From October 4 to 6, 2026, the AATCC International Summit 2026 was held at the Hotel Ballast Wilmington in Wilmington, North Carolina. Professionals from the textile industry gathered to exchange ideas on product innovation, performance testing, supply chain management, and industry development. Forrest Chiu, Chairman of ChiuVention, also attended the summit to discuss the future direction of textile technology and quality management with industry peers.
（ChiuVention’s Quality management instruments were shown on the AATCC International Summit）
Product Innovation Through the Lens of a Pair of Basketball Shorts
During the summit, Gary, founder of S Group, shared his practical experience in the sports apparel and functional textiles sectors. Using the example of a pair of basketball shorts, he illustrated the core of innovation: true innovation begins with an understanding of users’ genuine needs.
While collaborating with sports teams such as the Chicago Bulls, Gary’s team went deep into the players’ locker rooms to observe the athletes’ actual wearing experiences. He mentioned that Michael Jordan disliked the basketball shorts of the time, which were generally quite short, because that style made his legs appear too slender.
The longer basketball shorts that the design team came up with for Jordan’s needs and experiments did eventually become a very popular design for basketball apparel.
When looking at real usage scenarios, the designer may discover new wishes of the user that he has not even thought of before. So fabric R&D in the textile industry has to go beyond the initial specification and experience the fabric wear, washing, fit and fabric durability for improvement of the fabric and the corresponding end product.
Focus on Performance Testing and Supply Chain Management
Also at the summit, several presentations related to testing for textile comfort and for moisture management. Related research was presented on new testing systems for high-sweat tests to measure sweat accumulation, sweat evaporation and sweat dripping on fabrics. The performance of fabrics for moisture management can be tested in more realistic test scenarios.
Additionally, focus points were defined for the optimization of current test methods as well as for traceability in apparel supply chains and for compliance management. The participants noted that traceability in the supply chain not only includes the QR code on the product but also the development of products and all information about the materials used, production batches, etc., of the finished articles.
Textile industry discussions centered around reliability of test data, product performance and supply chain transparency.
ChiuVention Continues to Advance Smart Textile Testing
This summit provided industry professionals with an opportunity to exchange technical expertise and gain insights into industry trends. As a manufacturer of smart textile testing instruments, ChiuVention continues to develop equipment for performance testing—including shrinkage, abrasion and pilling, breathability, and hydrostatic pressure—and helps laboratories improve testing efficiency and data management capabilities through intelligent features and data connectivity.
In the future, ChiuVention will continue to focus on the practical needs of the global textile industry, maintain communication with industry partners, and contribute to the ongoing development of textile testing and quality management practices.
For more information on textile testing methods, standards, and textile testing machines, contact us:
- WhatsApp: +86 180 2511 4082
- Tel: +86 769 2329 4842
- Fax: +86 769 2329 4860
- Email: [email protected]
- LinkedIn: ChiuVention
