WTiN Textile Innovation Podcast speaks to Paul Alger MBE, director of international affairs at UKFT, in a two-part special.

Welcome back to the second part of our two part special podcast series with the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT). We are speaking with Paul Alger, director of international affairs at UKFT.

In the first episode, Alger spoke about the work of the UKFT and the importance of global trade shows. In this second episode, he explores international trade and the business of textile exports. 

Alger delves into how Brexit specifically has changed how the UK has changed the way it does business internationally. He talks about the impact of governments and how regulations and guidelines such as digital product passports (DPPs) are changing the way textile businesses trade. 

Additionally, Alger touches upon global markets and the ongoing impacts of recent geopolitical happenings.

For more information, please visit ukft.org. 

You can listen to the episode above, or via Spotify and Apple Podcasts. To discuss any of our topics, get in touch by following and connecting with WTiN in LinkedIn, or email [email protected] directly. To explore sponsorship opportunities, please email [email protected].

WTiN Textile Innovation Podcast speaks to Paul Alger MBE, director of international affairs at UKFT, in a two part special. 

This is the first part of a two part special podcast series with the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT). We speak with Paul Alger MBE, director of international affairs at UKFT in both episodes. 

In this first episode Alger delves into the work of UKFT and his position in international trade for the organisation. He speaks about the importance of global trade shows and which global markets the textile and fashion industry should be keeping an eye on. 

During the episode, Alger also touches upon the India x UK trade agreement and the impact that governments can have on global trade and trends moving forward. He looks at the this through UK-centric lenses to unpack what this means for the country and the European Union moving forward. In the second episode, which will be released in two weeks, Alger will speak about exports and international trade.

For more information, please visit ukft.org.

You can listen to the episode above, or via Spotify and Apple Podcasts. To discuss any of our topics, get in touch by following and connecting with WTiN in LinkedIn, or email [email protected] directly. To explore sponsorship opportunities, please email [email protected].

The Textile Innovation Podcast speaks with MeiLin Wan, founder and CEO of GenuTrace.

The US-based consulting business provides advisory services in supply chain traceability, brand protection and product authentication. Using multi-proof point technology, from forensic testing to digital tools, companies can back up sustainability claims with science-based evidence. 

Wan explains how GenuTrace partners with brands, producers, suppliers, and industry stakeholders to build supply chain integrity through collaboration, scientific verification, and strategic traceability. She also delves into what traceability means and how it differs to transparency. 

During the episode Wan unpacks GenuTrace’s key question: If you claim it, can you prove it? She details some of the tests that the consultancy undertakes, such as stable isotope methodology to prove origin claims, for example that cotton is from Pakistan. She also touches upon the power of digital tools including blockchain, QR codes, product passports to help collect and share supply chain data in real time.

For more information, please visit genutrace.com. 

You can listen to the episode above, or via Spotify and Apple Podcasts. To discuss any of our topics, get in touch by following and connecting with WTiN in LinkedIn, or email [email protected] directly. To explore sponsorship opportunities, please email [email protected].

The Textile Innovation podcast speaks with Fahid Hussain Kahlon, vice president sales and marketing of Interloop Limited. 

Interloop is a vertically integrated supplier of hosiery, denim, knitted apparel, and seamless activewear for leading global brands. The Pakistani textile manufacturer is based in Faisalabad and is known for its commitment to environmental and social impact. 

In this episode Kahlon speaks about how Interloop uses data-led transparency, automated operations, and full supply chain traceability, to set the benchmark in responsible, high-performance manufacturing, meeting top global standards across the industry.

Kahlon has over 20 years of expertise in fashion garments, brand management, and product develop. With a degree in textile engineering and a postgraduate degree in management sciences from the UK, he is leader in the textile industry, driving innovation and excellence on the global stage. 

Within the episode, Kahlon dives into Interloop’s growth globally. He also speaks about the company’s Loop Trace technology and how it is using data and digital solutions to operate efficiently and effectively. To learn more please visit interloop-pk.com.

Interloop is also the sponsor for WTiN’s Textile & Apparel Circularity Week, taking place 17-21 November 2025. This focused week is dedicated to actionable insights and tangible progress in circular textile production, materials and business models. It offers a comprehensive programme designed to equip you with the knowledge and connections needed to thrive in this evolving landscape.  To learn more please visit circularityweek.wtin.com.

You can listen to the episode above, or via Spotify and Apple Podcasts. To discuss any of our topics, get in touch by following and connecting with WTiN in LinkedIn, or email [email protected] directly. To explore sponsorship opportunities, please email [email protected].

The Textile Innovation Podcast speaks with Sadavarte Samit, director of business development (new markets) at The Haartz Corporation.

The Haartz Corporation is leader in highly engineered and uniquely designed convertible toppings and interior surface materials. Headquartered in North America, with additional manufacturing in Germany and India, Haartz is working towards eliminating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from fabrics and finishes. 

Haartz is the exclusive North American licensee of the Green Theme Technologies EMPEL™ process—a PFAS-free textile treatment. In this episode Sadavarte explains how PFAS-free alternatives like C0 chemistry have gained traction but can fall short when it comes to water repellency and durability, for example.

We discuss how Empel delivers water repellency, breathability, durability, and soft hand feel without introducing toxic chemicals into the supply chain. Sadavarte also touches upon advancing PFAS-free solutions into the textile supply chain. 

He also speaks about challenges and opportunities sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives to PFAS brings to the textile industry. To learn more please visit haartz.com.

You can listen to the episode above, or via Spotify and Apple Podcasts. To discuss any of our topics, get in touch by following and connecting with WTiN in LinkedIn, or email [email protected] directly. To explore sponsorship opportunities, please email [email protected].

The Textile Innovation Podcast speaks with Simon Kew, COO of Sparxell.

Sparxell develops next-generation colours and effects by providing 100% plant-based performance colourants. Spinning out from the University of Cambridge after years of research on biomimetic photonics and structural colours, Sparxell aims to eliminate toxic chemicals from colouration.

With GHG emissions currently predicted to triple by the middle of the century, the fashion industry is far off course to reach Net Zero, as set out in the Paris Agreement. In this episode, Simon Kew, COO at Sparxell, and Canopy member, speaks to WTiN about decarbonising and detoxifying manufacturing in the textile industry and what this means for the whole value chain. 

Additionally, Kew has recently launched a book ‘The Path to Net Zero for the Fashion Industry’. He explains how the book presents quantitative science-based evidence to understand where greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions emitted by the fashion industry are generated. He also speaks about the strategies needed to achieve decarbonisation, which he sets out in the book.

For more information, please visit sparxell.com. To find out more about Kew’s book please visit, routledge.com. 

You can listen to the episode above, or via Spotify and Apple Podcasts. To discuss any of our topics, get in touch by following and connecting with WTiN in LinkedIn, or email [email protected] directly. To explore sponsorship opportunities, please email [email protected].

The Textile Innovation Podcast speaks with Dan English, CEO at sporting goods manufacturer VOORMI.

Voormi is merging advanced textile innovation with new technology to create sustainable, high-performance apparel. In this episode English delves into the company’s Mij™ innovation, a wearable technology that tracks thermal stress in real-time. 

Mij has been designed to help individuals better manage their body temperature for optimised health. Using advanced senor-based textile technology Mij is integrated into everyday garments to monitor body temperature and humidity continuously, giving users real-time insights into their personal ‘thermal performance’. 

English explains how Voormi is committed to solving problems, pushing boundaries, and empowering its customers with apparel that can adapt to the world and environment. 

Delving performance and sustainability, he also touches upon smart textiles and the challenges and opportunities when it comes to developing and implementing sustainable technologies. To learn more please visit voormi.com. 

You can listen to the episode above, or via Spotify and Apple Podcasts. To discuss any of our topics, get in touch by following and connecting with WTiN in LinkedIn, or email [email protected] directly. To explore sponsorship opportunities, please email [email protected].

The Textile Innovation Podcast speaks with Chelsea Franklin, head of advanced concepts at PANGAIA.

PANGAIA is a lifestyle brand bringing scientific material innovations to the market. Using nature as inspiration the UK-based brand creates bio-engineered materials. 

In this episode, head of advanced concepts Chelsea Franklin speaks to me about the brand’s use of Fulgar’s EVO 100% bio-based fabric, which is obtained from castor oil. Franklin touches upon how it contributes toward Pangaia’s sustainability initiatives. 

Suitable for textile applications, EVO by Fulgar is also ultra-light, super stretch and extremely breathable, dries quickly and does not require ironing; it also has thermal properties and natural odour control characteristics. Franklin explains why this is ideal for Pangaia and how it can be scaled up. 

She also touches upon Pangaia’s near shoring efforts and traceable supply chains. To learn more please visit pangaia.com.

You can listen to the episode above, or via Spotify and Apple Podcasts. To discuss any of our topics, get in touch by following and connecting with WTiN in LinkedIn, or email [email protected] directly. To explore sponsorship opportunities, please email [email protected].

The Textile Innovation Podcast speaks with Stephen Bates, CEO of Rheon Labs. 

RHEON is a dynamic material that is naturally soft and flexible - it absorbs ultra-high levels of energy by stiffening when subject to force. UK-based company Rheon Labs creates the material, which was born out of NASA and developed at Imperial College in London. 

In this episode CEO Stephen Bates explains how the material has been developed, its impact and how it has been integrated in the textile and apparel industry. Bates describes how the material has been used in the sportswear sector, for example in sports bras. 

Rheon also worked on Adidas’s sports kits for team GB, France and Ethiopia for the Paris 2024 Olympics - it featured on the legs, backs and busts. Within this episode, Bates further delves into the material’s potential in the sportswear category.

He also touches upon cross sector collaboration and the other sectors where we could see the material feature. To learn more please visit rheonlabs.com.

You can listen to the episode above, or via Spotify and Apple Podcasts. To discuss any of our topics, get in touch by following and connecting with WTiN in LinkedIn, or email [email protected] directly. To explore sponsorship opportunities, please email [email protected].

The Textile Innovation Podcast speaks with Pasindu Lugoda, senior lecturer in medical device design at Nottingham Trent University. 

A research team from Nottingham Trent University, in collaboration with Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, have developed washable and durable magnetic field sensing electronic textiles, paving the way for touchless interaction through clothing. 

In this episode we speak with lead researcher Pasindu Lugoda about the advancements in the field of Smart Textiles. Lugoda delves into how tiny flexible and highly responsive ‘magneoresistive’ sensors can be placed within braided textile yarns compatible with conventional textile manufacturing. 

Nottingham Trent University’s department of engineering has a smart wearable research group, which looks into novel wearable materials and systems for sensors, actuators, displays and communications in medical, sport, creative and personal protective equipment sectors.

Lugoda explains how smart textiles have progressed and evolved over time. He touches upon how the sector can advance and the challenges it currently faces. To learn more please visit ntu.ac.uk.

You can listen to the episode above, or via Spotify and Apple Podcasts. To discuss any of our topics, get in touch by following and connecting with WTiN in LinkedIn, or email [email protected] directly. To explore sponsorship opportunities, please email [email protected].