PGA Show 2025 Boosts Textile Exhibitors

Innovative Sustainable Fabrics Lead the Way

By Kathlyn Swantko

The 2025 PGA Show, one of the largest active sports tradeshows in the country, drew enthusiastic reviews from exhibiting textile manufacturers, brands, and attendees. Held at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida, many are calling the January 21-24, 2025, event “the best ever”! Drawing over 33,000 golf enthusiasts from 94 countries and all 50 U.S. states, the Show was the largest in 15 years. With the total event space covering some 10 miles of Show aisles, the Show expanded its position in several categories: number of attendees; number of exhibitors; rise in new products/services introduced; and increased net booth space.

The show also generated an increase in textile exhibitors, continuing a trend that began in 2016. “We first introduced a textile sourcing pavilion at the 2016 PGA Show, which experienced tremendous growth in a short time,” explains PGA Golf Exhibitions VP, Marc Simon. “This resulted in the 2018 launch of the first U.S. based Functional Fabric Fair. The continued success of the Functional Fabric Fair event works in tandem with its growth and roots in the PGA Show.”

Since the PGA Show attracts over 400 apparel manufacturers, there is a strong reason for textile companies to participate in the popular January event. Simon adds, “As we move forward, we continue to evaluate the PGA Show’s value to our textile exhibitors and attendees, which we believe will continue to grow as a textile sourcing venue for future PGA Shows.” At this year’s Show, textile companies featured products showcasing innovative active fabrics targeted towards lifestyle/leisure apparel. Below are a few exhibitors who have realized the benefits of presenting their innovative performance textiles at the PGA Show.

Con.STRUCT Fabrics Golf Collection feature it’s Flight Performance
Shorts. The brand’s eye-catching, bold shirt patterns are highlighted
in Con.STRUCT’s Seal Polo shirt, Cocktail Button Front Shirt, and
Chevron Polo Shirt are sustainable and ethically produced, utilizing
renewable solar power and recycled fabrics.

CON.STRUCT GREEN (AW CHANG CORPORATION):  Now in its third year exhibiting at the PGA Show, CON.STRUCT is a vertical manufacturer of lifestyle apparel with a sophisticated look and feel, that contains various innovative recycled fabrics with modern, bold, eye-catching printed patterns, calling this its #ConstructAVibe apparel. Through its use of renewable solar power-generated recycled fabrics and a commitment to sustainability, the company’s fabric mill and sewing factory produce a high-quality golf collection made from fabrics featuring enhanced performance finishes combined with high-quality construction. The company’s CON.STRUCT GREEN golf collection is one of the few brands made completely from recycled fabrics. The collection also offers quick-dry wicking, anti-microbial finishing, and a UV 50+ Finish.

Coolcore® Midweight designed to keep
you warm and dry by expertly managing
moisture and preventing heat loss. The
fabric is made for year-round performance,
and is ideal for changing environments.

coolcore®:  At PGA 2025, coolcore promoted its permanent, chemical-free cooling technology, helping brands to craft remarkable cooling qualities in their designs. The company’s Biomimetic Fiber Geometry™ produces fabrics with exceptional softness, wicking, moisture transport, along with evaporative cooling performance. These same techniques enable the company to engineer fabrics with enhanced insulation, luster, and strength. Coolcore’s mechanical cooling technology is inherent in each fiber’s structure, creating performance that can never wash out. The results are fabrics that perform better and last longer. Utilizing coolcore’s yarn technology offers brands a range of fabric options from post-consumer and post-industrial PET, and the ability to create exciting recycled/recyclable products.

Coolibar®,   is “Sun Protection You Wear” fabric technology. Coolibar produces UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) 50+ fabric technology, guaranteed to block 98% of UVA/UVB rays in wearable sun protection clothing, leisurewear, sun hats and sun protective swimwear. This provides the highest UV protection, keeping the body cool, comfortable, and sun-safe. Coolibar is the first clothing company to receive The Skin Cancer Foundation's Seal of Recommendation. Coolibar Fabrics are “Where innovation meets comfort in every UPF50+ thread”. Rigorously tested and recommended by dermatologists worldwide, Coolibar guarantees UPF 50+ protection for the life of the garment as set by ASTM/AATCC standards.

OPTIMER/drirelease, built on a foundation of scientific analysis and research, the company is committed to a promise of supporting body comfort in sustainable fabrics. Its unique technologies, designed for infusion at the fabric level, provide limitless adaptability for a variety of fibers and end-use applications. The innovations are permanent to the fiber/yarn technology and will not wash out, and are not surface applications. At the PGA Show, OPTIMER featured s few recent technologies that capture the attention of the golf market. It’s drirelease® HEAT and DRICOMFORT® GEO 365 are two permanent wicking/fast drying (thermal regulating) technologies, developed with embedded minerals that enhance comfort and performance all year around. The technologies provide permanent performance for filament polyester and nylon fibers. The inherently hydrophilic (water- absorbing) and conductive (energy-absorbing) mineral particles of DRICOMFORT® GEO 365 pull moisture and heat from the skin. Using the body’s energy, GEO makes heat-carrying sweat evaporate at a faster rate, enhancing the fabric’s evaporative cooling. OPTIMER’s HEAT product is designed to keep the body warm, dry, and comfortable.

MANTRA:  MANTRA describes its designs as “versatile, essential apparel that you love and don't need a lot of, because less is more”. Since the manufacture of every product consumes resources, causes emissions, and produces waste, even the sustainable ones can be minimized. Mantra loves performance clothing, but doesn't love the materials that utilize polluting dye methods. The company is committed to keeping its carbon footprint small by using recycled and regenerative fibers, waterless prints, and Bluesign-certified dye methods. For production, Mantra’s stainable philosophy goes beyond materials used and into the production process. The company does everything it can to keep its footprint small by measuring, offsetting, and reducing its trajectory as a part of its “Climate Neutral” certification.

TEXWELL TEXTILE CO., LTD,   specializes in the production of innovative circular and warp knit fabrics, as well as the dyeing, finishing, napping, and lamination of its products. TEXWELL showcased several new technologies at this year’s PGA Show, including its new stretchable eco-friendly performance Greenflex fabric. Made from industrialized corn, without the use of spandex and recycled polyester, gives Greenflex bio-based fabric the perfect balance of eco-friendly stretch with natural recycled performance qualities. TEXWELL also featured its new Evofleecing fabric. This fabric with a fleece-type hand and touch, is made without the use of a brushed or peach finish, which minimizes micro-fiber shedding pollution when washed. Both new fabric developments incorporate quick-dry functions, focused on utilizing more natural materials that contain no chemicals in the production process.

TIARA TEXTILE CO., Ltd.,  a vertical operation, ensures the production of high-quality sustainable apparel throughout its manufacturing system, including the latest woven fabric developments. Tiara’s utilization of eco-friendly yarns, includes nylon and poly material extracts from old fishing nets, oyster shells, PET bottles, by manufacturing eco-fabrics and its mission to maintain sustainability. Water and energy are also reduced to minimum through its solution-dyeing process, and its polypropylene dissolves naturally within 3 to 5 years. The company’s solution-dyed performance fabrics are created through a master-batch colorant and polymer melt-spinning process to reduce industrial waste-water and maintain high colorfastness. Tiara uses technical lightweight yarns for cooling with quick-drying capabilities that move moisture away. At this year’s PGA Show, the company promoted its innovative fabric, made of 77% nylon and 23% spandex cooling fabric. Extreme elasticity activates freedom of movement and provides suitable protection & support. The company’s athleisure & urban outdoor fabrics have trended more casual in recent years, which combines fashion and outdoor styles creating “Athleisure and Urban” fashions.