Inside the Functional Fabric Fair: Sourcing the Future of Sustainable Activewear

The first warning I had that my time at the Functional Fabric Fair would be mayhem was a big flashing red sign that said "West Lot Full: Event Parking at North and South Lots." So I drove... and drove... and drove. It turns out that the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando is bigger than a small town, and by the time I walked to registration I was glad I chose comfortable shoes – it was at least a mile; the convention center is huge. I guess everything is bigger in Florida.

This year, the FFF is being held jointly with the PGA Show 2026. I've never seen so many golf shirts in my life, but the passion the attendees have for their sport (and their sportswear) is infectious. Don't be surprised if you start seeing merino wool pop up on the greens at country clubs.

Live shot from the frontlines of the FFF

What is the Functional Fabric Fair?

For the uninitiated (such as myself from three months ago), the Functional Fabric Fair is a trade show where fabric mills, manufacturers, brands, and innovators from around the world gather. Vendors display their fabrics and innovations, experts discuss the latest developments and science around textiles, and startup founders like myself source fabrics and schmooze. It's chock full of technical designers, sourcing managers, other founders, and industry veterans, providing a wealth of knowledge I as a newcomer was eager to soak up.

I came with a threefold intent: 1) Source the best 100% merino wool and other natural fabrics for our current and future designs. Top of mind for me is finding the next generation of performance fabrics that don't rely on plastic. 2) Learn about advances in technology that would make processing merino wool safer and more environmentally friendly than it already is. And 3) Meet others who share my goals of moving the activewear industry away from synthetic fabric and back toward natural textiles.

The hall is filled with over 100 booths, staffed by people representing factories, design shops, accessories, and yarn providers, displaying everything from raw fibers to finished performance fabrics. I spoke to people from China, Japan, Peru, Colombia, Taiwan, and South Korea, all passionate about their products, including advanced jacket insulation, new developments in water-repellent outerwear, and even a fabric made from cacao husks.

Given the focus on functionality, many of the vendors and suppliers work exclusively with synthetics. Among the 20% of providers who work with natural fabrics, blends were center stage. Only a handful of merchants I spoke with had any experience with 100% merino wool or natural fabrics (alpaca wool made a big splash!). This is reflective of where the industry's mentality is currently; unfortunately, the thought of using 100% merino wool for activewear has not penetrated the zeitgeist.

But that doesn't stop us; in fact, it inspires us. We see ourselves as pioneers of a new way of doing business – one that provides material benefits to the wearer while minimizing harms to the Earth and to our health. As we like to say around here, we should be able to have safe and environmentally-friendly clothes without compromising on quality or performance.

The Dominant Narrative: Synthetic Innovation

Walking the floor, the majority of booths are showcasing synthetic innovations with impressive-sounding sci-fi names, promising advanced moisture wicking, quick drying technology, and a host of other features. Blends dominated the floor, as the technology has advanced rapidly and brands seek out lighter weight and better durability.

This is all great, and there are truly exciting innovations happening with synthetics that make them appealing, as long as you ignore one (literally) small problem: microplastics. The companies that provide these fabrics understandably did not want to discuss the long-lasting and intractable issues that synthetics can introduce to our health and the environment. It became clear to me that unless a revolution in how we think about textiles happens quickly, the industry will just continue to iteratively improve upon plastic.

The Natural Fiber Revival: What's Actually Happening

Luckily, the revolution (or, ahem, rewoolution) has already begun. As I mentioned, there were a few booths dedicated to 100% natural fabrics, which is something industry veterans told me would've been unthinkable just a few years ago. Discussions around sustainability were everywhere, even as it was acknowledged that there is sustainability fatigue among consumers and buyers who've heard too many empty promises.

It's undeniable that natural fabrics are on the rise. The session on performance with natural fabrics was the most well-attended talk I observed, with standing room only and animated discussion afterward. Manufacturers, innovators, and brands are all reporting higher demand for natural fabrics from their customers.

Cotton in particular is experiencing a resurgence – one panelist predicted it would capture 25% of the activewear market soon, up from around 19% currently. But the real excitement, at least for me, was around innovative natural fibers beyond the usual suspects. I saw booths featuring alpaca wool (incredibly soft and warm), hemp blends (durable and sustainable), and even that cacao husk fabric I mentioned earlier. One company is pioneering innovative ways of spinning and weaving cotton to give it properties similar to merino wool – thermoregulating and breathable – at a lower price pont.

The conversation is shifting from "natural" vs “performance” to "natural performance" proving that plant and animal fibers can compete with synthetics on technical merit, not just environmental credentials. This is the narrative shift the industry needs.

The most popular mascot at the fair.

Key Discovery #1: Alternatives to Superwash Are Here, But Present Challenges

The much-maligned Superwash treatment for merino wool is commonly used during yarn processing. Also known more generically as the chlorine-Hercosett wash, it cleans the fibers and provides protection from shrinking, allowing merino to be machine-washable without felting. The problem is that this can remove some of the natural benefits merino wool purists look for.

In talking with representatives of a global wool yarn producer, I learned about new plasma-based techniques for processing wool that could replace the traditional Superwash process. Plasma treatment uses electricity and air to modify the wool's surface at a microscopic level, making it machine-washable without the chlorine pollution or plastic coating.

This sounds perfect, right? Well, mostly. The challenges are real: plasma treatment is expensive, not widely available yet, not quite as effective as Superwash at preventing shrinkage, and depending on the specific process, may still involve coating the fabric in a different type of polymer. Some plasma treatments are genuinely plastic-free, while others just swap one coating for another.

The supplier I spoke with was honest about these limitations. They're working to scale up production and reduce costs, but right now plasma-treated merino commands a significant premium over Superwash. For a small brand like ours, that cost difference matters. For the industry as a whole, it's a barrier to widespread adoption.

Still, I'm encouraged. The fact that alternatives exist (and that suppliers are actively working to improve them) means we're not stuck with the chlorine-Hercosett method forever. As demand grows and technology improves, plasma treatment could become the new standard. We're seriously evaluating it for future collections.

Key Discovery #2: The Regulatory Environment Is Moving Quickly in Favor of Naturals

One of the most surprising revelations came during a panel on regulatory changes affecting the textile industry. I knew vaguely that environmental regulations were tightening, but I didn't realize how fast things are moving, or how much this favors natural fibers.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also called "forever chemicals") are commonly used in performance fabrics for water resistance and stain protection. They're also toxic, persistent in the environment, and bioaccumulative. Many U.S. states and the European Union have already banned or are planning to ban apparel that intentionally uses PFAS. This affects a huge chunk of synthetic performance wear, especially outerwear and water-resistant pieces.

Even more interesting: I learned that the EU is working with industry to redesign their tax system for textiles. The proposed framework would tax virgin petroleum-based fabrics highest, recycled synthetics moderately, and natural fibers hardly at all. This would fundamentally change the economics of fabric sourcing in Europe and likely influence other markets.

What does this mean practically? Synthetic fabrics are about to get more expensive and more regulated, while natural alternatives become comparatively more attractive. The playing field is tilting slowly, but noticeably, in favor of materials like merino wool, organic cotton, and other natural fibers.

For brands built around natural fabrics, this is obviously good news. But it also means we need to be ready for increased demand and potential supply constraints as more companies pivot toward naturals to comply with regulations or avoid taxes.

I now know more I ever thought I'd know about PFAS.

Key Discovery #3: There Will Likely Always Be a Place for Synthetic Fabrics

I know, I know, gasp! But hear me out – of the most valuable conversations I had was with a panelist who made a compelling case that we can't eliminate synthetics entirely, at least not with current technology and land use.

His argument: even if we wanted to replace all synthetic activewear with natural alternatives tomorrow, we physically couldn't. The amount of water it would take to grow enough cotton to replace synthetics would be untenable. When you factor in competing uses for agricultural land (food production, housing, conservation), there simply isn't enough arable land to sustainably produce plant fibers at the scale we'd need.

This was a sobering reality check. I came to the fair hoping to find evidence that natural fibers could completely replace synthetics. Instead, I left understanding that the answer is more nuanced.

Synthetics will likely always have a role, especially in high-intensity situations requiring extreme durability, specific performance characteristics, or applications where natural fibers genuinely don't work as well. The goal shouldn't be eliminating synthetics entirely, it should be using them only where they're truly necessary and defaulting to natural alternatives everywhere else.

Right now, the industry has it backwards. Synthetics are the default, and natural fibers are the niche alternative. We need to flip that. Natural fibers should be the first choice, with synthetics reserved for specific applications where they're actually superior.

This reframing helped me think differently about our brand strategy. We're not trying to convince everyone that synthetics are evil and should never be used. We're making the case that for most activewear applications, such as t-shirts, base layers, everyday workout clothes, natural fibers like merino wool perform just as well or better, without the environmental and health costs of plastic-based fabrics.

Beyond Merino: Other Natural Fibers Making Waves

While merino wool is our focus, I was excited to see innovation happening across the natural fiber spectrum. Alpaca wool was everywhere. It's softer than merino, hypoallergenic, and incredibly warm. Several suppliers from Peru were showcasing alpaca performance fabrics for base layers and insulation, though often blended with synthetics.

Hemp is making a comeback too. Modern processing techniques have made hemp fabric much softer than the scratchy burlap-like material of the past. It's incredibly durable, grows with minimal water and no pesticides, and can be blended with other natural fibers for different properties. I saw hemp-cotton blends that felt surprisingly soft and technical.

Tencel and other wood-based cellulose fibers were also prominent. These semi-synthetic fibers are made from sustainably harvested wood pulp through a closed-loop process that recycles almost all the solvents. They're biodegradable and have excellent moisture management properties. While not quite "natural" in the same way as wool or cotton, they're far better environmentally than petroleum-based synthetics.

Even more experimental fibers showed up. I heard talk of fibers made from avocados and bananas – what a world! But my favorite was a cacao-based fiber made from the husks of used cacao pods, which are usually discarded after processing for chocolate. Unfortunately it’s not as tasty as you might think – don’t ask me how I know.

The husk from which cacao fiber is made. Do not try at home....

The Challenges: Why Natural Performance Fabrics Are Still Niche

Still, there are real barriers to more widespread adoption of natural fabrics, namely: cost, longevity concerns, and consumer education.

Unfortunately, the cost structure of our current system incentivizes synthetics over natural fabrics. Polyester is cheap to produce at scale because the entire manufacturing infrastructure is built around it. Natural fiber supply chains are smaller, more fragmented, and often more expensive to source and process. This creates a significant price gap that makes it hard for natural fiber products to compete on cost alone.

Compounding this problem: it's often cheaper for brands to produce and sell a new synthetic garment than it is to process a return or warranty claim. This creates perverse incentives toward disposable, low-quality clothing rather than durable, repairable natural fiber garments. The economics only make sense if you ignore the environmental externalities which, unfortunately, most brands do.

Another major obstacle is the lack of education around the benefits of natural fabrics, particularly merino wool. When you think "wool," you most likely think of thick, scratchy sweaters best for the dead of winter. Shifting consumer perceptions of wool away from "thick and scratchy" and toward "natural performance fiber" takes sustained effort that many brands aren't willing to invest in.

Similarly, the consumer mindset tends to be locked into the belief that "technical" equals "synthetic." Athletic fabrics are "supposed" to be polyester or nylon, the thinking goes, because that's what performance wear has always been made from. Educating consumers that lightweight merino wool can outperform synthetics for gym workouts, trail running, or everyday athletic use requires overcoming decades of marketing and assumptions.

These are solvable problems, not insurmountable barriers. But they require industry-wide shifts in infrastructure, economics, and consumer education. That change is happening, but it's slow.

The Blend Problem: When "Merino Wool" Isn't Really Merino

As more brands recognize the marketing appeal of natural fabrics, I'm seeing a concerning trend: the proliferation of blends with increasingly minimal natural fiber content being marketed as "wool" or "merino" products.

Some fabrics I interacted with at the fair were 87% nylon and 13% wool, yet were described as "wool fabric" in the marketing materials. I even saw one fabric that was 99% polyester and 1% wool being marketed with wool prominently featured in the product name.

This is where greenwashing meets technical linguistics. Technically, a fabric that contains any wool can be called a "wool blend." But calling a 1% wool fabric a "wool product" is deliberately misleading. Consumers who want natural fibers are being sold what is essentially a synthetic fabric with a token amount of wool added for marketing purposes.

As natural fabrics grow in popularity, this problem will only get worse. Brands want to capitalize on the appeal of "natural" and "merino wool" without the higher costs of actually using substantial amounts of natural fiber. The result is a muddying of the waters that makes it harder for consumers to make informed choices.

The takeaway: it will be increasingly important for consumers to be discerning and actually look at the fiber content label. Don't just trust marketing language about "merino performance" or "wool blend technology." Do your research, check the percentages. If a product is less than 50% natural fiber, you're buying a synthetic garment with a natural fiber accent, not the other way around.

What This Means for Aiua and Our Customers

This trip reinforced everything we're building at Aiua. Our commitment to 100% merino wool – not blends – is the right choice, even if it's harder and a little more expensive.

We're evaluating plasma-treated merino alternatives for future collections. If we can find a genuinely plastic-free treatment that makes care even easier for customers without compromising our environmental standards, we'll consider it. Until then we’ll continue to use wool certified  Responsible Wool Standard and commit to environmentally friendly and animal-friendly processing.

We're also exploring other natural fibers for future product lines. Alpaca wool for cold-weather pieces, new cotton-weaving techniques, potentially even some of those innovative new materials I saw. But any expansion will follow the same principle: plastic-free, natural performance fabrics that actually work.

The transparency I saw from the best suppliers at the fair is the standard we're holding ourselves to. We'll share where our wool comes from, how it's processed, what certifications it has, and what trade-offs exist. You deserve to know exactly what you're buying and wearing.

The Bigger Picture: Is the Industry Really Changing?

After the Functional Fabric Fair, my honest assessment is: yes, but not fast enough.

The positive signs are real. There's growing interest in natural alternatives, more innovation in sustainable fabrics, increasing regulatory pressure on harmful synthetics, and rising consumer demand for plastic-free options. Natural fibers are no longer dismissed as impossible for performance applications.

But the concerning signs are just as real. Synthetics still completely dominate the industry. Greenwashing is rampant. Cost barriers remain significant. The infrastructure of the entire textile industry is built around synthetic production, creating massive inertia against change.

This is a slow shift, not a revolution. The timeline is measured in decades, not years. We're in the very early stages of what will be a long transition.

But that's exactly why it matters what choices individual consumers make right now. Every purchase sends a signal. When you choose natural fiber activewear over synthetic, you're telling brands that demand exists. You're proving the market is real. You're making it slightly more attractive for other brands to invest in natural alternatives.

Consumer demand drives change. Regulations and supplier innovations create conditions for change, but ultimately brands will only invest in natural alternatives if customers demand them. That's where you come in.

What Consumers Should Know

The innovation exists. Natural performance fabrics are real and competitive with synthetics for most activewear applications. You don't have to sacrifice performance to avoid plastic.

The options are growing. More brands are entering this space, from small startups like us to established outdoor companies expanding their natural fiber offerings. You have more choices than you did even two years ago.

The challenges are real. Natural fabrics cost more because they cost more to produce. They require slightly different care, though not as fussy as you might think. They may not work for every single application.

Your choice matters. Every purchase is a vote for the kind of industry you want to exist. Brands pay attention to what sells.

What to look for when shopping:

• Check the actual fiber content percentages, not just marketing language
• Look for third-party certifications (GOTS, ZQ, RWS, Bluesign)
• Ask brands where their materials come from
• Research whether "sustainable" claims have substance
• Support brands that are transparent about trade-offs and challenges

Closing: The Future is Natural (If We Choose It)

Walking out of the Orange County Convention Center after a few days immersed in textiles, I felt encouraged by the innovation, the passionate people working on solutions, the growing momentum behind natural fibers.

Here’s what gives me hope: We don't have to accept plastic as the default for performance wear. The technology exists. The supply chains exist. The consumer demand is growing. The regulatory environment is shifting in the right direction.

The functional fabrics of the future don't have to be synthetic, they just have to be good enough that no one misses plastic. We're already there for many applications. We just need more brands willing to commit to natural alternatives, and more consumers willing to support them.

Aiua will keep pushing this forward. We're not waiting for the industry to change. We're proving that 100% natural merino activewear works, performs, and can build a sustainable business. Every shirt we sell demonstrates that plastic-based fabrics aren't necessary.

The revolution is here. It's just not evenly distributed yet. Your choice to support natural fiber brands accelerates it. The future of activewear can be plastic-free, if enough of us choose to make it so.