NEW YORK – The organisers of Functional Fabric Fair, created by Performance Days have opened registration for the Summer 2026 edition, which will take place from 7–9 July at the Javits Center in New York City.
Positioned as the East Coast stop in the fair’s North American calendar, the New York event is aimed at brands, product developers and sourcing teams working in performance, outdoor and functional fashion categories, including swimwear, lingerie, activewear and performance-led lifestyle apparel.
The show will begin with a dedicated Day 0 Sustainability Workshop on 7 July, followed by two days of exhibit hall sourcing and an Expert Talks programme on 8 and 9 July, framed around material needs for the summer 2027/2028 seasons.
Organisers say the 2026 edition will again focus on functional fabrics, finishes, trims and accessories, with more than 140 suppliers holding recognised sustainability certifications expected to exhibit from Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and North America.
For knitters and hosiery manufacturers, the exhibitor mix typically includes circular and warp knitted performance fabrics, elastic materials for intimate apparel, compression and support structures, moisture management technologies and laminated or coated textiles for weather protection.
“New York City is the ideal home for the Summer edition of Functional Fabric Fair,” commented Steve McCullough, event vice president, noting the high concentration of performance and functional fashion brands and designers along the US East Coast.
McCullough added that a change of dates for 2026, driven by venue availability at the Javits Center and increased hotel demand around the FIFA World Cup, was chosen in order to maintain the fair’s New York location rather than move or cancel the event, with a return to the usual schedule planned for 2027.
The Day 0 Sustainability Workshop, led by Todd Copeland of Copeland Consultancy, Eric Brody of Soft Advantage and Kevin Myette of bluesign technologies, will address practical approaches to core sustainability topics, regulatory developments, case studies and roundtable discussions aimed at supporting supply chain decision-making; separate paid registration is required and places are limited.
Within the main show, visitors will have access to daily Expert Talks sessions, live demonstrations and curated areas including the Trend Forum and the Future Fabrics Expo Innovation Hub, alongside informal networking opportunities such as happy hours and social events.
A key focus topic for the 2026 summer edition will be textile-to-textile recycling, with content examining the role of collectors and sorters as gatekeepers between post-consumer textiles and new fibre streams, and highlighting systems, technologies and cross-sector collaboration needed to scale circular models.
Functional Fabric Fair runs four seasonal North American editions in 2026 – Winter in Orlando, Spring and Fall in Portland, and Summer in New York – with a stated emphasis on responsible sourcing, education and vetted supplier access for performance and lifestyle apparel markets.
Registration for the New York fair is free for verified designers, product developers, purchasing agents, material managers and students in relevant sectors, while the sustainability workshop carries an additional fee; organisers position the 2026 event as an opportunity for mills, machinery builders and brands to benchmark materials and sustainability approaches ahead of the next buying cycle.
