Textile ETP delivers keynote at Istanbul Apparel Conference on the digital transformation of the textile and apparel industry
Textile ETP Secretary General Lutz Walter was invited to speak as a keynote speaker at the Istanbul Apparel Conference, organised by TGSD, the Turkish Apparel Manufacturers Association, held on 7 and 8 October 2025 in Türkiye. The event, whose theme was “compass for a new order“, reflected the need to find a new way forward through multiple disruptions such geopolitical crises, supply chain disruptions, digital and sustainable transformations and end market volatility, and brought together leading figures from across the global apparel and textile value chain.
In his keynote address, Lutz Walter explored how the digital transformation of the textile and apparel industry is accelerating innovation and competitiveness at every stage of the value chain. He highlighted how integrated digital workflows connecting design, manufacturing, and retail are enabling greater efficiency and responsiveness to market demands. He also discussed the growing importance of data-driven decision-making supported by the virtualisation of products, processes, factories, and supply chains, and how advanced digitised manufacturing technologies are paving the way for on-demand and localised production models. Lutz also further underlined the emerging role of agentic AI in transforming business operations, product development, and supply chain management, and addressed the critical role of digital supply chains in ensuring sustainability, transparency, and regulatory compliance, including through the deployment of digital product passports, a key tool for achieving circularity and traceability in the European textile sector and beyond.
Lutz connected these trends to the work of Textile ETP’s DigitX Innovation Hub, which serves as a platform to foster digital transformation across Europe’s textile ecosystem through knowledge sharing, collaboration, and innovation.
Textile ETP would like to thank Toygar Narbay, former Textile ETP board member, and his team at TGSD for the kind invitation and excellent organisation of this year’s conference, which continues to serve as an important international platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration across the global fashion and textile industry.
