Interior Trade Fair: Decorex 2026: How Craftsmanship, Outdoor Living and AI Are Reshaping Luxury Interiors

Decorex 2026 will bring the high-end interior design community together at Olympia London from 11–14 October, as the sector responds to changing patterns of living, renewed interest in craftsmanship and the accelerating influence of technology.

N7 Collection by Nth Degree Clerkenwell

For an industry accustomed to continually redefining luxury, the themes emerging around this year's Decorex point towards a significant shift in what premium interiors are expected to deliver. Rather than simply focusing on visual sophistication, designers and brands are increasingly responding to demand for interiors that feel authentic, tactile, individual and connected to the way people actually live.

Decorex, which has been a fixture in the high-end interior design calendar for nearly five decades, will bring together more than 280 exhibiting international brands, alongside a programme of talks, workshops and demonstrations. The organisers say the event connects more than 12,500 design professionals, including designers, architects, retailers, buyers and hoteliers.

The 2026 edition also comes at an important moment for its venue. Olympia London has undergone a £1.3 billion redevelopment, while Decorex has secured a new two-year commitment to remain at the West London destination. Olympia says the expanded hospitality, restaurants and social spaces are expected to encourage visitors to spend more time at the venue and continue business conversations beyond the exhibition floor.

From decoration to experience

One of the clearest developments within contemporary interiors is the move away from the idea that luxury is necessarily synonymous with sleekness, restraint and pristine minimalism.

Instead, designers are increasingly exploring materiality, tactility and individuality. Wood, stone, cork, natural fibres, woven fabrics, plaster and limewash finishes are being used to create environments with greater depth and sensory appeal.

This reflects a wider consumer interest in interiors that feel lived-in rather than showroom-perfect. For the premium design market, it also creates opportunities for specialist manufacturers, artisans and makers whose products can offer something distinctive that is difficult to replicate through mass production.

Decorex's Making Spaces programme, where master artisans demonstrate their skills, is particularly relevant to this movement. Alongside the commercial business of sourcing products, craftsmanship itself has become part of the design experience.

The result is a more nuanced definition of luxury: not simply the cost or exclusivity of an object, but the quality of its materials, the skill involved in producing it and the story behind its creation.

Outdoor living becomes an extension of the home

The growing sophistication of outdoor living is another important indicator of how the interiors market is evolving.

Decorex is highlighting 10 luxury outdoor furniture brands, including Nth Degree Clerkenwell, Barbacoa, Ligne Roset, Capital Garden Products, Maison Gatti, Modus Fireplaces, Heritage Handmade Garden Collections, OKA, Vincent Sheppard and Indian Ocean.

The development reflects a broader blurring of the boundary between indoor and outdoor environments. Gardens, terraces, balconies and rooftops are increasingly being conceived as extensions of the home — spaces for dining, entertaining, working and relaxing rather than simply areas used during good weather.

This is creating a new design challenge. Outdoor furniture increasingly needs to provide the comfort, sophistication and visual coherence traditionally associated with interiors, while also meeting the practical demands of changing weather conditions and outdoor use.

Nth Degree, for example, describes the current direction as creating outdoor spaces that feel as considered and characterful as the interiors they adjoin, with attention to tactile fabrics, natural materials and relaxed silhouettes.

The implications extend beyond residential design. Hotels, restaurants and other hospitality businesses are also investing in outdoor environments as part of the overall customer experience.

In this respect, outdoor furniture is moving from being a peripheral category towards becoming an increasingly integrated part of the luxury interiors market.

British lighting highlights the value of making

Lighting provides another example of the continuing importance of specialist craftsmanship.

Nine British lighting brands highlighted by Decorex — Original BTC, Soho Lighting & Co., Corston Architectural Detail, Rothschild & Bickers, Haslam West, Porta Romana, Heathfield, Kansa Lighting and Tigermoth Lighting — demonstrate the breadth of approaches being taken within the sector.

The emphasis is not simply on illumination, but on lighting as an architectural and decorative component capable of influencing atmosphere, colour, texture and spatial perception.

Rothschild & Bickers, for example, is using Decorex to present new handcrafted lighting collections combining British craftsmanship, glassmaking and new finishes. Its exhibition stand itself explores how colour, wallpaper, pattern and lighting can work together within layered interiors.

This illustrates an important commercial distinction in the premium market: lighting is increasingly being treated as a design statement rather than a purely functional specification.

The return of maximalism

After years in which minimalist interiors dominated much of the design conversation, maximalism is returning — but in a more controlled and sophisticated form.

Rather than simply filling rooms with objects and pattern, the emerging approach is based on layering. Jewel colours, contrasting textures, pattern, decorative surfaces and statement furniture are being combined to create interiors with a stronger sense of personality.

This trend also supports the premium design sector because it encourages consumers and specifiers to seek out individual pieces rather than relying on uniform schemes.

Claudia Dorsch's "Chalet Reimagined" design for the Decorex VIP Lounge

The chalet gets a contemporary makeover

The Decorex VIP Lounge provides an illustration of how heritage references are being reinterpreted for contemporary lifestyles.

Designed by London-based international interior designer Claudia Dorsch, the lounge, titled “Back to the Future — The Chalet Reimagined”, explores Alpine heritage through a contemporary lens, incorporating references to the glamour and decadence of the 1970s Italian ski scene.

The concept moves away from the traditional perception of the chalet as an exclusively winter environment. Instead, it considers the chalet as a year-round space, combining timber, fire, craftsmanship and communal rituals with contemporary materials and aesthetics.

This is significant beyond the installation itself. The luxury chalet market has become an influential area of residential design, particularly as high-end clients increasingly expect second homes and hospitality environments to offer the same level of individuality and design sophistication as their principal residences.

Dorsch's concept also reinforces the growing importance of experience-led design — creating environments that encourage people to stay, socialise and interact rather than simply admire individual products.

Botanical art adds another layer of craftsmanship

Deorex 2026 is also collaborating with Norfolk-based botanical artist Claire Coles who creates luxury wallpaper murals using a combination of vintage papers, gold leaf, faux leather, hand painting and freehand embroidery. Her Decorex design brings together deep greens, blues and warm rust shades, with hand-painted elements, vintage papers and suede appliqué.

Her work is particularly relevant to the current design direction because it combines traditional decorative techniques with contemporary scale and application.

The result is a form of craft-led surface design in which wallpaper becomes an immersive artwork rather than simply a background finish.

This points towards another important development within the premium interiors market: the increasing demand for bespoke and highly individual surfaces capable of giving a project a distinctive identity.

AI versus the handmade — or AI alongside it?

Perhaps the most consequential change facing the industry is the growing influence of artificial intelligence.

AI is now being incorporated into areas such as mood-board development, space planning, material selection, visualisation and trend analysis. For designers, these technologies can potentially accelerate early-stage development and enable multiple concepts to be explored rapidly.

But the increasing use of AI also throws the value of human craftsmanship into sharper relief.

The same design landscape that is embracing algorithmic tools is simultaneously placing greater emphasis on handmade ceramics, woven textiles, artisan finishes, hand-painted murals and individually crafted lighting.

Rather than necessarily representing opposing forces, technology and craftsmanship could become complementary parts of the design process. AI can assist with ideation, visualisation and efficiency, while skilled makers provide the physical, tactile and cultural qualities that technology cannot reproduce in the same way.

Decorex's combination of technology-focused conversations with live demonstrations by master artisans reflects this broader industry dialogue.

A softer, warmer colour direction

Colour trends for 2026 also reflect the broader desire for warmth and calm.

Sand, vanilla, clay and earthy tones are emerging alongside richer greens, blues and rust shades. Pantone's Cloud Dancer, a soft off-white with a subtle vanilla quality, also fits into the wider movement towards quieter, more natural palettes.

However, the return of warmer neutrals does not necessarily signal another period of minimalism. Instead, neutral backgrounds can provide a foundation for stronger patterns, decorative surfaces, statement lighting and richly textured furnishings.

The emerging approach is therefore less about eliminating visual stimulation and more about controlling the relationship between colour, texture and pattern.

Decorex as a barometer of the luxury interiors market

Taken together, the themes emerging from Decorex 2026 reveal an industry negotiating several seemingly contradictory forces.

Technology is advancing rapidly, yet craftsmanship is becoming more commercially and culturally significant. Minimalism is giving way to greater decoration, while natural materials are replacing some of the slickness associated with contemporary interiors. Outdoor spaces are becoming more sophisticated, while the distinction between residential and hospitality design continues to blur.

These developments suggest that the next phase of luxury interiors will be defined less by a single dominant aesthetic and more by layering — of materials, technologies, craftsmanship, heritage and personal expression.

As Sam Fisher puts it: “2026 is about pushing boundaries, and Decorex will continue to lead the conversation.”

With its combination of international brands, specialist makers, design talks, workshops and immersive installations, Decorex 2026 will offer an opportunity to assess not simply what is new in interiors, but where the business of high-end design is heading next.

Images: Decorex 2026

Fashion Industry Event: Danish Fashion Community Unites to Strengthen Its International Position

Denmark’s fashion industry is stepping up its collective international ambitions with the launch of The Danish Edit, a joint initiative bringing together Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW), Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF), Dansk Mode & Textil (DM&T) and Creative Denmark to promote Danish fashion and strengthen its position on the international stage.

SS27 Copenhagen Fashion Week Nicklas Skovgaard Runway show
Photo by James Cochrane

The four organisations will come together during Paris Fashion Week on 1 October for The Danish Edit cocktail reception at Le Mary Celeste, bringing Danish brands together with international press, buyers and industry stakeholders.

More than a one-off networking event, The Danish Edit represents a broader, long-term collaboration designed to give Danish fashion greater visibility in international markets and help more brands develop their export potential.

The initiative reflects a growing recognition within the Danish fashion community that international impact can be strengthened when the industry works collectively, combining the networks, knowledge and resources of its leading organisations.

“The strength of Danish fashion lies not only in the individual creativity of our brands, but in what we can achieve when the industry comes together,” said Sofie Dolva, Director of CIFF. “The Danish Edit is an expression of that collective ambition – uniting our networks, knowledge and resources to connect brands with key international buyers and press, and support them in realising their global potential.”

Building a stronger presence in Paris

A central element of the collaboration is the creation of a more consistent Danish fashion presence in Paris, one of the industry's most important international meeting points.

Following the inaugural CIFF Paris showroom during Men's Fashion Week in June, CIFF plans to establish a Paris presence twice a year. The showroom provides Danish and Nordic brands with a dedicated environment in which to present collections and meet international buyers, press and industry professionals.

The first edition brought together around 20 Nordic and international brands, including Rains, OpéraSPORT, Tretorn and Woodbird, in a three-storey showroom in Le Marais. The programme extended beyond the collections themselves, incorporating industry gatherings, breakfasts, podcast recordings and informal networking.

The forthcoming edition will build on this format, providing participating brands with a collective platform during a commercially significant period of the international fashion calendar.

The emphasis is on creating meaningful business connections rather than simply increasing visibility during Paris Fashion Week. By targeting relevant buyers, press and industry contacts, the initiative aims to establish relationships that can continue to generate international opportunities after the fashion week has ended.

Collective visibility for Danish brands

For Copenhagen Fashion Week, the collaboration also represents an opportunity to extend the reach of the Danish fashion community beyond its home market.

“There is such strength in coming together as an industry to champion Danish fashion internationally,” said Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week. “Copenhagen will always be our home and our central meeting point, but it is vital that we also create opportunities to spotlight Danish brands beyond Copenhagen and bring their creativity, ambition and relevance to key international audiences.”

The collaboration is intended to translate international recognition into longer-term commercial opportunities. By pooling the expertise and international networks of the four organisations, The Danish Edit aims to provide a stronger framework for brands already operating internationally, while helping other Danish companies establish the contacts and visibility required to enter new markets.

Thomas Klausen, CEO of Dansk Mode & Textil, said Denmark's fashion industry was already well established in export markets, but stressed the importance of maintaining that momentum.

“We need to maintain this momentum and show the rest of the world just how much Danish fashion has to offer,” he said. “The Danish Edit is a brilliant opportunity to give even more people the chance to experience our strong design DNA and international appeal, thereby enabling Danish fashion to translate this international attention into concrete business opportunities and growth.”

Mapping Denmark's fashion presence in Paris

Creative Denmark is further supporting the initiative by developing a dedicated map of Danish brands presenting their collections in Paris during Paris Fashion Week.

The map brings together individual showrooms and presentations across the city, creating a more comprehensive picture of Denmark's collective presence and making it easier for international press, buyers and industry professionals to engage with the breadth of Danish fashion.

For Creative Denmark, the initiative demonstrates how collaboration is central to Denmark's wider creative ecosystem.

“We’re proud to support an international initiative alongside three strong organisations that each play an important role in Danish fashion,” said Majken Kalhave, Executive Director of Creative Denmark. “The Danish Edit reflects the collaborative DNA that defines Denmark’s creative ecosystem and strengthens our shared international platform.”

From Copenhagen to the international market

The Danish Edit points towards a more coordinated approach to internationalisation within Danish fashion. Rather than relying solely on individual brands to establish their presence abroad, the initiative brings together the country's principal fashion organisations to create greater collective visibility and more opportunities for commercial engagement.

Paris provides an important international platform for this strategy, enabling Danish brands to meet global buyers, media and industry decision-makers while presenting a broader picture of the country's fashion and design capabilities.

The collaboration between CIFF, Copenhagen Fashion Week, Dansk Mode & Textil and Creative Denmark ultimately reflects a shared ambition: to turn the strength of Denmark's fashion community into a more visible and influential international presence, while creating practical pathways for Danish brands to expand their businesses in global markets.

Meanwhile, applications for the Copenhagen Fashion Week AW27 Official Show & Presentation Schedule are due to close on 6 October, providing another opportunity for Danish brands to participate in the industry's principal Copenhagen platform.

Trade Fair Report: Première Vision Paris Strengthens Its Role as a Strategic Meeting Point for the Fashion Industry

The latest edition of Première Vision Paris, held from 1–3 September at Paris Nord Villepinte,  is reinforcing its position as more than a sourcing marketplace, placing greater emphasis on creativity, industry intelligence, networking and business decision-making alongside the traditional sourcing of textiles and fashion materials.

The trade faire for international textile industries confirmed a repositioning that organisers say has been underway for the past two seasons. The emphasis is increasingly on bringing together the people who influence product development and commercial decisions, with the ultimate objective of generating business opportunities for exhibitors.

A more influential visitor profile

One of the most significant developments was the changing composition of the visitor base. Fashion houses, designers and luxury companies increased by 19% compared with September 2025, while retail businesses were up 30%, reported the organisers at GL Events.

There was also a notable increase in the presence of trend agencies, design studios and agents – the industry ‘prescribers’ whose recommendations can influence the development of numerous collections. Each of these categories gained more than 10 percentage points, while commercial functions also recorded growth.

For Première Vision, the shift is strategically important. Increasing the proportion of designers and other decision-makers within the audience potentially gives the event greater influence over the collections and products being developed for future seasons. It also suggests that the value of a sourcing fair is increasingly being measured not simply by the volume of exhibitors or materials on display, but by the quality and influence of the connections it creates.

International sourcing remains central

The stronger emphasis on decision-makers has been accompanied by a solid international visitor base. Six out of ten visitors came from outside France, with established European manufacturing centres in Italy, Germany and Switzerland showing growth alongside Turkey and India.

This international dimension remains particularly significant at a time when fashion and textile companies are reassessing sourcing strategies in response to geopolitical uncertainty, supply-chain pressures, sustainability requirements and the need for greater flexibility.

Première Vision is also seeking to position itself as a forum for wider industry debate. For the second consecutive year, European textile federations met at the event under the auspices of Euratex. The meeting brought together Valère Moutarlier, Deputy Director-General for European Industry and Decarbonisation at the European Commission, along with French parliamentarians. Sébastien Martin, Minister responsible for Industry, also contributed by video message.

According to the organisers, a declaration signed at the show a year earlier has since contributed to the first regulatory developments, including European taxation of small parcels. This underlines the increasingly political and regulatory dimension of textile-industry events, where discussions about sourcing and manufacturing are closely connected to the rules governing the future of the sector.

Content becomes part of the sourcing proposition

Another notable development is the growing importance of Première Vision's programme of talks, pitches and guided tours. These activities attracted the equivalent of one-third of the visitor base, indicating that visitors are using the event not only to discover materials and suppliers but also to interpret market developments before making sourcing and product decisions.

This is an important evolution for international trade shows. As digital platforms make it easier to discover suppliers and products remotely, physical events increasingly need to offer knowledge, interpretation and opportunities for direct dialogue that cannot be replicated through a conventional online marketplace.

The organisers also reported interest in the beauty sector, suggesting that the appetite for trend intelligence, innovation and cross-industry connections is extending beyond traditional textiles and fashion.

Positioning the show across the wider value chain

Première Vision's claim to a distinctive international position is also reflected in the attendance of 459 strategically important brands, each represented by more than three members of staff on average. The organisers interpret this as evidence of more structured, team-based visits, rather than purely exploratory sourcing trips.

The broader strategy is to bring together the different stages of the fashion and textile value chain – from materials and manufacturing through to designers, brands, retailers and industry organisations – while combining sourcing with trend intelligence, education and institutional debate.

Florence Rousson, Managing Director of the Fashion Division at GL events, said that the increased attendance of creative houses, prescribers and retailers, together with the participation of one-third of visitors in the show's programme, demonstrated that Première Vision had become a place where the industry “meets, gets informed and makes decisions”.

The direction of travel is significant. The traditional trade-fair model centred on product discovery and sourcing is evolving into a more integrated platform in which creativity, commercial intelligence, sustainability, regulation and networking are increasingly interconnected.

For textile and fashion professionals navigating a more fragmented and complex global sourcing landscape, the ability to interpret market change and establish strategic relationships may ultimately prove as valuable as finding the right fabric, yarn, leather or accessory.

The next edition of Première Vision Paris will take place from 26–28 January 2027 at Paris Nord Villepinte, with the programme focusing on territories and expertise, and India named as the guest country.

Première Vision Paris trade fair photos by Lucia Carpio

Trade Fair Report: Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris reveals a new era of sourcing strategy

The latest edition of Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris has provided a revealing snapshot of how the international textile and apparel sourcing landscape is changing, with buyers placing greater emphasis on supply-chain resilience, flexibility, geographical diversification and innovation.

The 59th edition, held from 31 August to 2 September 2026 at Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Centre, brought together 1,054 exhibitors, including 146 companies exhibiting at the event for the first time. While attendance was affected by the show's early position in the trade-fair calendar and an uncertain political and economic environment, according to organisers at Messe Frankfurt Paris, the exhibition nevertheless highlighted some of the structural changes now influencing sourcing decisions.

For the textile and fashion industries, perhaps the most significant development is that sourcing is becoming less about simply identifying the lowest-cost production base and increasingly about creating a more resilient and adaptable supply network.

From globalisation to diversification

The continued presence of major manufacturing centres including China, India, Türkiye, South Korea, Taiwan, Bangladesh and Pakistan demonstrates that established sourcing hubs remain fundamental to the international textile and apparel industry.

However, their dominance is now being complemented by a wider range of emerging and regional production locations. Up to 35 countries were represented at this year's event, including Bulgaria, Armenia, Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Myanmar and Ghana.

This broadening geographical base is significant. It reflects a sourcing industry responding to the disruption of recent years, including rising freight costs, longer transportation times, geopolitical uncertainty and interruptions to established maritime routes.

For brands and retailers, having alternative production locations is increasingly becoming a form of risk management.

The objective is not necessarily to abandon established suppliers, but to avoid excessive dependence on any single country or region. A more diversified sourcing portfolio can provide companies with greater flexibility when markets, transport routes or production costs change unexpectedly.

The growing interest in African production illustrates this shift.

Andreas Eickelmann of SVAN International Import-Export, for example, has traditionally sourced finished denim products from Bangladesh, Vietnam and Pakistan but has been investigating African alternatives for several years, partly to reduce transportation costs. Ghana is now among the potential options.

Such developments suggest that the next phase of global sourcing may be characterised by a combination of established manufacturing expertise and a wider network of alternative production bases.

Proximity becomes increasingly important

There is also a broader question surrounding the future of long-distance sourcing.

For decades, global fashion production has been built around highly specialised international supply chains, with raw materials, fabrics, components and finished garments frequently travelling considerable distances before reaching their final markets.

That model is now being reassessed.

Higher logistics costs and supply-chain disruption are encouraging buyers to consider not only where products can be made most competitively, but how reliably and quickly they can reach the market.

This could create opportunities for countries geographically closer to Europe, while also encouraging manufacturers to develop more flexible production capabilities.

For European fashion companies, the issue is particularly relevant as they seek shorter lead times and greater responsiveness to changing consumer demand. The ability to reorder smaller quantities, react quickly to trends and reduce inventory risk can become as important as achieving the lowest unit production cost.

The changing role of the textile supplier

Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris also demonstrated how the relationship between suppliers and buyers is evolving.

The exhibition's more balanced representation of Texworld's fabrics and materials and Apparel Sourcing's finished products reflects a shift in purchasing behaviour. Buyers are increasingly combining traditional fabric sourcing with the procurement of finished garments.

This is partly driven by the growing complexity of fashion collections and the need to bring products to market quickly.

Finished-product sourcing can allow brands to introduce additional references or develop private-label collections without taking responsibility for every stage of design, manufacturing and production management themselves.

For fabric and textile suppliers, this changing model reinforces the need to offer more than a commodity product. Design input, technical expertise, flexibility, innovation, traceability and the ability to collaborate with brands are becoming increasingly important competitive advantages.

Outdoor reflects the convergence of fashion and performance

The introduction of a dedicated Outdoor sector provides another indication of how traditional industry boundaries are becoming less distinct.

Around 50 exhibitors presented a combination of technical fabrics and sportswear manufacturing, highlighting the increasing crossover between performance apparel and mainstream fashion.

Technical textiles are no longer confined to specialist outdoor or sporting products. Performance characteristics such as water resistance, durability, lightweight construction, stretch, breathability and thermal regulation are increasingly influencing fashion design.

For textile developers, this convergence presents an opportunity to transfer technical innovation into wider apparel markets.

It also reflects changing consumer expectations, with functionality becoming an increasingly important part of fashion value.

Innovation moves from concept to commercial application

Innovation was particularly evident within Avantex Paris, which brought together around 30 exhibitors presenting technologies, materials and processes aimed at addressing practical challenges within the fashion supply chain.

The focus extended beyond sustainability as a marketing concept towards technologies designed to change how products are actually made.

Examples included Peltex's hemp faux fur, while LeLabPlus, ZERØTEC, CircKit and Plateforme Seconde Matière demonstrated approaches to circularity and waste reduction.

Makea, Seamless Source and C.L.A. Fashion Integration Technology focused on areas including traceability and optimisation of the value chain.

This distinction is important. The next stage of textile innovation is likely to be judged increasingly on whether it can be commercially implemented at scale, rather than simply whether a material or process can demonstrate environmental credentials in the laboratory.

AI enters the textile supply chain

Artificial intelligence was another important theme, with the Texpertise Focus AI x SPOTT programme examining practical applications across the textile value chain.

The emphasis on areas such as textile inspection and process optimisation suggests that AI is moving rapidly from being a largely experimental technology to becoming a potential operational tool for manufacturers and suppliers.

For textile businesses, the implications could be considerable. AI-assisted inspection, forecasting, design development, production planning and supply-chain management could help companies improve efficiency while responding more quickly to customer requirements.

However, the emergence of AI also raises an important question for the textile sector: how can technology be integrated without losing the human expertise, craftsmanship and material knowledge that remain fundamental to high-quality textile development?

That tension between technological efficiency and human expertise is likely to become an increasingly important industry debate.

Circularity shifts towards infrastructure

The Threading Circularity forum, organised with the Circular Fashion Federation and TCBL, addressed repair ecosystems, extending product lifespans, micro-factories and the reinvention of European value chains.

These discussions indicate that circularity is increasingly being considered as an issue of industrial infrastructure, rather than simply a question of using recycled fibres.

Repair, reuse, localised production, micro-factories and longer product lifespans all require new business models and supply-chain structures.

For Europe in particular, this could become significant. Developing more localised circular production systems could reduce dependence on distant manufacturing while creating opportunities for smaller manufacturers, specialist textile companies and new technology providers.

New dyeing technologies point towards resource efficiency

The Avantex Fashion Pitch provided a further indication of where textile innovation is heading.

The 2026 award went to PigmentOCO for its supercritical CO₂ dyeing technology for natural fibres, including cotton, designed to reduce water and chemical consumption.

The technology addresses one of the industry's long-standing environmental challenges: conventional textile dyeing can require substantial quantities of water and chemicals.

IROONY received the jury's 'Coup de coeur' award for an industrial platform capable of converting agricultural biomass into cellulose pulp.

Both innovations illustrate a broader movement towards developing alternative processes and raw-material streams that could potentially reduce the environmental impact of textile production.

The challenge now is to move these technologies beyond demonstration and into commercially viable industrial production.

India looks towards a stronger European connection

The visit of Neelam Shami Rao, Secretary of India's Ministry of Textiles, also highlighted the strategic importance of the European market.

The proposed India-European Union Free Trade Agreement could provide additional impetus to trade between the two markets once ratified. For Indian textile and apparel manufacturers, however, increased access to Europe is likely to require a corresponding understanding of European consumer and design expectations.

Rao emphasised the need for the Indian industry to respond more closely to European requirements, particularly through design and products developed specifically for the European market.

The visitor profile at Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris reinforces this opportunity. France, the UK, Italy, Spain and Germany were the show's five leading visitor countries, underlining the importance of the European market to international textile and apparel suppliers.

What does this mean for the future of sourcing?

The developments at Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris point towards a sourcing landscape that is becoming more fragmented geographically but potentially more resilient strategically.

The traditional manufacturing powers are unlikely to disappear from the equation. Their scale, expertise, infrastructure and established supply chains remain major advantages. But alongside them is an expanding network of emerging production countries, nearer-shore suppliers and specialist manufacturers.

At the same time, buyers are becoming more demanding. They want competitive pricing, but increasingly alongside shorter lead times, smaller and more flexible orders, reliable logistics, technical expertise, traceability, innovative materials and credible sustainability solutions.

This is creating a more complex sourcing equation.

For suppliers, simply competing on price may no longer be sufficient. The ability to collaborate on design, develop innovative fabrics, provide technical solutions and demonstrate transparent supply chains could become increasingly important.

For buyers, meanwhile, the challenge will be balancing cost against resilience, speed, sustainability and quality.

The result could be a significant restructuring of the traditional fashion supply chain: not necessarily a wholesale retreat from global sourcing, but a move towards multiple sourcing locations, shorter and more flexible supply routes, greater technological integration and closer supplier relationships. 

Looking towards Texworld's 30th anniversary

Texworld will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2027, with two Paris editions planned at Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Centre.

The Spring-Summer 2028 collections will be presented from 25 to 27 January 2027, followed by the autumn edition from 6 to 8 September 2027, focusing on Autumn-Winter 2028-29.

The anniversary comes at an interesting moment for the global textile industry. After three decades in which internationalisation transformed the way fashion is designed, manufactured and sourced, the sector is now entering another period of profound change.

The future is unlikely to be defined by a single dominant sourcing model. Instead, the successful fashion and textile businesses of the coming years may be those capable of combining global expertise with regional flexibility, technological innovation with textile craftsmanship, and commercial competitiveness with greater supply-chain resilience.

Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris is therefore becoming more than a marketplace for fabrics and finished garments. It is increasingly a barometer of how the international fashion supply chain is adapting to a more uncertain, technology-driven and sustainability-conscious industry.

Images from Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris

Fashion News: Mulberry prepares London Fashion Week return as financial recovery gathers pace

Mulberry is set to make a high-profile return to the London Fashion Week runway this month, marking a significant moment for the British luxury fashion house as it combines a new creative direction with signs of a strengthening financial performance.

Mulberry - Shot by Federico Radaelli

The return to the runway is central to CEO Andrea Baldo’s “Back to the Mulberry Spirit” strategy, which aims to rebuild the ready-to-wear business alongside the brand’s established accessories offering.

The company will return to the London Fashion Week schedule on September 20, following a six-year absence. The show will present the first women's ready-to-wear collection designed by newly appointed Creative Director Christopher Kane, signalling a new chapter for the Somerset-based brand.

Kane's appointment is expected to bring a fresh creative perspective to Mulberry as the company seeks to reinforce its position as a leading British luxury label. His debut will be closely watched as the fashion industry assesses how his design language will translate across Mulberry's established leather-goods heritage and its wider ready-to-wear offer.

The runway return comes against a backdrop of improving financial results. Mulberry reported group revenue of £125.5 million for its latest financial year, representing a 4% increase. Pre-tax losses were reduced substantially to £8.9 million, compared with £32.2 million in the previous year.

The company also reported an improvement in gross margin to 72%, helped by a reduction in promotional discounting. The figures suggest that the business has been making progress towards improving the quality and profitability of its sales, rather than relying heavily on markdowns to drive demand.

That momentum appears to have continued into the opening quarter of the new financial year. Group revenue rose by 23% year on year, with wholesale and franchise revenue recording a particularly strong 56% increase.

The growth in wholesale and franchise business provides an encouraging indication of demand for the brand beyond its directly operated retail network and could give Mulberry greater scope to expand its international presence without relying solely on investment in company-owned stores.

At the same time, Mulberry is continuing to refine its physical retail footprint in the UK. The company has signed a lease for a new 979 sq ft boutique at Liverpool ONE, with the store scheduled to open in November 2026.

The new boutique will add to Mulberry's existing UK retail presence as the company focuses on what it describes as a more refined brick-and-mortar strategy. The Liverpool location also places the brand within one of the UK's major premium shopping destinations, extending its reach beyond London.

Further changes at board level are also planned. From September 9, Mulberry will appoint Sara Dickinson and Kenny Wilson as non-executive directors. Wilson, the former chief executive of Dr. Martens, brings extensive experience of international brand development and the publicly listed consumer sector, while Dickinson adds further industry expertise to the board.

Taken together, the changes point to a period of significant transition for Mulberry. The arrival of Kane, the return to the London Fashion Week runway, improving margins, a sharp reduction in losses and accelerating first-quarter revenue growth suggest that the company is attempting to establish a stronger platform for its next phase of development.

For the British luxury sector, Kane's September 20 debut is likely to be one of the key moments of the London Fashion Week schedule, providing an early indication of how Mulberry intends to balance its distinctive British heritage with a renewed fashion proposition.

Interior Design Event: Focus/26 puts autumn interiors and international design in the spotlight at Chelsea Harbour, London

As London prepares for another major season of design activity, Focus/26 on Design will bring the international interiors industry together at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour from 14 to 18 September, putting the spotlight on new autumn collections, emerging creative directions and the latest thinking across the sector.

The timing is significant. Focus/26 opens as London Design Festival - running from 12 to 20 September - gets under way, making Chelsea Harbour a key destination for designers, architects, specifiers and design enthusiasts looking to assess the new season's direction. The five-day event is centred on the Design Centre's network of showrooms, with additional brands and events creating what organisers describe as a creative hub for the industry.

At the heart of Focus/26 is product discovery. The event provides an opportunity to see autumn launches from leading international brands. This gives the event particular relevance for interior designers and specifiers seeking distinctive fabrics, wallcoverings, furniture, lighting and decorative products for forthcoming projects.

The Design Centre currently brings together more than 135 showrooms, while Focus/26 will add more than 30 temporary House Guests along the Design Avenue. The combination of permanent showrooms and temporary installations is designed to broaden the sourcing offer and bring additional designers and specialist brands into the mix for the duration of the event.

Among this year's House Guests are Artfully Sorted, Christy, Iliv, Martin Huxford, Shailand England, The Vale London, Studio Ham and Zoffany X Michael S. Smith.  

(Click here to find out more about the House Guests.)

A focus on knowledge as well as product

The increasingly important role of events such as Focus is not simply about showcasing products. For the professional design community, they have become places to exchange ideas, build relationships and gain insight into the commercial and creative forces shaping the industry.

Designer Stephanie Barba Mendoza will talk to House & Garden's editor Talib Choudhry on her passion for history, art and the play of pattern and colour translated into memorable projects worldwide.

Focus/26 will therefore combine showroom launches with a substantial programme of talks, masterclasses and industry discussions. Its flagship Conversations in Design series will bring leading names from the design world together, while Grow Your Business sessions will address professional development and the practical challenges facing designers. 

There will be 100+ free Free Access All Areas events within individual showrooms, alongside tours, Designer Toolkit sessions and the new Learning Lounge.  Daily Design Discovery Tours will provide another way of navigating the event, directing visitors towards products and launches attracting particular attention.

(Click here for information on the full programme.)

This combination of product, expertise and networking reflects the changing role of design trade events. Rather than functioning solely as traditional buying platforms, leading interiors events are increasingly expected to provide cultural and educational content alongside commercial opportunities.

The international character of Focus/26 is another important element. With brands from different design traditions represented alongside established British names and smaller specialist ateliers, the event offers a snapshot of the increasingly global interiors marketplace.

The event provides a valuable opportunity to encounter new materials, techniques and aesthetics without having to travel overseas.

 Focus/26 brings together international product launches, specialist makers, established showrooms, emerging brands and industry debate, and offers a useful indication of where interior design is heading as the autumn/winter season gets under way.