WHAT’S INSIDE
Fall’s first crisp nights are upon us as what is known as the “season of conferences and meetings” shows little evidence of letting up. Our team has been to Antwerp, Rotterdam and Izmir of late, coming home with plenty of inspiring ideas in our heads.
Highlights of our newsletter this month:
● Big brands seem to be forming coalitions, lots of coalitions
● A new “box” with observations from the world of social media, this one on the much critiqued John Galliano x Zara collection.
● Our project GFSU seeks ideas at any level of development from vocational training students in the Creative Solutions contest that offers cash prizes - pass this on!
OUR PROJECTS
GFSU
Calling all vocational training students and new graduates! Green Fashion Startup has launched a call for creative solutions towards sustainable fashion. Students can come from any school anywhere in Europe, and they can win cash prizes as well as consulting to help their ideas take the next steps. Another cool aspect is that this competition seeks ideas at any stage of development, be it just an idea or concept, or a tested prototype. Think out of the box – it can be a business idea as well as a product! The deadline is November 13 2026 - please share this with your network of young people! Apply here
TECHSTYLE x ECOSYSTEX
The Techstyle project presented the consolidated analysis of the project's Initial Strategic Survey, intended as its strategic reference for training development and policy reflection
at an Ecosystex Insights session dedicated to education projects. You can read our thoughts here, or rewatch the session from Ecosystex.
FABRIX / LEARN
At the FABRIX project’s recent event in Rotterdam, TCBL’s Alexandra Korey presented the Learning Hub, a post-project collection of resources designed to support SMEs, Facilitators and researchers or policy makers during the T&C circular transition. You’ll find definitions of key terms and concrete examples of their application; you can fill a worksheet to plan scaling up (or not); or watch inspiring videos based on the project’s case studies! But also find out how mapping can be used to spot trends in an urban space early enough to take action as a city or how to organize a showcasing event to provide inspiration for your community. Explore the hub at learn.fabrixproject.eu!
TECHSTYLE
EIB, the Aegean Exporters’ Association, our Turkish partner in the TechStyle project, brilliantly organised our technical meeting where we aligned on the learning modules that will be available Spring 2027. The curriculum will help more than 70 professionals, students, entrepreneurs and trainers to use AI tools for a more circular and regenerative sector, of which 12 will have the occasion to finalize their ideas in a face-to-face workshop in Brescia (Italy). We also had the chance to visit and talk with manufacturers that work with natural materials for premium home and garments products. Learn more about what they do here.
TCBL MEMBER NEWS
Member profile: Arnia Textile Fashion is the textile division of ARNIA – MADE IN ITALY, a Non-Profit Social Cooperative whose success - 290+ clients across 45 countries— demonstrates that artisanal excellence, certified sustainability, and inclusive employment is a replicable business model. Based in Lombardy’s historic textile districts—Busto Arsizio (cotton), Gallarate (embroidery), and Como (silk and jacquard) they produce high-end and sustainable certified textiles. Over 50% of their workforce comes from vulnerable or disadvantaged backgrounds, while they also research and develop circular economy solutions. Check out their profile on the TCBL website!
Congratulations to Lottozero, the innovation lab in Prato, for its 10th birthday! On the occasion they also dropped a big piece of news: they’re now opening a new chapter with a representative office at BASE Milano (a hybrid cultural center)! They also recently gave a speech at the Italian Chamber of Deputies based on their decade of experience at the intersection of design and production, in which Tessa Moroder highlighted the need to invest in a new generation of independent Italian designers and brands capable of producing locally and building lasting relationships with the country’s manufacturing districts. Read and watch here.
Is it a coincidence that Reginnova is also celebrating 10 years of operation in Northeast Romania? They’re celebrating November 11th with a hybrid event (in Romanian) and exhibition dedicated to businesses, designers, manufacturers, schools and organizations in the field. Find info here.
Reflections from the world of social media
@atelier_riforma reflects (in Italian) on the John Galliano x Zara collection titled Re{form}, much anticipated as it claimed to “reimagine” articles from the fast fashion brand’s archive. The Torinese startup criticizes the collection, adding to the chorus of a similar LinkedIn post by Tiina Nyman (Circular Fashion News). As would-be shoppers are discovering, while the samples for this collection may have been made from Zara archives, the clothing itself is entirely virgin (and mostly polyester). It appears that there is now a visual language of circularity that, in upcycled clothing, means garments turned inside out or upside down, clashing fabrics and colours, and unusual layers; this aesthetic is now being reproduced in new clothes, when we could just as easily make it up from our own wardrobes combined with used or vintage clothing. Just… why?
WHAT WE ARE READING
- Big brands may actually be waking up to the need to collectively address sustainability. The Climate Pledge Fashion Coalition has recently be launched by Amazon, StellaMcCartney, Canopy and the World Economic Forum and brings together more than 60 fashion brands, manufacturers, retailers, and material innovators - mostly higher-end labels - who agree to scale more sustainable materials and reduce environmental effects. The goal is to bring companies together to aggregate demand, so that suppliers can be assured of big orders. Signatories must agree to reach net-zero carbon by 2040. They must commit to measuring and reporting their emissions regularly. They also get access to a new Fashion Coalition Lever Library, a database of more than 100 decarbonization solutions, to decarbonize their own value chain. The coalition is also working with the World Economic Forum on financing models that pair financial institutions with private investors to fund promising materials.
- Meanwhile, other brands have created the Recovery Coalition (ARC): the Or Foundation, Adidas, BESTSELLER, H&M Group, and Inditex, with support from Circle Economy. The ARC will explore how producer responsibility systems can support circular pathways. As its first demonstration project at Kantamanto Market in Accra, Ghana, one of the world’s largest hubs for secondhand clothing, ARC will explore how producer responsibility contributions can help strengthen Ghana’s existing circular textile ecosystem.
- Presented at Ecosystex 2026, The Bioeconomy Innovation Strategy for the European Fibres, Textiles, and Apparel Industry (which can be found halfway down this page) presents a vision, roadmap and 10 concrete policy recommendations for the biobased and circular transformation of Europe's textile material base. Most interesting is how researchers hypothesized three trajectories for the industry with projections of how much of market share would be made up of virgin natural fibres or fossil synthetics versus recycled materials or bio-based materials. It compares a Circular Biobased Scenario with a total 63% renewable fibre share at horizon 2050 (of which 45% biobased and 24.5% recycled) and an Aggressive Bioeconomy Scenario with a total 71% renewable fibre share (of which 63% biobased and 11% recycled) , both with reinforced European production and regional economic value creation, to the “business as usual” projection which would have us becoming more and more dependent on the predominantly Asian suppliers of virgin fossil synthetics.
- A survey of 350 senior business leaders across Europe in all fields, commissioned by WWF, is the basis of the GlobeScan report that provides policy recommendations to the EU. The research explores how senior business leaders view the relationship between competitiveness and the transition to a low-carbon, environmentally sustainable economy; how they assess recent policy developments; and what they see as the EU’s top priorities for delivering a competitive, resilient and sustainable economy.
- The repair sector in Europe is projected to reach a value of €3.7 billion by 2030—a segment growing at a rate of approximately 5.5% per year, with the potential to create around 10,000 jobs by 2030. Spearheaded by the brand VEJA, a new repair school in Roubaix is based in the former TISSEL factory and provides training in footwear repair, leather goods repair, and garment alterations—covering everything from foundational material and design knowledge to the actual repair process.
- Vuori athleisure may be a demonstration that communicating transparency and strict environmental practises as part of a Californian, surf lifestyle can be a winning combination. The company, founded in 2025, reached $1 Billion revenue last year and is aggressively expanding in China. It has signed Tom Holland as global partner and face of the brand. Their “reimagined athletic” garments are mostly made from two proprietary materials, DreamKit and BlissBlend. They are made with recycled content (89% and 75%), ultra-soft, light, 360° stretch with moisture-wicking properties.
- Recycling the Runway at Paris Fashion Week 2026 - Le Monde reports on young designers Julie Kegels, Marie Adam-Leenaerdt and Ellen Hodakova Larsson, whose newly unveiled fashions focus on recycling as a deeply rooted world view. Fishing nets and even pieces of furniture turn into wearable pieces (okay, depending on what you consider “wearable”). Two of the designers have received LVMH prizes. The question is, will industry copy the valorous concept and stop using virgin fibres, or will we just adopt an “upcycled aesthetic” (see the social media box above for our reflections on this).
CREDITS
Editors: Alexandra Korey, Frédérique Thureau, Jean-Renaud Cuaz
Photos: Project photos and TCBL Member
News photos © TCBL Association
Copyright: Online programming © 2026 Audasud
