Textile design and recycle: Heimtextil Trends 2025/2026

Textiles speak, and they tell our story. They document social changes and reflect eras. This premise, and the study of textile tradition unravel the research conducted by Alcova. Milan’s design exhibition platform explores trends in the textile industry, textile design, and textile recycle, to be seen at Heimtextil 2025. Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima, the founders of Alcova, developed a pathway, Future Continuous, exploring the evolution of textiles through the ages, and identifying today’s trends.

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Left to right: Olaf Schmidt, Shirley Tale, Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima (photo courtesy Messe Frankfurt/Pietro Sutera)

As a first step, Alcova analyzed our relationship with textiles, which emerges clearly in the everyday language. We weave plots, we interweave relationships, we knot the threads of discourse, we pull the strings. The first protagonist of the textiles analysis journey, Janis Jefferies, a pioneer in textiles research, clearly explains that spinning and weaving fibers was the first human technology. Therefore, it is the basis of architecture and mathematics. Today textiles are at the center of a new sustainable way of thinking: from pure “textile recycle, reduce and reuse” to regenerative agriculture and a vocabulary that speaks of “restore, renew and replenish.”

Natural fibers and traditional craftsmanship

Interior designer Ilse Crawford explains that natural fibers such as hemp, jute, linen, and nettle are making a remarkable comeback. Christine Ladstätter, Innovation Manager at Salewa, points out that even in sports and technical mountain clothing, natural fibers such as hemp are experiencing a new popularity. And along with the fibers, local agriculture and traditional crafts are being rediscovered.

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Cathay Pacific first lounge, interior design by StudioIlse, Hong Kong, 2015 (photo courtesy Heimtextil)

Italian designer and lecturer Eugenia Morpurgo believes there’s a need for a fundamental rethinking of agricultural practices in textile production and a move away from petroleum-derived materials. Her “Syntropic Materials” project studies regenerative agriculture as a sustainable solution for textile and food products. The goal is to improve soil health and biodiversity. Morpurgo stresses that it’s necessary taking into account real costs, from resource consumption to long-term soil fertility, when assessing sustainability.

DON’T RUN – BETA, project with Juan Montero Valdez, 2013. Materials before being cut into shoes (Eugenia Morpurgo, courtesy Heimtextil)

Textiles: circularity and transparency as a basis for the future

Alcova’s founders delved into the state of the art in the textile industry about sustainability and circularity. Dirk Vantyghem, Director General of Euratex, points out that the need for durable, functional and sustainable products is growing in a time of global uncertainty. The European Parliament is campaigning for more traceability in the supply chain, thus combating greenwashing and enabling consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions. Simone van der Burg and Lucas Evers, the WAAG Future Lab group leaders, stress the importance of open and co-creative production. The goal is to combat the culture of disposability and fast and compulsive consumption.

Fabric waste sorting (photo Frankie Le Nguyen, courtesy Heimtextil)

Colors that tell stories

From Naturally Uneven Green to End of Petrol and Imperfect Pink, Heimtextil Trends 25/26 presents a palette of colors that Alcova has interpreted both visually and linguistically. Inspired by interviews with the six experts, the colors weave together the ideas and concepts that emerged in the discussions. Natural, unbleached tones meet dynamic, vibrant colors and reflect the tension between tradition and innovation.

The Trend Book is available at the following link: https://heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/en/programme-events/trends.html

Design hotspot Patricia Urquiola

Also featured at Heimtextil 2025 is the installation ‘among-us,’ by Patricia Urquiola, which combines interior design and hospitality. ‘Among-us’ fits into the Bed, Bath & Living presentations in Hall 12.0. Here and in Hall 12.1, well-known brands and private-label suppliers present exclusive bedding and bath textiles, decorative pillows, bedspreads, and home accessories. With its wide selection of exhibitors, Hall 12 is the hotspot for top international buyers and textile design.