestone as they graduated from the nation’s first Department of Labor-accredited apprenticeship in industrial sewing. The year-long program, hosted by the Tad More Sustainability Institute, trained the three students in both technical and job-readiness skills. Each graduate completed more than 2,000 hours of hands-on training on industrial sewing machines and 144 hours in the classroom.
İHKİB Gets EU Funding To Drive Turkish Textile Sector Eco Transition
Just Style | September 26, 2025
Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) and İHKİB chairman Mustafa Gültepe highlighted the importance of transformation across all sectors to enhance Türkiye’s export potential to the EU and other global markets.
“42% of our total exports, 60% of our apparel exports, and nearly 40% of our textile exports are destined for EU countries. We want not only our textile and apparel industries, but all of our sectors, to capture a larger share of this major market. That is precisely why we must realise the twin transition. Because ahead of us lies the European Green Deal, which serves as the constitution of this transformation,” Gültepe said.
Aitu Brand Launch Held in Shanghai, Highlighting AI Technology as the Future of Apparel Manufacturing
Press Release | September 25, 2025
On September 23rd, Aitu, the world's first AI-powered apparel manufacturing brand, themed "AI Reinvents Sewing Machine," held a launch event in Shanghai. The event, livestreamed globally, showcased the technological breakthroughs of AI-enabled smart apparel manufacturing to the industry, providing new insights and solutions for the leapfrog development of the global apparel manufacturing industry.
HIKARI Launches World’s First Template-Free Intelligent Sewing Platform
Press Release | September 25, 2025
At a recent product launch event, HIKARI unveiled a new generation of intelligent platform H1 85250, calling it the world’s first “template-free template machine” fully developed by a Chinese enterprise. The cutting-edge platform “signals a transformative leap for China in high-end smart apparel manufacturing, positioning HIKARI as a global leader in sustainable textile production.” With its green, efficient, and advanced features, the H1 85250 promises to reshape the $1.5 trillion garment industry by slashing costs and environmental impact.
Industry Leaders Confirm Support for Inaugural Textiles Recycling Expo USA
Press Release (via eTextileCommunications) | September 25, 2025
The Textiles Recycling Expo USA has already received widespread support from key industry players ahead of its launch on April 29-30 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Following the highly successful European launch in Brussels earlier this year, many exhibitors have committed to the U.S. edition, eager to replicate the quality and breadth of international visitors seen at the European event.
SMX and CETI Launch an Industrial Validation Program To Drive Circular-Economy and Traceability in Textiles & Fabrics
The Charlotte Observer | September 25, 2025
SMX (Security Matters) PLC, a pioneer of molecular "physical-to-digital" fingerprinting for supply-chain transparency, and CETI (European Center for Innovative Textiles), one of Europe's leading textile research and innovation institutes, have announced a strategic collaboration to embed SMX's end-to-end tracing platform into CETI's advanced textile R&D and circularity programs. This collaboration is being launched with the ultimate goal of enabling European textile and fashion stakeholders to authenticate fibers, track fabrics across their lifecycle, and unlock new financial mechanisms that accelerate the transition to a circular textile economy.
ARGYLE Haus of Apparel Launches Fashion Incubator for Startup and Emerging Brands
Press Release | September 24, 2025
ARGYLE Haus of Apparel, the Los Angeles–based end-to-end fashion design house and clothing manufacturer, today announced the launch of its Fashion Incubator—a comprehensive program built for startup and emerging fashion brands.
How Will the India-UK Trade Deal Impact the Global Fashion Sector?
Just Style | September 23, 2025
A new India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) is designed to be mutually beneficial, but India's trade experts believe it could also create new opportunities for both nations' fashion industries on a global scale.
Mexico-U.S. Trade Fragility Halts Plan To Seize U.S. Fashion Sales from China
Just Style | September 23, 2025
Uncertainty over U.S.-Mexico trade relations and continued weaknesses in trading infrastructure are undermining Mexico's fashion sector goals of seizing U.S. market share from Chinese exporters, experts tell Just Style.
Recycling: U.S. Firm Circ Partners with Indian Manufacturer Arvind
Fashion Network | September 23, 2025
American textile recycling specialist Circ and Indian textile giant Arvind Limited have announced a strategic partnership. “This partnership opens a new chapter in the textile industry, where scale and sustainability go hand in hand,” said Circ CEO Peter Majeranowski. “By joining forces with one of the world's largest textile players, we are making textile fibres accessible to a wider range of brands and paving the way for circularity on a truly commercial scale.” This is an important step for Circ, as Arvind manufactures for major brands including U.S. Polo Assn., Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Gap, Izod and Hanes.
SPESA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | Tariffs Won’t Revive U.S. Factories — But a Hybrid Approach Might
Sourcing Journal | September 19, 2025
Christian Birky, founder of Because Capital and Co-founder of SPESA member ISAIC, on the importance of domestic manufacturing as an important component to a domestic/global hybrid manufacturing strategy: “This is not about re-creating the industry of the past, but about developing the flexibility to navigate ongoing uncertainty. Done right, U.S. manufacturing can help drive the largest transformation in apparel supply chains since the rise of free trade and the emergence of China as a dominant source of supply.”
SPESA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | Artistic Milliners Acquires Majority Stake in Cone Denim
Press Release | September 18, 2025
Cone Denim will offer fully vertical, end-to-end solutions – ranging from premium denim fabric to expertly finished garments. "We are committed to bringing the full breadth of our expertise to help unlock Cone's competitive strengths. Cone Denim will preserve its unique identity while continuing to drive its own business strategy. Our goal is to collaborate closely with the Cone Denim team, building on the legacy and achievements of more than 130 years," said Murtaza Ahmed and Omer Ahmed of Artistic Milliners in a joint statement.
Inspectorio Unveils Paramo, the Intelligence Layer Connecting AI Directly to Retailer and Brand Production Chains
Press Release | September 18, 2025
Paramo enables automated intelligence to orchestrate critical supply chain operations by uniting diverse business data with trained AI copilots, generative AI capabilities, and autonomous agents. “As retailers and brands navigate an increasingly complex supplier landscape, high-quality data and production chain visibility fuels more trustworthy outputs and decision making,” said Chirag Patel, CEO, Inspectorio. “Organizations must evolve their operations by increasing agility and automation, and Paramo enables brands and retailers to transform this disruption into stability and growth. Embedded operational intelligence is the only way to future-proof operations. Paramo sets the industry standard for the future of supply chain management.”
SPESA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | Circulose, Lectra’s TextileGenesis Partner To Scale Traceable Circular Materials
Press Release via eTextileCommunications | September 17, 2025
CIRCULOSE®, the next-generation material made entirely from discarded textiles, is partnering with TextileGenesis, a Lectra company, to integrate supply chain traceability into its solution offering for fashion brands. Through the collaboration, every kilo of CIRCULOSE® pulp will be digitally traced from pulp to finished product, with a joint ambition to extend traceability further upstream over time. This gives brands verified, data-backed visibility to support circularity claims, build consumer trust as well as prepare for upcoming regulatory requirements.
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