Companies including FK Group Spa, Perma Press AB, Tajima DST, Gemini CADand Caron Technology have chosen Sportswear Pro 2020 to showcase their latest innovations in manufacturing technologies for sports and athleisure garments, such as heat transfer systems, fabric cutting equipment and automatic spreaders and loading systems.

Sergio Angulo Rodríguez, sales manager, Tajima DST, said, “Sportswear Pro is a great opportunity for Tajima to strengthen our brand and connect with industry professionals. Customisation is a key focus and we are looking forward to showing visitors how they can easily personalise products with our embroidery technology.”

Traian Pindaru, senior product specialist at Gemini CAD, added, “With our strong focus on the sportswear sector, it is important for us to reach the right audiences. Exhibiting at Sportswear Pro will enable us to share our latest products with new and existing customers and sportswear producers, share ideas and connect with other industry specialists.”

Sportswear Pro 2020 exhibition manager Michael Ryan said, “The ‘pro’ in Sportswear Pro stands for ‘production’. Our mission is to help sportswear manufacturers and apparel brands respond to the fastest moving trends in the market by giving them actionable insights into the technical innovations that are re-shaping every stage in the manufacturing process.”

“Our exhibitors will be showing some inspiring examples of technologies that can enable lean, just-in-time production and personalisation, with an emphasis on reducing time to market, minimising waste and creating stand-out sports and athleisure garments that consumers can’t wait to buy.”

Sportswear Pro 2020 will include a dedicated theatre area with a ‘Triathcon’ programme featuring streams of content specifically developed to address the key trends shaping the sportswear and athleisure sectors, including customisation, on-demand production, sustainability and smart wearables. The full programme will be published in early 2020 and all sessions will be free to attend.

Visitors to Sportswear Pro 2020 will also have the chance to experience a live sportswear manufacturing showcase in Print Make Wear, a micro factory feature which will connect Sportswear Pro and the Fespa Global Print Expo.

Print Make Wear will represent the full production process for sports and athleisure garments, featuring two distinct workflows. The first reflects a customised garment ordering scenario, enabling visitors to order sportswear items from an on-site kiosk. The second workflow begins with design software, progressing to nesting and production layout. Polyester garments will subsequently be printed using a roll-fed dye sublimation process before calendaring, laser cutting and sewing. Samples produced here will be displayed and modelled on the Print Make Wear catwalk. Guided tours of both workflows will be available to pre-book online.