The NEEDLE'S EYE... Trends and Technologies Driving the Sewn Products Industry
- We close out our 1972 cover series of common sewing room items with scissors and shears. The only difference between the two is length-scissor blades, which are a maximum of six inches in length.
- To trace their origin, we have to go back several centuries B.C. to Greek mythology, which refers to the Fates snipping the thread of life.
- Across the Mediterranean, Roman shepherds are known to have used shears to shear the wool of their flocks. These first examples were of the bow-spring variety, with thin, hardened blades working against each other under the pressure of the hand. The first cross-blade scissors, the type we are most familiar with today, were probably products of the First Century A.D. and were used by barbers and tailors.
- The strength and sharpness of these Iron Age scissors were undoubtedly poor due to the crude ore from which they were forged.
- As Middle Ages sword makers advanced the science of metallurgy through their quest for sharper battle weapons, the quality of more mundane cutlery was also improved. Family traditions and European guilds sustained the handicraft of scissor making through the years, and by the 19th Century, incredibly ornate styles were commonplace.
But as mechanical production took over, such ornamentation became impractical, and scissors’ shapes were simplified to resemble the styles we know today.
Modern scissors are crafted of a variety of metals, depending on the use to which they will be put. For household types, a relatively low-carbon steel is satisfactory. As quality and life expectancy increase, more carbon is added to achieve greater hardness. Scissors for cutting man-made fibers are often made of a composite material with high-carbon steel on the cutting side, backed by a tough iron core.
Scissors and shears are indispensable tools in numerous fields, ranging from gardening to medicine to electronics. But in the modern sewing industry, automatic thread trimming and cutting devices are convincing progressive manufacturers that hand scissors “just can’t cut it.”
Visit www.zund.com to discover the latest Zünd innovations in industrial digital cutting technology: specialized tooling for a perfect cut no matter what materials go into your sewn products, a full range of hardware and software options all geared toward easy, efficient workflow automation—Zünd has it all! What’s more…multifunctional cutting systems from Zünd are modular by design and easily adaptable as your cutting needs grow or change. Find the cutting solution perfectly tailored to your needs, present and future!
Contact Zünd anytime for a personal demonstration or visit us in person at SEMA, Las Vegas, NV – November 4-7
Industry Opinion
Threads of Independence: Rebuilding the U.S. Apparel Supply Chain from Fiber to Finished Garment
By Joe Altieri, FIT Adjunct Professor, Mentor, Educator, and Trainer
For more than three decades, America’s apparel supply chain has unraveled thread by thread—offshoring fiber, fabric, and final assembly to foreign factories. The results were predictable: a hollowed-out industrial base, dependence on overseas partners, and a workforce disconnected from the craft that once defined our manufacturing identity. But as the world shifts again—toward transparency, sustainability, and resilience—the opportunity to rebuild a truly domestic apparel economy has reemerged.
This is not nostalgia; it’s a necessity. A new generation of manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and educators is recognizing that national self-reliance is not about isolationism—it’s about balance, accountability, and long-term stability. The challenge ahead is complex but attainable: reweaving the fabric of American apparel from fiber to finished garment, grounded in modern systems thinking and sustainable practices.
Read More>
*The NEEDLE'S EYE will continue this conversation in the coming months, exploring each of these threads—regional clusters, sustainable design, workforce renewal, and circularity—in depth.*
.png)
C and C Enterprise has teamed up with JACK, one of the world’s finest industrial sewing machine manufacturers, to form Jack of the Americas. Jack of the Americas distributes JACK machines throughout North America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean Basin. When you buy from Jack of The Americas, we don’t just ship you a box! We help you get set up and answer any questions you may have! With over 100 years of combined experience in the industrial sewn products industry, we are proud to say that we are one of the world’s leading industrial sewing products authorities and are here to serve you! Not sure if Jack is right for you? Click on the button below for a short video showing off some of our machines. Watch it and see what Jack can do for you!
Is Crypto Going to Substitute for the Credit Card?
By Nironjan Roy, CPA, CMA — Certified Anti-money laundering Specialist and Banker
Consumers’ lifestyles have become credit card-driven, as people cannot imagine living without using a credit card. This credit card-driven consumption has begun to penetrate the emerging market’s society, as more and more people are becoming accustomed to spending on credit cards. This credit card payment is facilitated by two major credit card companies, Visa and Mastercard. Even debit cards offered by the banks to their customers are also facilitated by these two payment processing companies. In fact, Visa and Mastercard have been enjoying a monopoly in the payment processing business, which is now being challenged by emerging competitors, mostly cryptocurrency-based.
Stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency, are now being utilized in various forms, particularly for making payments. This digital token is now considered a fiat currency, similar to the US Dollar, and as such, it can rapidly capture a significant portion of the large payment market, which is currently dominated by a few credit-card issuing companies, particularly Visa and Mastercard. The scope and opportunity of using cryptocurrency have been widened following the passage of a stablecoin regulation bill in the US Senate a few months back. Read More
Industry News
Champion Thread Co. Announces Poovey Family Scholarship at NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles
Source: Champion Thread Company and etextilecommunications.com
GASTONIA, NORTH CAROLINA – Champion Thread Company (CTC), a leading manufacturer and supplier of industrial sewing threads, yarns, and other sewn products supplies, announced the Poovey Family Scholarship.
The grant is established in honor of its late CTC founder, Robert "Bob" Lee Poovey III, who dedicated more than half a century to the textile industry. The need-based undergraduate scholarship will benefit students pursuing a degree at the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University, the globally recognized leader in textile education, research, and industry innovation.
.png)
Four Poovey family members are alumni of NC State University, including Robert L. Poovey (1935), Robert L. Poovey III (1963), Matt Poovey (2001), and his wife Melissa Poovey (2000).
As part of the Wilson School of Textiles' 125th anniversary celebration in 2024, the scholarship is funded by a permanent endowment to advance the industry’s pipeline of talent.
Read More>
ISAIC Announces 2026 ISAIC Honors, Co-Hosted by SPESA
SPESA (Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas) will co-host the ISAIC (Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center) Honors 2026 event, taking place April 23, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan. SPESA, alongside SPESA member ISAIC, will celebrate the unsung champions of the domestic manufacturing world. The event will be held at the Taubman Center - College for Creative Studies in Detroit.
Nominations are now open for the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center's (ISAIC) annual awards show, ISAIC Honors! The event will shine a spotlight on the often-overlooked champions of domestic textile and apparel manufacturing. Read More>
Since 1898, Consew has designed and manufactured the most reliable machines in the sewing industry. Today, Consew has one of the largest varieties of sewing, cutting, and pressing equipment; as well as an extensive line of supplies related to the sewn products industry. From standard walking foot machines for upholstery to specialty 4 needle lockstitch machines for parachutes, from long-arm zig-zag (up to 30”) machines for boat sails to extra heavy-duty machines for webbing, Consew has it all. Our machines are well-designed for sewing leather, canvas, shoes, saddles, mattresses, tents, tarps, and sails, as well as jeans and other garments. With offices in New Jersey, Miami, and Los Angeles, as well as a distribution network throughout the world, Consew can quickly supply and service the machines you need.
The Pathfinder M-Series® range of automated cutting machines is known for precision, very high productivity, reliability, and lowest power consumption. All 16 models are easily configured to suit most cutting applications, and, thanks to clever design, Pathfinder cutters require very little maintenance to continually deliver exceptional cut quality over a long working life.
Mount Vernon Mills and KaKa Cotton Partner to Relocate Historic Draper X3 Shuttle Looms to Trion, Georgia
Mount Vernon Mills, a cornerstone of American textile manufacturing, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with KaKa Cotton, LLC to acquire and relocate 45 historic Draper X3 shuttle looms originally operated at the iconic White Oak Plant in Greensboro, North Carolina.
These looms, renowned for producing some of the finest selvedge denim in the world, will find a new home at Mount Vernon Mills’ flagship facility in Trion, Georgia. The move marks a significant step toward reviving traditional American denim craftsmanship and preserving a vital piece of textile history.
In addition to the Draper X3 looms, Mount Vernon Mills is also acquiring 45 Picanol President shuttle looms to further expand its selvedge denim weaving capacity. This combined investment underscores the company’s commitment to meeting growing demand for authentic, U.S.-made selvedge denim.
The announcement comes as Mount Vernon Mills celebrates its 180th anniversary, reinforcing its legacy as one of the longest-standing textile manufacturers in the United States. Read More>
.png)
Historic Draper X3 Looms
Industry Technologies
Automatic vs. Manual Sewing Systems: Which is Right for Your Factory?
By Dan Berzack, SPEC|Ahearn Denning
When it comes to upgrading your production line, one of the biggest questions manufacturers face is whether to invest in automatic sewing systems or continue with manual systems. Both options have distinct benefits, but as technology advances, automation is proving to be a game-changer in the sewn products industry.
Efficiency and Cost Saving
Automatic sewing systems are designed to streamline your workflow. Features such as automatic tension adjustment, thread trimming, and locking stitches dramatically cut down on production time while improving consistency. With automation handling repetitive tasks, your team can focus on quality assurance, customization, and higher-value processes. Over time, this efficiency translates into lower labor costs and greater profitability. Pro Tip: Locking stitches create a clean finish underneath each piece—ideal for brands prioritizing a high-end look. Read More>
The Zipper Is Getting Its First Major Upgrade in 100 Years
YKK's first major upgrade to the zipper in about 100 years is the AiryString zipper.
This new design is notable because it strips away the traditional fabric tape that has held zippers together for over a century. The result is a zipper that is reported to be lighter, sleeker, far more flexible, and easier to integrate into modern materials.
The zipper, as we know it, hasn’t had a real overhaul since the 1910s. Its long reign owes much to reliability—it’s sturdy, inexpensive, and easy to sew. For most of the 20th century, that was enough. But materials have evolved. Designers now work with featherlight nylons, stretch fabrics, and technical blends that behave more like skin than cloth. The old zipper, with its woven borders and stiff seams, has started to feel out of sync with what surrounds it. Read More>
YKK's new zipper design completely removes the fabric strip on either side of the teeth, making the AiryString lighter, sleeker, and far more flexible. Photograph: Courtesy of AiryString
.png)
The Merrow Group consists of three unique divisions, all designed to support and accelerate the growth of soft-goods manufacturing. One of these divisions is their Wholesale Group: Superior Sewing Machine & Supply. Superior, the largest wholesale supplier of more than 72,000 products to sewing factories across North, Central, and South America, plays a vital role in supporting the broader manufacturing ecosystem. In an industry where precision, speed, and reliability are crucial for maintaining competitive production, having access to in-stock items is not just convenient, it is essential. Superior operates a network of 1,600 resellers that support approximately 70,000 factories across North, Central, and South America. This extensive network enables Superior to swiftly introduce new technologies and products that can significantly enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of soft goods manufacturing.
Supply Chain
Costco Has Become One of the World’s Biggest Clothing Retailers
Costco says men’s apparel sales were up “double digits” in its fiscal fourth-quarter 2025 earnings, according to a call last month.
From 2019 to 2024, Costco's annual apparel segment sales increased from $7 billion to $9.7 billion, a nearly 40% rise, according to estimates by GlobalData. Comparatively, its competitors BJ’s and Sam’s Club grew their apparel businesses by about 28% and 21%, respectively. Read More>
Diamond Needle Corp., Founded in 1951, is one of the world’s largest distributors of sewing machine needles. Our alliance with ORGAN NEEDLE CO. of Japan, as their exclusive North American distributor, gives us the backing of the world’s leading quality maker of sewing machine needles.
World of Fashion
Italy Plans Levy on Chinese Fast Fashion to Protect Local Industry
- Italy plans to apply an extra levy on Chinese fast fashion products to help shield its fashion industry from low-cost foreign imports, government sources told the Reuters news service.
- The move is aimed at avoiding unfair competition in the market for one of Italy's key industries, the people said, adding that Rome would likely impose the charge on online retailers such as Temu and Shein, among others.
- "We will present a measure to tackle the ultra-fast fashion phenomenon: an invasion of low-cost foreign products that damage our producers and put consumers at risk," Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said in a statement at the end of a meeting with fashion industry representatives in Rome.
- Concerns over imports being diverted from the U.S.
- There is growing alarm in European capitals that China is progressively diverting goods at lower prices to EU markets as a way of compensating for its lost U.S. trade following the tariff policies adopted by President Donald Trump.
How Europe is Using Taxes to Slow Down Fast Fashion
Did you know that making one cotton t-shirt uses around 2,700 liters of water, roughly equivalent to the amount a person drinks in three years? Fast fashion may offer cheap, on-trend clothes, but it also generates an annual 12kg of textile waste per person in Europe, with only 1% of this waste being recycled to make new garments.
The fast fashion industry produces too much, too fast, too cheap, but there are ways to slow it down – in recent years, the EU and European countries have begun to propose and implement taxes and legislation that do just this.
EU: no more tax breaks for fast fashion Read More>
Henderson Sewing Machine Co, founded in 1968, is a global supplier of industrial sewing machines, sewing machine parts, and custom automated sewing machines for the SEWING PRODUCTS INDUSTRY. We have grown by offering customers the highest quality products at competitive prices with superior customer service. We also have a cutting-edge engineering team that designs custom automated systems to fill any need you may have.
C and C Enterprise is the United States agency for Highlead sewing machines. These high-quality machines are available for your sewing needs and are sold only through local dealers and distributors. If you want more information on the Highlead brand, please feel free to contact us. www.candcenterprise.com
