Munich Fabric Start is shifting its focus to three areas: stronger international visibility, the expansion of strategic partnerships, and a year-round digital strategy that carries the exchange with the industry well beyond the trade fair dates in Munich. Following the kickoff of "30 Years. 30 Stories.", the launch of the new website is the next step. Under the motto "365 Days MUNICH FABRIC START", a digital platform is taking shape that brings together relevant content, developments and voices from the international textile industry throughout the year. Podcasts, blogs, video formats and the continued expansion of social media channels complement the physical trade fair and strengthen ongoing dialogue with the international community.

MFS x Future Fashion Assembly

Another building block of this new strategy is the webinar "What Comes Next for European Fashion Supply?" on 28 October 2026. This digital industry event brings together international brands, retailers and textile manufacturers, as well as experts in sourcing, technology and innovation. As an exclusive preview, the webinar also builds a thematic bridge to the STAGE programme of Munich Fabric Start, which takes place from 20 to 22 January 2027. The webinar focuses on practical experience, measurable results and concrete solutions for a competitive European fashion supply chain.

Key topics of the webinar:

- AI that pays off: where AI and digitalisation can deliver tangible operational efficiency gains and commercial value.

- DPP and anti-greenwashing readiness: how brands and weaving mills can build the data structures required for Digital Product Passports while meeting increasingly critical scrutiny of sustainability claims.

- Preparing for EU regulation:practical steps companies can take to build more transparent, compliant and resilient supply chains.

The webinar is the first in a series curated by Sofia Strazzanti, Founder & CEO of Future Fashion Assembly, as part of an ongoing partnership with Munich Fabric Start. It will be moderated by Muchaneta ten Napel, Founder & CEO of Shape Innovate and curator of the STAGE programme.

The main speakers include Jamie Beck, Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Compliance at retail technology company Fabacus, and Philippa Grogan, Head of Sustainability at London-based contemporary womenswear brand Nobody's Child. All registered participants will receive a DPP/greenwashing playbook co-authored by Future Fashion Assembly, Fabacus and Nobody's Child.

"Young Innovators": opening doors for the next generation of innovation

Munich Fabric Start is also expanding its network at the institutional level. As part of the "Young Innovators" funding programme of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), young innovative companies will for the first time get subsidised access to its international industry platform. German companies that are less than ten years old and meet the requirements can apply for financial support for their trade fair participation.

The federal government covers 60% of the eligible costs for stand rental and stand construction for the first two trade fair participations, and 50% from the third participation onward, up to €7,500 per exhibitor and fair. Munich Fabric Start thereby offers participants a platform to present their innovations to an international trade audience, build new business contacts and open up international markets.