Karl Mayer has officially opened its new Textile Innovation Center (TIC) at its headquarters in Obertshausen, marking a significant investment in the future of textile innovation.
The opening week, held from April 21 to 24, culminated in a grand ceremony attended by around 220 international guests, including customers, brands and partners from across the textile value chain.
Welcoming attendees, Karl Josef Mayer, representing the founding family and serving on the Supervisory Board, underlined the company’s commitment to the industry. He emphasised a strong belief in the value of textiles and highlighted the company’s readiness to invest in the future of both its partners and the wider sector.Chief executive officer Lutz Wolf described the new centre as a milestone for the company’s strategic development. He positioned the TIC as a collaborative environment where ideas can be transformed into practical, market-relevant solutions through close cooperation and open exchange.
The event also featured a keynote from Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy of New Balance Athletics, who demonstrated advanced footwear innovations enabled by warp knitting technologies, illustrating the potential of the TIC’s capabilities.The Obertshausen facility forms part of a wider global network that includes centres in China and Japan. Together, these locations combine regional expertise with international connectivity, supported by a team of approximately 15 specialists in materials, processes, machinery and textile applications.Visitors to the new centre were able to explore its 5,000 square metre facility, designed to support rapid, application-focused textile development from concept through to industrialisation. Equipped with 14 advanced machines, the TIC integrates warp knitting, warp preparation and technical textiles within a single platform, enabling customers and partners to develop, test and refine new products collaboratively. A dedicated showroom presents a wide range of textile applications, offering inspiration through curated displays that bridge innovation and practical feasibility. Exhibits cover key segments including fashion and apparel, sports textiles, footwear, home textiles and technical textiles, with particular attention given to future-ready workwear solutions.
The centre also features an Inspiration Hub, drawing on nearly 90 years of textile expertise through an extensive design archive that serves as a foundation for new developments. Complementing this is the Karl Mayer Academy, which provides structured training programmes focused on practical skills and real-world production requirements.With its new Textile Innovation Center, Karl Mayer aims to reinforce its role as a key innovation partner for the global textile industry, providing a platform where ideas are not only generated but brought into production-ready reality.