TCF POST Report
RALEIGH, N.C., — The Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA) has named fashion stylist, television personality, educator and industry commentator Michelle Washington as emcee of its 2026 SPESA Executive Conference, reinforcing its focus on connecting the sewn products industry with local fashion expertise and discussions around innovation, manufacturing and market opportunities.
The conference will take place October 28–30 at Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas, bringing together suppliers, manufacturers, brands and other industry stakeholders to examine the forces shaping the sewn products business.
Washington’s appointment reflects SPESA’s broader mission to make its conferences locally connected and industry-driven. Her experience in Texas’ fashion community and background in fashion production, design, media and education position her to help lead conversations around the region’s capabilities, challenges and growth opportunities.
“Michelle Washington is not only an outspoken advocate for the Texas fashion industry,” said SPESA President Michael McDonald. “She serves as an incredible representative of the passion that has kept it going for centuries.”
Washington has built a media career around fashion education and industry storytelling. She hosts “Behind the SEAMS®,” a program focused on Texas fashion designers, apparel professionals, manufacturers and supply-chain participants, and the award-winning fashion podcast “The Color of Fashion™.” Her fashion commentary and styling expertise have also appeared across major U.S. television and media platforms.
For SPESA, the conference is designed as a forum for practical, collaborative discussion rather than a traditional industry meeting. The program will feature a day and a half of education and two evening networking receptions, with panels, fireside chats and interactive sessions taking precedence over presentation-heavy formats.
The agenda will address key issues, policies and trends affecting sewn product businesses, while encouraging participants to work collectively through industry challenges and identify emerging opportunities.
Washington said her role will center on creating conversations that connect people, ideas and innovation.
The partnership also builds on SPESA’s growing engagement with the Texas fashion industry. The organization first connected with Washington in 2025 through the Texas Fashion Industry Initiative, which supported a previous SPESA conference in Austin. SPESA said the industry relationships developed through that event contributed to its decision to return to Texas in 2026.
The conference underscores SPESA’s role as an industry association representing suppliers of machinery, technology, equipment, systems, supply-chain solutions and other products and services supporting the development, manufacturing and distribution of sewn products across the Western Hemisphere.
The central aim of the 2026 conference is to strengthen collaboration across the sewn products value chain, bring regional industry voices into the discussion and provide actionable insight into the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of manufacturing.
