From the Sector

Heimtextil starts a new partnership with the format Hospitality Interiors Europe (HINT). With the launch, a complementary event will take place alongside Heimtextil 2027, targeting decision-makers from the hotel and high-end hospitality design sector. Both platforms create tangible synergies for exhibitors and visitors – and expand the holistic interior design offering for architecture, interior design, hospitality and the contract sector. Hospitality Interiors Europe presents itself at Heimtextil 2026 with its own dedicated lounge area. 

At Heimtextil 2027, the international hospitality and contract sector receives an additional stage: with the launch of Hospitality Interiors Europe, a parallel format is being created that specifically brings together decision-makers from (interior) architecture, project development and interior design for hospitality, as well as from the extended hospitality environment, including hotels, resorts, wellness & spa, extended stay and care facilities. 

Hospitality Interiors Europe will be staged in its own hall and will present design concepts for high-end hospitality environments. This focus strengthens Heimtextil and elevates its global offering for holistic interior design. As leading trade fair, Heimtextil stands for international reach, textile expertise and material innovation. Hospitality Interiors Europe complements this with a specialised hospitality perspective, featuring first-class product worlds and application contexts. With Strive Exhibitions – whose founders Toby Walters and Sam Murray launched Cruise Ship Interiors Expo – serving as organiser, Heimtextil gains an internationally established partner with a strong industry network. The partnership reflects the increasing significance of hospitality and contract interiors as growth engines for the global textile sector.

New hospitality hub alongside Heimtextil 2027
With Hospitality Interiors Europe, a curated platform emerges for the industry that brings together high-quality design, textile innovation and hospitality expertise. In addition to presentations by selected manufacturers, the format includes an exclusive congress programme that unites international experts and highlights key trends as well as relevant project developments in hospitality design. At the same time, the additional platform fosters industry exchange and networking between decision-makers, planners and designers from the contract sector – all within a first-class environment.

“Sam and I are truly excited to be launching Hospitality Interiors Europe in Frankfurt in 2027. HINT will become the new global meeting place for the entire hospitality design community, bringing together designers, suppliers, operators, and developers from the hotel, resort, care, wellness, and extended stay markets. Partnering with industry-leading Heimtextil gives both audiences unparalleled access to the latest products. We believe this marks the start of something truly special for the sector – a chance to connect, collaborate, and shape the future of hospitality design together”, says Toby Walters, CEO Strive Exhibitions. 

Under the banner “Texpertise Focus AI”, Messe Frankfurt will place a strong emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) across its international textile and apparel trade fairs from 2026 onwards, setting a future-shaping signal for the industry. The initiative highlights the responsible use of AI along the entire textile value chain, from fibre production to the point of sale. The programme will launch at Heimtextil in Frankfurt in January 2026.

The textile and apparel industry is undergoing significant transformation: artificial intelligence is reshaping workflows, enabling new business models and offering solutions for sustainability, efficient value chains and the sector’s skills shortage. Commercial market analyses estimate the global market for AI in the textile industry to reach around USD 21 billion by 2033, roughly ten times the 2023 figure. According to Eurostat, 13.5 percent of European industrial companies were already using AI in 2024, including many businesses in the textile sector. Under the communication umbrella “Texpertise Focus AI”, Messe Frankfurt will showcase exhibitor applications and content formats relating to artificial intelligence at its international textile and apparel events from 2026 onwards.
 
Artificial Intelligence as a Key Focus 
From 2026, Texpertise Focus AI will further enhance the visibility and accessibility of AI-related topics at Messe Frankfurt’s textile trade fairs. This includes curated content formats such as panel discussions, guided tours and live demonstrations featuring international industry experts. In addition, many exhibiting companies will present AI-related solutions.
 
The initiative will commence at Heimtextil from 13 to 16 January 2026 in Frankfurt am Main. AI will feature across numerous programme items, searchable online under “Texpertise Focus AI”. On Wednesday, 14 January at 3 p.m., internationally renowned thought leader in AI for design, Tim Fu, will join the Architonic Live Talk. Under the title “Woven intelligence: designing spaces in the era of AI”, Fu will discuss how artificial intelligence can support meaningful collaboration between architecture and interior design to create spaces that connect craft with computational technology. Messe Frankfurt will roll out the initiative across its textile trade fairs worldwide. Local characteristics and market-specific challenges will be integrated into the concept to ensure relevance.

Artificial Potential for the Value Chain, Sustainability and Workforce Development 
AI is transforming the textile value chain from fibre production to the point of sale and offers potential for greater efficiency, higher quality and improved resilience. In raw-material sourcing, AI systems support cultivation, harvesting and recycling through intelligent analytics and sorting technologies. In design and development, AI tools accelerate creative processes and simulate material properties, a concept reflected, for example, in the immersive installation “among all” by Patricia Urquiola at Heimtextil 2026. Production and logistics processes can also be optimised, waste reduced and supply chains made more transparent.
 
Artificial intelligence is also driving the twin transformation – the convergence of digitalisation and sustainability. Around 116 million tonnes of textile fibres are produced annually worldwide, yet only one percent of post-consumer textile waste is recycled[3]. With AI, companies can conserve resources and reduce waste. AI-based design and forecasting models help prevent overproduction, while life-cycle analyses enable environmentally conscious sourcing. Image-recognition systems sort used textiles, laying the foundation for a true circular economy. The entire spectrum of textile processing technologies will be showcased at Texprocess from 21 to 24 April 2026 in Frankfurt am Main.
 
In the workplace, AI is creating new job profiles and reshaping existing ones, in areas such as data analytics, digital design and process control. It also has the potential to ease labour shortages: according to the German Institute of Textile Technology (ITA) at RWTH Aachen University, up to 70 percent of standardised production tasks could be automated. AI can also support recruitment by enabling targeted identification and selection of qualified professionals.