ITMF Welcomes Juan Parés as Its New International Textile Leader

More Spanish weight in the international fashion lobby. Juan Parés, CEO and president of Textil Santanderina, has been appointed president of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (Itmf), one of the most important international textile employers’ associations at a global level. The announcement was made at the organization’s annual conference, held last week in Indonesia.

The businessman is part of the second generation of the Parés family at the helm of Textil Santanderina, one of the few remaining industrial fashion giants in Spain. Parés’ presidency, as reported on the Itmf’s website, marks the third time that a Spanish businessman has assumed the position at the head of the international employers’ association.

Federico Sanfeliu, a member of the family at the head of the Gasso group, held the position between 1990 and 1992, while Alfredo Sédo did the same between 1962 and 1964. Parés’ step forward in the international organization, one of the oldest in the sector, coincides in turn with the management’s strategy of taking over at the Spanish group.

Juan Parés is also president of the Spanish employers’ organization Observatorio del Sector Textil y de la Moda

In mid-May, Parés left the management of Textil Santanderina in favor of Gonzalo Rodríguez, who since then has held the position of general manager, as Modaes reported. Since the end of 2023, in addition, the executive of the family at the head of the group also holds the presidency of another employers’ association, this one at Spanish level, the Observatorio del Sector Textil y de la Moda (Textile and Fashion Sector Observatory).

The Itmf textile employers’ association was founded in 1904, one of the oldest in history, and brings together operators in the textile industry production chain, from the manufacture and development of articles such as fashion garments and household products, to the final product. Recently, the organization has also been gradually incorporating relevant players in the new fashion framework, such as next-generation recyclers.

Parés’ presidency succeeds that of Indian businessman K.V. Srinivasan, who held the position from 2023 until now. Together with the Spanish executive, Itmf will also be led by Turkey’s Mustafa Denizer and China’s Yan Yan as vice presidents.