Next closes Textile Hub

Newly launched short run on demand digital textile printing business The Textile Hub has closed, with owners Next Printing citing lack of demand as its reason to shut up shop.

The new venture aimed to revitalise the Sydney fashion industry by enabling short runs of printed fabrics, as an alternative to offshore production in China.

However Romeo Sanuri, general manager at Next says, “Fashion is a logistics business, with print is just one part of the supply chain, and Australia does not really have the infrastructure yet, with a lack of cutters and sewers for instance. In Europe by contrast, particularly Eastern Europe where digital textile printing is taking off, they have all the necessary surrounding infrastructure.

“Australian fashion also operates on a two season basis spring/summer and autumn/winter, and while we had plenty of premises of work to come there was not enough eventuating to sustain the business. Clients also did not want to lose their place in the China production line.

“I think that Textile Hub was also maybe ahead of the pace, and that in a few years time Australia will be able to sustain a short run on demand digital textile printing sector.”

The factory in Alexandria is adjacent to Marrickville, which is at the centre of local designers and fashion producers. The business officially opened in March this year with Julian Lowe in charge, but had been running since the previous July.