In this special podcast series, we speak to the winners of the WTiN Innovate Textile Awards 2025.

World Textile Information Network (WTiN) is thrilled to announce the winners of the Innovate Textile Awards 2025. In this special podcast series we speak with the winners of the awards about the challenges, possibilities and successes of innovation within the textile industry.

In this final episode of the series we are joined by our Innovation of the Year winner – Yulex. The WTiN Innovation of the Year Award honours the industry's most groundbreaking developments. It recognises advancements that push boundaries and set new standards.

In this episode Yulex’s CEO Liz Bui speaks to us about the company’s award-winning innovation Yulastic - a biobased elastic to replace spandex. Launched in 2025, Yulastic is a fine, natural rubber filament harvested from the Hevea brasiliensis tree. It is fully renewable, responsibly sourced and as Bui explains hopes to become the ‘go-to stretch fibre for brands looking to reduce their reliance on synthetic materials. 

Bui speaks about the advancement of Yulastic and how Yulex has grown its product offering in recent years. She speaks about the need for the textile industry to look towards biobased alternatives to synthetic fibres and how innovators can help brands and manufacturers adopt these alternatives.

She also touches upon adoption throughout the supply chain and how Yulex designs products with existing production machinery in mind.

You can learn more about Yulex at  yulex.com.

WTiN announced the winners in a virtual ceremony on 5 December 2025, which you can now watch on demand atWTiN.com.