The Alliance showcases European Linen and Hemp Innovations - FW 2027–28 at Milano Unica
June 24, 2026
From 7 to 9 July, the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp will be exhibiting at Milano Unica, Italy, where it will unveil textile collections developed from the latest innovations created by its members for the Autumn-Winter 2027/28 season.
This participation reflects the Alliance’s strengthened commitment to promoting certified European Flax-Linen to a broader audience of international brands across the premium and high-end fashion markets. Milano Unica fully supports this ambition as a leading international event for sourcing textiles and fashion accessories, which brings together in this edition 77 companies certified as Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ or Masters of LINEN™.
On its stand, the Alliance presents:
- Creative Flax-Linen and Hemp innovations developed by its members and certified Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™ companies;
- For the first time, the Hemp Lab: inspirations and a pilot collection of long-fibre textile Hemp developed as part of the Northern European Hemp4Circularity project;
- Its new European Flax-Linen Environmental Footprint Guide, which provides a clear framework for understanding Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the European Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology and the data available for certified Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ products;
- The latest developments in its Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™ certifications, as well as its digital traceability platform: Flax-Linen Traceability Platform - European Certified Fibres to Retail by TextileGenesis™, Lectra Group;
- The full range of services it provides to brands.
Autumn-Winter 2027/28: A Season of Singularity and Plurality
Singular – Plural
Flax-Linen and Hemp are expressed in both the singular and the plural for Autumn-Winter 2027/28, through four major seasonal themes and directions showcased on the Alliance stand, within its fabric library selections and on its sourcing platform.
- Comforting Comfort
- Delicacy
- Big Blur
- Colour Vibe
These trends can be seen at the Alliance’s booth and in the textile selections on display in its fabric library, as well as on its sourcing platform.
The New European Flax-Linen Environmental Footprint Guide
In response to evolving regulations and brands’ CSR strategies, the European Flax-Linen sector now has a strategic tool: the European Flax Environmental Footprint Guide.
Published by the Alliance in March 2026 and developed through a collaborative process involving stakeholders across the value chain, it covers the fundamentals of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the business and regulatory drivers behind environmental footprinting, ISO and PEF (Product Environmental Footprint) methodologies, sector-specific European data, as well as practical use cases and Q&A.
The guide is intended for growers, manufacturers, brands and retailers wishing to assess and communicate the environmental impact of products certified Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™.
The guide retraces the key milestones of the European Flax-Linen environmental roadmap and its deliverables:
- PEF-compliant LCA of scutched long flax fibre under the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ (PEF v2.0, 2022);
- Process mapping of European flax-linen production, enabling brands to identify value chain stages and initiate their own environmental assessments (2022);
- Certified European fibre datasets integrated into three leading environmental databases: EF 3.1 (European reference), ecoinvent, and Higg Index (2023);
- Datasets covering six processing stages (from hackling to preparation for spinning, spinning and cottonizing) and nine flax-specific intermediate products, developed to flax-linen with the forthcoming PEF 2025 methodology following four years of collaborative work across the sector and an independent critical review -details and access provided within the guide.
The guide will be available for consultation on the Alliance stand (Hall 1 – Booth B15). It can also be downloaded from the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp website.
The HEMP LAB : Territories of Expression for European Long-Fibre Hemp Textile
Presented for the first time at Milano Unica, the Hemp Lab is a dedicated area integrated into the Alliance stand and devoted to the European Hemp4Circularity (H4C) programme, in which the Alliance is involved as a partner of Valbiom, a Walloon association specialising in sustainable solutions for the bio-based economy.
Supported by the European Union through the Interreg North-West Europe programme (a transnational cooperation programme), this three-year project brings together 11 multidisciplinary partners and 6 associated partners around a common objective: to structure and develop a local and circular European long-fibre Hemp textile industry, from the field to the finished product.
The Hemp Lab presents the Hemp4Circularity programme and provides a tangible illustration of the project’s ambition through:
- The European Hemp Textile Inspiration Book: Designed as both a practical and inspirational tool, the European Hemp Textile Inspiration Book explores the territories of expression of European textile Hemp through dedicated iconography, a specific colour palette and a selection of yarn and fabric samples developed with Hemp4Circularity project partners, highlighting the sensory characteristics and creative potential of this bast fibre, complementary to flax-linen.
- The pilot collection developed with the H4C project partners: Developed with project partners from fibre to yarn and then fabric, the pilot collection demonstrates the potential of European textile Hemp through samples produced under industrial or semi-industrial conditions and designed to meet both designers’ expectations and the realities of textile production.
A collective project leading to tangible progress for the sector
Thanks to ongoing, constructive dialogue between all players in the value chain, the project has accelerated the achievement of concrete and valuable results.
The collection of agronomic data has improved our understanding of the crop management and provided key information for building sound environmental assessments.
Over the years, textile Hemp has firmly established its own identity: a fibre with a unique character, which is full of promise. Moreover, rapid progress is being made to improve every stage of production and processing - from cultivation, harvesting, scutching, hackling, spinning and wet spinning to weaving and knitting.
The progress made opens up opportunities to increase industrial capacity and develop new value-added textile uses.
Driven by a committed collective dynamic, the sector now has a robust technical and scientific base on which to build and pursue its developments and create long-term success.
At Milano Unica, through inspirations, textile innovations and new tools, the Alliance continues its commitment to supporting fashion brands in addressing their creative, technical and environmental challenges, while strengthening the international visibility of European Flax-Linen and Hemp.
Meet us from 7 to 9 July 2026 at Milano Unica: Hall 1 – Booth B15 Rho Fiera Milano (Italy)
