Fashion
Michigan startup reimagines clothing labels to boost recycling
Less than 15 per cent of the 92 million tonnes of clothing and other textiles discarded annually are recycled, in part because they are so difficult to sort. Ordinary tags or tagless labels often don’t make it to the end of a garment’s life—they may be cut away or wear off. And tags on some counterfeit items may not provide an accurate account of the fabrics used in a garment, nor their source. Recycling, repair operations and counterfeit prevention could be more effective if a difficult-to-fake tag was woven into the fabric, invisible until read.
Photonic fibres could enable this capability. Each fibre can be customised to absorb specific wavelengths of light, ranging from ultraviolet to infrared, by varying the amount and thickness of acrylic and polycarbonate layers inside. While the materials are clear on their own, they bend and refract light when combined; creating optical effects that can look like colour—similar to the wings of a butterfly, the University of Michigan said in a press release.
Fibarcode, a University of Michigan spinout, is developing photonic-fibre barcodes woven into fabrics to improve recycling and prevent counterfeiting.
Supported by a $1.6 million NSF grant, it is launching pilot programmes and seeking partners.
The patented technology, co-invented by Brian Iezzi, encodes material and supply-chain data directly into textiles.
Unique combinations of absorbed wavelengths act like codes. After the scanner reads the code, it can find and quickly display associated information to help verify the garment’s fabric content and designer labels, as well as thread and fabric suppliers. Multiple unique photonic fibres can also be combined to help expand the total possible number of unique codes.
The grant will enable Fibarcode to launch its first pilot programme and partner with industry stakeholders and recycling centres. The company is actively seeking additional collaborators to accelerate the adoption of its technology across the supply chain.
Fibarcode was founded in 2024 by Brian Iezzi, a U-M doctoral graduate of the department of materials science and engineering. He co-invented and developed the technology in the lab of Max Shtein, professor of materials science and engineering and chemical engineering, as part of an earlier NSF-sponsored research project.
They both received entrepreneurial education and mentoring from the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps Hub: Great Lakes region, which is led by U-M and helps researchers extend their focus beyond the laboratory to increase economic and societal impact.
With the help of U-M Innovation Partnerships, Shtein and Iezzi secured patent protection, and Iezzi launched Fibarcode. Fibarcode is headquartered in Tennessee, in a two-year accelerator programme run by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Iezzi and the University of Michigan have a financial interest in Fibarcode.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)
Fashion
Canada’s Lululemon revamps commercial strategy with new global leader
Ms. Burgoyne joined lululemon in 2006 and became the company’s first President in 2020. Throughout her tenure, she has assumed roles of increasing responsibility and led the North America business through periods of rapid growth and expansion.
Lululemon Athletica has announced that Celeste Burgoyne, president of the Americas and global guest innovation, will leave at the end of December 2025 after 19 years with the brand.
The company will consolidate regional leadership and has appointed André Maestrini as president and chief commercial officer, giving him global oversight of stores, regions, digital channels and commercial strategy.
“We are grateful for Celeste’s leadership and significant contributions to lululemon’s business and culture over the past 19 years. She has been instrumental in growing our footprint in the Americas, creating high-quality guest experiences, and mentoring our teams across the organization,” said Calvin McDonald, Chief Executive Officer, lululemon. “I deeply appreciate her partnership and friendship, and we wish her all the best in the future.”
“My time at lululemon has been both inspiring and rewarding beyond belief,” said Ms. Burgoyne. “I am so proud of what we have accomplished as an organization since I joined in 2006 and know the team will take the company to even greater heights in the years to come. I look forward to continuing to support the brand as a lifelong fan.”
In conjunction with this announcement, lululemon has made the decision to consolidate regional leadership across the company and appoint André Maestrini as President and Chief Commercial Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Maestrini will continue to report directly to Mr. McDonald.
In this newly created role, Mr. Maestrini will provide integrated oversight of all of lululemon’s regions, stores, and digital channels globally. He will also oversee lululemon’s global commercial strategy with a focus on continued market expansion, revenue generation, and accelerating best practice sharing, across all regions including North America.
Mr. Maestrini joined lululemon in 2021 as Executive Vice President of International. In his current role, he has overseen lululemon’s operations in EMEA, APAC, and China Mainland, and has helped to more than quadruple lululemon’s international revenues.
“André has demonstrated a proven ability to unlock opportunities, advance our global expansion, and deliver growth across multiple markets,” said Mr. McDonald. “Leveraging operational discipline, deep guest insights, and extensive brand-building experience, André is the ideal person to lead our business across all markets, including North America, as we remain focused on delivering value for our guests, employees, and shareholders.”
Before joining lululemon, Mr. Maestrini spent 14 years at adidas in various senior roles across the globe. During this time, he served in a number of General Manager positions where he helped grow the company’s global sports categories and regional markets. Prior to adidas, Mr. Maestrini held marketing roles at The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, and Kraft Jacobs Suchard.
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)
Fashion
India’s growth expected to be robust despite external headwinds: IMF
Under the baseline assumption of prolonged 50-per cent US tariffs, India’s real gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to grow at 6.6 per cent in fiscal 2025-26 (FY26) before moderating to 6.2 per cent in FY27, the IMF said.
The reform of the goods and services tax (GST) and the resulting reduction in the effective rate are expected to help cushion the adverse impact of tariffs.
Despite external headwinds, India’s growth is expected to be robust, backed by favourable domestic conditions, the IMF has said.
Assuming prolonged 50-per cent US tariffs, FY26 real GDP may grow at 6.6 per cent before moderating to 6.2 per cent in FY27.
Further deepening of geo-economic fragmentation could lead to tighter financial conditions, higher input costs and lower trade, FDI and economic growth.
Headline inflation is projected to remain well contained, reflecting the one-off effect of the GST reform and continued benign food prices, it remarked in a release.
Looking ahead, India’s ambition to become an advanced economy can be supported by advancing comprehensive structural reforms that enable higher potential growth, the IMF noted.
There are significant near-term risks to the economic outlook. On the upside, the conclusion of new trade agreements and faster implementation of structural reform domestically could boost exports, private investment and employment.
On the downside, further deepening of geo-economic fragmentation could lead to tighter financial conditions, higher input costs and lower trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth.
Unpredictable weather shocks could affect crop yields, adversely impact rural consumption and reignite inflationary pressures, the IMF added.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Fashion
India’s trade push spans close to 50 countries, Goyal says
India has concluded balanced free trade agreements (FTAs) with Australia, the UAE, Mauritius, the United Kingdom and the EFTA bloc, and is negotiating with partners representing nearly 50 nations, Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said recently.
He stressed self-reliance, India’s innovation strengths, young talent and resilient supply-chain partnerships.
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