Bangladesh's exports grew more than 13 percent in August, but the country has closed 402 garment factories in three years. Vietnam is aiming for 48 billion dollars in textile exports in 2026, while China is betting on domestic consumption.
Generative models shorten the road from idea to visualisation, but Chinese vocational instructors and industrial designers say the same thing: an image is not yet a product. The argument over who authored a design is moving out of the courts and into the studio.
China's fashion labour market is splitting in two. Retail chains want people who can work with image generators. Factories are paying large sums for garment pattern makers, who are hard to find.
New Balance has sued Decathlon, saying the Kiprun brand's reversed letter N infringes its trademark. Days earlier, another company pulled out of the market after a row over its packaging.
The ESPR regulation has applied directly across the European Union since 18 July 2024, and from 19 July 2026 large companies may not burn or shred unsold garments. Poland still has no law setting out penalties.
Directive (EU) 2024/1799 of 13 June 2024 requires manufacturers to repair goods even after the warranty has run out. Germany brought in its ecodesign reform in May 2026, giving volunteers the right to spare parts.
The European Commission wants every green claim backed by science and open to verification, and a 2024 directive bans blanket slogans. 85 percent of large brands still do not disclose how much they produce.
In the iF DESIGN AWARD, sustainability already accounts for 20 percent of the score in each of the 93 categories. Red Dot runs three separate competitions: product design, brands and communication design, and design concepts.
Zalando says around 98 percent of returned items go back on sale. Brandy Melville is closing its fitting rooms and no longer paying cash for returns, and the EU Digital Services Act is going after dark shopping patterns.
The European Union produces 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste a year, and only about 1 percent of used clothing becomes new garments. Clothes with built-in electronics are still nowhere near mass sales.
In January 2026, sales of textiles, clothing and footwear rose 17.6 percent, the strongest gain of any category. Over the same period, around 500 clothing companies vanished from the market. Exports are 48 times smaller than imports.
The DIAMINDX diamond price index fell in August 2026 to its lowest level on record, and De Beers cut average rough prices by nearly a third. At the same time, jewelry craftsmen work to a tolerance measured in hundredths of a millimeter.