In their latest promotional email, Kornit pushes the line that the textile industry is “ever-changing” and that it is a “dynamic” market with “challenges” to overcome if you are to “thrive.” They go on to say that: “Recent economic shifts pose unique challenges for textile printers, brands, and retailer, especially with rising costs tied to traditional printing supply chain, processes and inventory.”
They quote McKinsey’s State of Fashion 2024 report: ” . . . the urgency to address the climate crisis prompts industries, including fashion, to embrace sustainable practices.”
The thinly-veiled underlying message is, of course, that direct-to-garment is good and that traditional screen printing is bad and that there’s a big shift to the former from the latter. But is there though? If there is, it’s hardly noticeable in Canada where textile screen printing is trundling along as normal.
That’s not to say that some of the concerns they raise, particularly sustainability, are trivial. But to suggest that there’s a stampede to convert to direct-to-garment, or that direct-to-garment is the answer to all the challenges, is bit of a stretch—particularly in Canada right now.