“We had a very lively first day with an atmospheric get-together in the evening. We would have wished for a stronger second day. Regarding the timing, the alignment of the duration of Munich Fabric Start, The Source, Bluezone, and Keyhouse, and the reorganization of various tradeshow areas, we have been confirmed that we made the right strategic decision. Munich Fabric Start is appreciated, desired, and needed. That’s what matters,” summarizes Sebastian Klinder, Managing Director Munich Fabric Start.

One word was unavoidable in the lecture program with the around 40 talks and forecasts: Collaboration. The industry is focusing on cooperation to address current challenges such as recycling issues and related EU regulations – thus, a major emphasis is on new network structures, cooperation platforms, and holistic thinking. “We are in an exciting innovative phase. Different concepts can coexist in parallel as they address different niches,” says Drishti Masand, Circularity & Circular Economy Expert at Adidas. With the T-Rex project, Adidas supports an EU initiative developing industry-wide blueprints for a functioning circular economy.

Think Tanks such as Keyhouse play a central role as a link between designers, research, and industry stakeholders. A major attraction was the digital direct printing experience by Brother and Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. In a collaborative workspace, visitors had the opportunity to be creative and print their results live on-site. Simon Angel, curator of Sustainable Innovations, summarizes: “We are questioning the status quo – that’s why we are here. The industry needs inspiration, and we need partners from the sector to make a real impact.”

After five years, the globally significant trend researcher Li Edelkoort returned to Munich Fabric Start and inspired the audience live with her exclusive Private Lecture. Under the theme “Illustration”, she presented the trends for Autumn/Winter 2025/26 and provided exciting insights into future developments in fashion and textiles, as well as upcoming color trends. She relies not only on photographs butalso on paintings and posters to visualize her predictions. As the main trend for the next season, she identified Paris –as a city, as a feeling, and as effortless elegance. With all the unrest in the world, she calls for establishing a fashionable contrast: harmonious and orderly rather than chaotic and disordered.