7th June 2023 — The Sustainable Angle is excited to announce that its next FUTURE FABRICS EXPO will be opening on Monday 26th June at 12pm-6pm and 27th & 28th June from 9am-6pm. The expo will return to Magazine London, a state-of-the-art venue over 3200 square metres, across the river from Canary Wharf.
Pioneers since 2011, the annual Future Fabrics Expo (FFE) will once again lead as the largest dedicated global sourcing destination of commercially available, sustainably and responsibly produced textiles and materials for the fashion industry. In addition to the showcase, FFE is an educational platform for visitors to learn by sourcing, with the aim to galvanise the industry around the critical imperative for sourcing responsibly and operating within planetary boundaries. FFE also provides a platform for first-in-class innovators who are developing sustainable solutions for the fashion industry of tomorrow. Our Seminar Series runs alongside the showcase featuring the insights of global thought leaders and industry pioneers.
Highlights: What to Expect
● 10,000+ materials and solutions on display: Within our materials sourcing showcase you can expect thousands of textiles which are certified and globally-sourced from around
the world, curated according to ‘material personalities’ or fibre categories and
contextualised with educational information. These textiles spotlight positive,
commercially-available solutions that are alternatives to extractive and polluting
conventional materials.
● 5,000+ commercially available sustainably and responsibly produced fabrics in fibre
categories in Future Fabrics Expo’s own Curated Textiles Area. Each material is labelled
with detailed sustainability information, environmental certifications and supplier details.
● Diversification of the fibre basket – Materials will include textiles from regenerative
agriculture farming systems, agricultural waste, cellulosics such as TENCEL™ Lyocell and
REFIBRA™ Technology by Lenzing Group; post-consumer recycled natural materials,
certified organic cottons, low impact and regeneratively farmed wools and animal
fibres, sustainable silks, linen and hemp, responsibly produced leather and innovative
alternatives to animal skins.
● Over 250 best-practice mills and suppliers displaying their materials in their own booths.
Discover their latest collections and sustainability initiatives, connect in person, and
experience hands-on the materials of the future.
Curated Areas and Brand Partnerships
This year the Future Fabrics Expo will show specially curated areas:
● Next Gen Fibres, Here Now supported by Laudes Foundation and powered by Canopy
and Fashion for Good. This Solutions display highlights the latest innovation research and
opportunities in next generation feedstocks and fibres (including agro-residues), for the
future of fashion.
“Transformation of the material mix in fashion requires unlocking scale for next-gen and
circular materials. We’re excited to support this year’s expo and have our partners
Canopy and Fashion for Good feature key innovations and spotlight from their
experience, the journey towards securing a viable market to mainstream these future
fibres.” – Anita Chester, Managing Director at Laudes India.
● Biodiversity Applied supported by LVMH, showcases the action-oriented projects the
Group has taken to ambitiously address three key pillars – Regenerate, Circulate,
Innovate – with the aim to protect ecosystems and preserve biodiversity within and
outside the fashion supply chain.
● Regenerative Agriculture Area Since 2019, the Future Fabrics Expo has been showcasing
advancements of regenerative agriculture solutions for fashion. This year, the
Regenerative Agriculture Area will continue to communicate how the fashion supply
chain can create positive impacts in biodiversity, climate change and soil health through
regenerative outcomes. The Regenerative Agriculture Area will feature various
companies and organisations producing and working with regenerative agriculture
practices infiltrating the fashion design space.
● Forgotten Fibres Area, featuring Fibral, The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp, and
a dedicated Hemp Hub. Fibral is an international Material Alliance that brings together
companies and individuals that create innovative materials out of ancient,
underrepresented and novel plant-based sources. The Alliance for European Flax-Linen &
Hemp (formerly known as CELC) is the only European agro-industrial organisation that
brings together all players in the European Flax-Linen and Hemp value chain.
Innovation Hub
For 2023 our partnership with Parley for the Oceans will continue across our Innovation Hub, which features emerging, cutting-edge materials and technologies representing the Material Revolution of the future.
“Every material has an impact. We see this in the plastics polluting the oceans, wildlife
and human bloodstreams. At some point humans became detached from the
ecosystems that make life possible, but we are never disconnected. As the pollution
mounts and awareness grows, so does imagination in the Material Revolution. We’re
excited to continue our work alongside the Future Fabrics Expo to help spotlight creativity
and eco-innovation. It’s a reminder that we will end this Toxic Age, because enough of us
are demanding, seeking out and already creating its solutions.” Cyrill Gutsch – Founder &
CEO, Parley for the Oceans
Seminar Series
Drawing upon the voices of the world’s leading industry experts, innovators and thought-leaders, our popular Seminar Series returns to the stage, serving as a conduit to explore the most defining issues of our time and to deepen the exploration of solutions presented throughout FFE. Themes shown on the floorspace throughout this year’s FFE will form the backdrop to these thought-provoking discussions, such as regenerative design principles and a circular systems approach.
The fashion and textile industries are currently responsible for significant impacts upon the planet, its people and nature. However, fashion can and should be part of the solution, representing a powerful force for positive change. With materials being responsible for the majority of a fashion product’s environmental impact, FFE is an essential resource of sourcing solutions for brands.
Our Seminar Series aims to inspire and urge our listeners to take action by working with the solutions presented at FFE – many of which span the long and complex textile supply chain – in order to lower impacts on climate, biodiversity, soil and the oceans.
New in 2023 – new curated areas at this year’s Future Fabrics Expo are:
Revival of the UK Textile Supply Chain: Through a Sustainability Lens, supported by Alexander McQueen
New for 2023, this curated display will spotlight the heritage of the UK textile supply chain and how the industry is pushing boundaries to advance sustainability for textiles and with it reviving the entire industry: from farmers, herbal dyers, and tanners; to weavers, knitters, and artisanal businesses reviving skills and knowledge; to research and academia, innovators and pioneering entrepreneurs responding to today’s challenges and finding solutions.
Packaging Solutions supported by Canopy
New to the Expo this year is a dedicated Packaging Solutions installation supported by Canopy. The display aims to inspire and educate the industry to rethink the materiality of packaging; our unsustainable dependency forests as feedstocks; and how we can innovate to redesign systems and shift to low-impact, circular solutions – with the goal to protect Ancient and Endangered Forests. The display will showcase innovative Next Gen material solutions from Canopy’s Pack4Good initiative.
“Canopy is thrilled to partner with Future Fabrics Expo to showcase the varied,
innovative, and available alternatives to forest-based packaging. These products are a
win-win for our planet. They take sourcing pressure off vital forests, reduce waste, and
provide low-carbon packaging for the 21st century.” – Nicole Rycroft, Founder and
Executive Director of Canopy
Home & Interiors area
FFE 2023 will introduce a Home & Interiors area, curated by Edward Bulmer, a renowned interior designer, which will spotlight the environmental impact of home materials, from textiles to his own natural paint brand, created in response to the conventional paint industry’s environmental impact and lack of transparency.
Knowledge Hub
The Knowledge Hub will be a dedicated space again for information sharing featuring
organisations and certification bodies. It will continue to host a curated Waterstones bookshop and will include a ‘Meet the Author’ segment, where attendees will have the opportunity to interact and secure book signings from our distinguished speakers who have recently published books.
Quantis will be a new Supporting Corporation of Future Fabrics Expo 2023. Quantis is a global sustainability consultancy pioneering approaches to solve critical environmental challenges. The group partners with leading organizations who are serious about reducing their environmental impacts to future-proof their businesses and prosper in a new planetary economy. Since September 2022, Quantis operates as a business unit within Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Future Fabrics Virtual Expo
At the Expo, visitors can scan the QR codes on the labels of selected materials which link back to Future Fabrics Virtual Expo, an online sourcing tool for brands to discover a curated range of fabrics from our showcase. During and after the Expo, those registered will also be able to view their saved materials on their profile, continue to source fabrics with sustainability background information, and explore educational resources – all rigorously researched by The Sustainable Angle.
