All articles by Charles Ross
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OpinionISPO 2025: How to go out with a Bang!
At ISPO 2025, Charles Ross saw how a packed sustainability stage and lively debates proved that the industry still needs to meet in person.
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OpinionShows: Great for getting everyone together, right?
At a time when, after years of debate and criticism, trade shows and industry events are experiencing massive changes, our columnist Charles Ross reflects once again on their merits and drawbacks, particularly following his most recent visits to the Blue Earth Summit, Performance Days and Outdoor Connections at the Kendal Mountain Festival.
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OpinionBetween performance and progress
A fitness trend like Hyrox shows what users want — but are material innovations keeping up, or are we stuck in safe cycles of pseudo-progress?
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OpinionThe king is dead. Long live the king.
As large trade shows are changing and restructuring, Functional Fabric Fair in Portland is quietly becoming one of the most influential hubs in the industry, reports columnist Charles Ross.
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OpinionPerformance Days: Momentum keeps building in Munich
In his latest column, textiles expert Charles Ross reflects on Performance Days in Munich and the shifting trade show landscape across Europe.
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OpinionDay 0: Hyosung’s Simon Whitmarsh-Knight on elastane’s next chapter
Charles Ross explores how Hyosung TNC’s global marketing and sustainability lead is driving collaboration and innovation ahead of Performance Days’ Day 0.
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OpinionT2T recycling in focus at Performance Days this October
Europe’s leading sourcing show explores the future of circularity with a new spotlight on textile-to-textile recycling and its industry implications.
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OpinionNatural Fibres Connect: A new thinking towards calculating the carbon impact of fibres
Leaders in natural fiber production gathered in Edinburgh to explore EU policy, rangeland stewardship and biogenic carbon, shaping the future of sustainable textiles.
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OpinionConsumer events: How important are they for the B2B business?
Charles Ross discusses the role consumer-facing events play in supporting B2B sales, and whether they can help independent retailers thrive in a shifting retail landscape.
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OpinionFunctional Textiles Shanghai: August is not necessarily a holiday month
Asia’s largest ingredient sourcing show draws over 8,100 visitors, outpacing recent US and European editions in scale and industry engagement. Charles Ross reports.
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OpinionFFF for fashionistas: Stretching beyond sports & outdoor
Expert contributor Charles Ross reports from New York’s Functional Fabric Fair, where recycling, certifications and Day 0 talks bridged outdoor and fashion.
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OpinionBio-based and biodegradable ingredients: Something to pay attention to
Textile expert Charles Ross explores why bio-based and biodegradable ingredients are fast becoming critical to outdoor product sourcing, pricing and recycling.
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OpinionFuture Fabric Expo: Fashion’s version of the Performance Days
From regenerative cotton to funding masterclasses, London’s Future Fabric Expo and Climate Action Week brought together fashion’s most forward thinkers. Our columnist Charles Ross was there.
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OpinionAre we overdesigning our products? Does this miss the bigger audience?
A walk with the 3 Dads raising awareness about suicide prevention gets columnist Charles Ross thinking about who today’s outdoor consumers really are – and what gear they actually need.
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ArticleOTS 2025: The bringing together of the British Outdoor industry
Outdoor Trade Show 2025 in Liverpool brought the UK outdoor trade together in record numbers — our columnist Charles Ross reports on key launches, retail insights and rising trends.
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OpinionOutdoor Impact Summit: The EOG’s gathering at Messe Munich this summer
A new EOG event in Munich brought industry leaders together to rethink sustainability, circular economy and collaboration in the outdoor industry. Charles Ross is the first to report here on The OIC about his impressions and takeaways.
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OpinionThose goodwill projects: Vanity, patronage, business investment or common sense?
How are outdoor brands navigating goodwill, climate advocacy and circularity? Charles Ross looks at three leading initiatives reshaping impact in the outdoor space.
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OpinionOutdoor Impact Summit: Are you confident enough to not need to attend?
What happens when the outdoor industry’s top minds gather to tackle climate, circularity and regulation? Charles Ross is sure that very important matters will be discussed at the OIS. And best of all: You can meet him there.
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OpinionThe days of abundant rPET feedstock are over: What is the alternative?
OIC columnist Charles Ross explains why outdoor brands must rethink material sourcing now, as the era of easy rPET feedstock rapidly ends.
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OpinionFunctional Fabric Fair, Portland: Does anybody understand tariffs over here…?
Caught between chaotic tariff policies and climate urgency, Charles Ross finds the US outdoor industry bracing for impact – and leaning into collaboration.
