Welcome to 2026: Reflection, Reality, and Responsibility in the Surfaces Industry
The surfaces industry saw some huge changes in 2025.
Huge evolution. Huge disruption. And, for those willing to see it, huge opportunity.
Across the year we witnessed a clear shift, in how materials are specified, how projects are delivered, and how customers make decisions. The industry is evolving quickly, and for the first time in a long time, it feels like people are finally acknowledging that standing still is no longer an option.
I follow a lot of competitors, and genuinely, it’s been refreshing to watch. It’s good to see people refusing to sit comfortably. Good to see innovation. Good to see effort. Most of all, it’s good to see people who actually care about this industry stepping up and making moves.
More than ever, education matters.
Customers need to know who you are, what you stand for, and what you’re capable of delivering. Expertise can no longer be assumed, it has to be demonstrated.
But alongside that progress, there’s another reality we can’t ignore.
The Cost of Change
2025 was also a year of loss.
We’ve seen too many independent, family-run retailers close their doors. Businesses that helped build this industry from the ground up. People who cared. People who tried everything they could, not pre-pack administrations designed to wipe the slate clean, but honest businesses that fought for months, sometimes years, before finally running out of road.
Those losses hurt.
They hurt the people involved, their staff, their suppliers, and the wider industry.
And if I’m being honest, I believe we’ll see more of it in 2026.
Who knows, I could be one of them.
But what I do know is this: I’ll work until I’m blue in the face to secure the future of Aura Surfaces. Not because it’s easy, but because I’m passionate about this industry. I love my clients. And I genuinely care about sharing the experience and knowledge this industry has given me, an industry that has given me a life, a purpose, and a platform.
Lessons 2025 Taught Me
If 2025 taught me anything, it’s this:
We have to innovate before we evaporate.
We have to be willing to make mistakes and learn from them.
We can’t win them all.
And sometimes, we have to walk away, even from deals we’ve been emotionally invested in for years.
The truth is, the juice probably wasn’t worth the squeeze anyway.
Detachment doesn’t mean you don’t care. It means you understand where your energy is best spent.
Personal Loss, Deeper Perspective
October 2025 changed everything for me.
I lost my dad, Kevin Fabian, one of the true OGs of this industry. The man who brought me in. The man who gave me the opportunity, the confidence, and the connections to build what I have today.
Looking back, I see just how much this industry has given our family. That realisation has fuelled me even more. It’s pushed me to be unapologetically myself, to succeed on my own terms, and to step forward with intent.
One thing he always believed, and something I believe more than ever now, is that collaboration beats competition.
Competition has its place. It keeps us sharp.
But collaboration creates longevity.
Collaboration with designers, architects, builders, installers, the people who actually shape this industry.
Where the Industry Is Heading
2025 brought new technologies, incredible designs, unexpected shifts, and without doubt, it was the year of large-format slabs.
And I believe that’s only going to accelerate in 2026.
But as I’ve said before, slabs are not for everyone.
They demand understanding.
They demand experienced installers. They demand risk, confidence, and a willingness to evolve alongside the industry.
Without that, they can quickly become a liability rather than an asset.
Responsibility Moving into 2026
As we move into 2026, I believe our responsibility, as producers, designers, specifiers, and suppliers, is education.
No more hiding behind outdated R13 specifications.
Learn PTV.
Understand it.
Explain it properly.
Educate on what’s new.
Refine your expertise.
Perfect what you’re good at.
And most importantly, listen.
We don’t know everything.
We never will.
And the industry is evolving faster than ever before.
Moving Forward, Together
I don’t believe the hard times are over.
But I do believe we can overcome them, together.
By educating better.
By collaborating more.
By being better humans, not just better businesses.
This article is a continuation of the conversation I started last year, and it won’t be the last. My intention is to show up consistently, speak honestly, and contribute something meaningful to an industry that has given me so much.
Here’s to 2026, not with false optimism, but with clarity, effort, and purpose.
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