FESPA has confirmed the programme for its first Sportswear Pro conference, which will take place on 21 March 2024. Taking place alongside the new Sportswear Pro trade show (19-22 March 2024, RAI Amsterdam, The Netherlands), the conference will provide attendees with insights into the latest developments in the sportswear market and innovations in customised and on-demand sportswear manufacturing.
The conference programme will focus on sustainability, personalisation and automation in the sportswear market. The following English-language seminars are available:
Innovations in Materials and Fabrics for Sportswear – As companies and individuals strive to become more sustainable, there is a growing focus on fossil fuel leakage and microplastics from garments. In this seminar, Paul Foulkes-Arellano, founder of consulting firm Circuthon, looks at sustainable textile finishing, sustainable dyes and printing methods for textiles and their importance to the sportswear industry.
Rethinking the circular economy – Ana Kristiansson, founder and creative director of Desinder, explores the power of the circular economy with participants and provides a framework for sustainable design strategies in the sportswear sector.
Panel discussion: Sustainability in the sportswear sector – Topics of this discussion, moderated by Samantha Taylor, founder of The Good Factory, will include material selection, scalable sustainable processes and on-demand production in the sportswear sector. The following speakers have confirmed their attendance: Kevin Van Lancker, founder of Sportswear Of Tomorrow; Soudi Masouleh, Consultant Sportswear Design Specialist; Nicole Espey, Institute for Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University.
Panel Discussion: Customisation and Personalisation – In this discussion, Serena Bonomi, Circular Economy Innovation and Strategy Consultant, and James Lawrence-Jones, Technical Consultant, will explore the potential of sportswear customisation – which, if fully exploited, can maximise customer satisfaction. Richard Askam, FESPA Ambassador for Personalisation, will moderate the event.
Duncan MacOwan, Head of Marketing and Events at FESPA, said: “We are extremely excited to launch our first Sportswear Pro conference, which has been planned in response to the need for deeper insight into the changing nature of sportswear production supply chains. The conference, like the show, will offer attendees the opportunity to discover the latest manufacturing innovations, gain insights into production processes, understand the impact of key trends on the industry, network with industry professionals and learn more about the market’s continued growth potential.
We look forward to seeing the conference programme of the first Sportswear Pro in Amsterdam live and inspiring people at all stages of the apparel production process – sportswear and apparel manufacturers in general as well as textile printers, sportswear designers and many others.”
The conference will take place alongside a sportswear production exhibition where visitors can discover the latest end-to-end manufacturing solutions from various suppliers.
In addition, participants can visit the Smart Factory “Personalise Make Wear”, where end-to-end production and personalisation of sportswear and sporting goods will be demonstrated live.
FESPA
FESPA is a trade association founded in 1962 and organises exhibitions and conferences for the screen and digital printing industries. FESPA’s twin aims are to promote screen printing and digital imaging and to share knowledge about screen and digital printing among its members around the world to support the expansion of their businesses and to keep them informed about the latest developments in their fast-growing industries.
