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Photo: Marlies Thurnheer
25.10.2022

Textile Electrodes for Medtech Applications

  • Successful financing round for Empa spin-off Nahtlos

Nahtlos, an Empa spin-off, has received 1 million Swiss francs in a first round of financing from a network of business angels from Switzerland and Liechtenstein and from the Startfeld Foundation. With this funding, Nahtlos aims to drive the market entry of its newly developed textile-based electrode for medical applications.

  • Successful financing round for Empa spin-off Nahtlos

Nahtlos, an Empa spin-off, has received 1 million Swiss francs in a first round of financing from a network of business angels from Switzerland and Liechtenstein and from the Startfeld Foundation. With this funding, Nahtlos aims to drive the market entry of its newly developed textile-based electrode for medical applications.

Over the past two years, Nahtlos, an Empa spin-off, has developed novel textile-based electrodes for recording heart activity (electrocardiogram, ECG) – for example, to detect atrial fibrillation – and for electrostimulation therapies, for example, to preserve the muscle mass in paralyzed patients. Textile-based electrodes enable gentle and skin-friendly application, even if the electrodes have to be worn for several days or even weeks. The textile electrode is thus the first alternative to the gel electrode, which was developed 60 years ago and is still considered the standard for medical applications today.

Nahtlos founder and former Empa researcher Michel Schmid and co-founder and business economist José Näf have further developed the textile-based technology, which was developed and patented at Empa in various projects funded by Innosuisse, among others. The goal was to produce a product for long-term medical applications that reliably records ECG signals for up to several weeks, achieves a high level of patient acceptance and is cost-effective for the healthcare provider. Today, the patent for textile-based electrode technology is owned by Nahtlos after reaching a milestone.

Financing by business angels and Startfeld Foundation
Schmid and Näf were looking for investors to certify their product, set up production and develop the market – and recently found what they were looking for: In a seed financing round, the two young entrepreneurs were able to acquire 1 million Swiss francs from business angels from Switzerland and Liechtenstein as well as from the Startfeld Foundation. Nahtlos was supported in setting up its company by Startfeld, the start-up promotion arm of Switzerland Innovation Park Ost (SIP Ost), in the form of coaching, consulting and early-stage financing. Nahtlos is also based in the Innovation Park Ost, where innovations are initiated and accelerated through collaboration between start-ups, companies, universities and research institutions.

Together with Empa and Nahtlos, SIP Ost was present at OLMA this year. Visitors could learn live and on the spot about Empa's research activities in the field of Digital Health as well as about the Nahtlos technology and its textile electrodes for health monitoring.

Photo: Pixabay
19.07.2022

The future of fashion: Revolution between fast and slow fashion

The fashion industry is massively influenced by the change in social values. Which trends can be observed and in which direction is the fashion future developing - an excerpt from the Retail Report 20231 by Theresa Schleicher.

The fashion industry is massively influenced by the change in social values. Which trends can be observed and in which direction is the fashion future developing - an excerpt from the Retail Report 20231 by Theresa Schleicher.

The fashion industry has been slowed down by the global health pandemic and further affected by the measures taken in the wake of the Ukraine war: Fragile supply chains, increased transportation and energy costs, and rising prices are having an impact on the globalized fashion industry. Those who were moving the fastest are being hit the hardest. Fast fashion based on the principle of "faster and faster, cheaper and cheaper, more and more" - which has been in the fast lane for years - is now experiencing an unprecedented crash. Even without these momentous events, the fashion system would have reached its limits. What could have developed evolutionarily is now being revolutionized. Now and in the future, it will be particularly difficult for brands and retail companies that do not have a sharp profile or that have lost many customers in the attempt to offer mass-produced goods at prices that are still lower than those of their competitors.

New value paradigm in society - also for fashion
While fashion retailers and fashion brands are focusing on expanding online and have been putting their foot on the gas pedal since the corona pandemic at the latest, a parallel change in values is taking place in society. Many behaviors that have been practiced, tested and lived for months will continue to shape our consumer behavior and lifestyles in the future. The uncertainty in society as well as a shrinking economy and rising consumer prices as a result of the Ukraine war will further contribute to this shift in values.

The old paradigm was "primarily shaped by pragmatic factors such as price, quantity, safety and convenience, so consumer behavior was predominantly based on relatively simple cost-benefit calculations." The new value paradigm, on the other hand, is more strongly influenced by "soft factors". For example, the quality of a product is defined more holistically. In addition to price, "ecological, [...] ethical and social aspects are also taken into account. It is about positive or negative experiences that one has had with producers and about the visions that they pursue with their companies". This new value paradigm is forcing the large chain stores in particular to rethink. They have to develop their business models further in the direction of sustainability, transparency and responsibility - and show attitude. The influence of the neo-ecology megatrend combined with the push towards the sense economy is reshuffling the cards in the fashion industry.

The most important driver for the change in consumer behavior is climate protection, which is also becoming personally more important to more and more people because they are feeling the effects of climate change themselves in their everyday lives. The transition to a sustainable, bio-based and circular economy is accompanied by fundamental changes in the technical, economic and social environment.

Circular fashion as an opportunity for fast fashion
The development of the fashion industry - especially the fast fashion industry - towards a more circular economy is not a short-term trend, but one of the most long-term and at the same time forward-looking trends in retailing of all.

Even before the pandemic, a growing proportion of consumers placed value on sustainably produced clothing instead of constantly shopping the latest trends. A reset is needed, but the fashion industry faces a difficult question: How can it respond to the demand for new trends without neglecting its responsibility for the environment?

The solution for reducing emissions and conserving raw materials and resources seems obvious: produce less. On average, 2,700 liters of water are needed to produce a T-shirt - that much drinking water would last a person for two and a half years. In Europe, each person buys an average of 26 kilograms of textiles per year - and disposes eleven kilograms. Of this, almost 90 percent is incinerated or ends up in landfills. Overproduction, precarious working conditions during production and the use of non-sustainable materials are the major problems of the fast fashion industry. It is time to slow down fast fashion.

Fashion recycling by Design & Recycling as a Service
A first step towards keeping fashion and textiles in the cycle for longer is to recycle materials properly. In the future, recycling must be considered as early as the design stage - not only for sustainably produced fashion, but also for fast fashion. The H&M Group, for example, developed the Circulator for this purpose: The digital evaluation tool guides the designer through materials, components and design strategies that are best suited for the product depending on its purpose, and evaluates them in terms of their environmental impact, durability and recyclability.

However, more and more young companies are specializing in offering recycling for textiles as a service. They work directly with fashion retailers or fashion brands to enable the best possible recycling, re-circulation or even upcycling. Until now, it has not been worthwhile for large textile companies to invest in their own recycling systems. But Recycling as a Service is a market of the future, led by innovative start-ups such as Resortecs that are tackling previous hurdles in our recycling system. In the future, more and more new service providers will pop up around returns and recycling and help fashion retailers to align their material cycles more sustainably.

Secondhand conquers the fast fashion market
Another way to extend the life of clothing is to pass it on to new users. We are witnessing the triumph of vintage, retro and more - chic secondhand stores and chains like Resales and Humana are popping up everywhere. The renaming of secondhand to pre-owned or pre-loved also illustrates the increased appreciation of worn clothing. The trend toward secondhand also pays off economically for companies: The number of platforms whose business model revolves around the resale of clothing is increasing, and secondhand fashion is arriving in the middle of society. The luxury segment and especially vintage fashion are stable in price because the availability of these unique pieces is limited. Fast fashion, on the other hand, is available in sufficient quantities and is particularly interesting for price-sensitive customers, as secondhand is considered one of the most sustainable forms of consumption - meaning that fashion can be shopped with a clear conscience - and is usually even offered at a lower price than new goods. The second-hand market will continue to professionalize and become more socially acceptable. As a result, the fast fashion industry will also be forced to produce higher quality clothing in order to become or remain part of the circular system.

Slow fashion gains momentum thanks to technology
The development and orientation of fast fashion towards circular processes is also changing sustainable fashion. In the future, fast fashion and slow fashion can learn from each other to fully exploit their potential: fast fashion will become more sustainable, while slow fashion will focus on faster availability and delivery and make the customer experience as pleasant as possible. Fast and slow fashion are no longer compelling opposites - because the sustainable fashion movement can also benefit from technological innovations that are being established above all by the fashion platforms, and lift slow fashion to a new level.

At the same time, Sustainable Luxury is a new form of luxury consumption - especially in the field of designer fashion, sustainability is becoming the all-important criterion. Sustainability as a means of distinction for true luxury and sustainability as a basic prerequisite for a functioning fashion industry are increasingly converging. This is where the transition between a slowdown of fast fashion and an acceleration of slow fashion takes place.

Trend Sustainable Luxury
Luxury is defined less and less by the object and its possession and is increasingly becoming an expression of one's own lifestyle and values. Consumers' understanding of premium and luxury has changed - not least driven by the neo-ecology megatrend. In the future, it will no longer be just about owning something as expensive and ostentatious as possible. What began as a rebellion against careless consumption of luxury brands that promise high-end products but accept unfair and environmentally damaging manufacturing conditions in the process has increasingly become accepted as a value attitude. Luxury products have no less a claim than to improve the world.

Sustainable and ethical products and services made from innovative materials that have the power to solve problems and make the world a better place. At the same time, this highly ethically and morally charged form of sustainability is turning into a means of distinction: For the materials are so new, the manufacturing processes still so experimental, that the products are unique and often only available in very small quantities or on order. And this exclusive sustainability naturally comes at a price. After all, a company that pursues a mission is not concerned with simply cutting costs - certainly not at the expense of others or the environment. Instead of leather and fur, luxury fashion is now made from oranges, pineapples, hemp, cacti: there are more and more new, innovative and sustainable materials from which unique garments and accessories can be made.

Predictive, Pre-Order & Made-to-Order
Artificial intelligence and Big Data analysis can help predict fashion demand. Fast fashion leaders like Shein are characterized by agile production which is supported by AI algorithms for trend prediction fed with data from TikTok and other social media services. This could sustainably reduce overproduction and unsaleable goods in the future. As critical as Shein's practices are, the automation of processes also offers immense opportunities for a more sustainable fashion industry, as production only starts when goods are in demand.

AI support in the design process can be used to produce more sustainable fashion - and make it available more quickly. In a future of an avatar economy and in the world of virtual influencers, it may even be possible to dispense with part of the production process: Fashion will remain virtual - and thus more resource-efficient. Digital fashion will become increasingly important as the metaverse is built.

5 Key Takeaways on the Future of Fashion

  1. The current crisis in the fashion industry is an opportunity to move more in the direction of circular fashion. Above all, the new value paradigm in society, understanding quality more holistically and consuming more mindfully, is providing a push towards fairer, more ecological and more social fashion. Fast fashion and sustainability are not mutually exclusive.
  2. There are already first approaches to keep fast fashion in the cycle longer or to return it to the cycle. One important development is to consider recycling or reuse as early as the design and manufacturing process - known as recycling by design. In addition, there is a growing number of start-ups specializing in the optimized recycling of textiles and cooperating with major fashion players.
  3. Above all, the booming online trade in used fashion, often communicated as the pre-loved or pre-owned category, is making secondhand respectable for the mainstream. Such fashion, with a story and an aura of uniqueness, is also a cost-effective but more sustainable alternative to fast fashion.
  4. But slow fashion is also changing, especially due to the dominance of new technologies. Slow fashion can also benefit from processes that are currently manifesting themselves in the online fashion market, such as fast delivery or pre-order services. Slow fashion thus becomes more convenient, better and faster available. It will be easier for sustainably oriented fashion enthusiasts to consume according to their values and attitudes.
  5. The trend toward sustainable luxury continues: Sustainability as a means of distinction for a new form of luxury enables alternative manufacturing processes and innovative materials in the luxury fashion market. These are being showcased by an avant-garde and, if they prove successful, adapted by fast fashion.

1 https://onlineshop.zukunftsinstitut.de/shop/retail-report-2023/

Source:

Retail Report 2023 | Theresa Schleicher, Janine Seitz | June 2022

(c) Messe Karlsruhe, Jürgen Rösner
05.07.2022

The dream of owning a small home - or: How will we live tomorrow?

For the house and home textiles industry, the question is what consequences the current living trends will have for their furnishing concepts in the future: Adaptive habitat and modular houses, cohousing, senior citizens' residences or villages, between long-stay apartments, which are experiencing great growth in the hotel sector, and tiny houses for private users, suppliers will develop new ideas.

Since 2018, Messe Karlsruhe has been organizing Europe's largest Tiny House Festival. The NEW HOUSING - Tiny House Festival underlines the great interest in the Tiny House living trend.

For the house and home textiles industry, the question is what consequences the current living trends will have for their furnishing concepts in the future: Adaptive habitat and modular houses, cohousing, senior citizens' residences or villages, between long-stay apartments, which are experiencing great growth in the hotel sector, and tiny houses for private users, suppliers will develop new ideas.

Since 2018, Messe Karlsruhe has been organizing Europe's largest Tiny House Festival. The NEW HOUSING - Tiny House Festival underlines the great interest in the Tiny House living trend.

From 01 to 03 July 2022, around 7,000 Tiny House enthusiasts - significantly more than expected - came together at Messe Karlsruhe to experience the diversity and range of small, alternative forms of living. In a Tiny House village of 25 small houses on the open-air grounds of Messe Karlsruhe, they had the opportunity to network with each other and to find out and exchange information about living in the smallest of spaces from manufacturers, suppliers, self-builders, organizations and associations.

"The NEW HOUSING - Tiny House Festival pays outstanding attention to the trend towards sustainable living and thus has a forward-looking effect, especially here in Karlsruhe. As organizer of the festival and at the same time as initiator of the Tiny House Association, we bring the community together and set an example for smart developments in the topics of building and living," says Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Messe Karlsruhe.

Project manager Frank Thieme adds: "Tiny Houses create quality living space on small areas that are not suitable for classic residential development, for example because they are only available temporarily. Here, the festival serves the trend of sustainable use of land to create living space and drives the development towards lower resource consumption and the use of innovative building materials."

On the open-air grounds of Messe Karlsruhe, companies were there to answer questions and provide first-hand information. Exhibitors from all over Germany were present, including market leaders as well as carpentry shops and start-ups that have built up a second mainstay with the construction of Tiny Houses.

For the first time, companies from other European countries, including Latvia, Poland and Belgium, also presented themselves. A new element in 2022 was an information mile in the entrance area of the trade fair with a wide range of advisory services for future Tiny House residents as well as suppliers and outfitters.

There, regional Tiny House organizations and the Tiny House Association, among others, were there to answer questions and provide information about their work. Regina Schleyer, chairwoman of the board of the Tiny House Association, which structurally represents over 2,000 members in German-speaking countries, says: "The number of visitors is really overwhelming. The interest is very high, people are very open-minded and interested in the association. We succeeded in presenting what local offers are being developed in the associations nationwide. We are truly very satisfied with the fair, a complete success."

The visitors traveled to Karlsruhe from all over Germany and beyond its borders to find out about small alternative forms of living. They particularly appreciated the opportunity to meet the manufacturers in person and to visit the Tiny Houses on site.

The lecture program at the festival complemented the exhibition and offered insights into successful self-build stories, topics such as self-sufficiency, sustainability and finding a suitable site, as well as informative literature. Topic-relevant lectures with experts shared tips and tricks as well as experiences within the Tiny House community.

The next NEW HOUSING - Tiny House Festival will take place from June 30 to July 2, 2023 at Messe Karlsruhe.

Source:

Messe Karlsruhe / Textination

Textile Prototyping Lab The modules from the prototyping kit can be used to create a variety of e-textiles © Textile Prototyping Lab
14.09.2021

Art meets Science: Prototyping Lab for textile electronics

Anyone who thinks of research laboratories only in terms of protective suits and clean rooms is not quite right: Since April, patterns, seams and mannequins have not been uncommon in the new Textile Prototyping Lab (TPL) at Fraunhofer IZM in Berlin. With the TPL, there is now a place where creative high-tech textiles are produced and which already distinguishes itself from the style of usual research laboratories by its design. As a collaborative project with the Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin, textile-integrated electronics are created here for a wide range of applications from architecture to medicine.

Anyone who thinks of research laboratories only in terms of protective suits and clean rooms is not quite right: Since April, patterns, seams and mannequins have not been uncommon in the new Textile Prototyping Lab (TPL) at Fraunhofer IZM in Berlin. With the TPL, there is now a place where creative high-tech textiles are produced and which already distinguishes itself from the style of usual research laboratories by its design. As a collaborative project with the Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin, textile-integrated electronics are created here for a wide range of applications from architecture to medicine.

Since its opening, the lab has been available to designers and product developers to prototype individual visions in the field of e-textiles. The possibilities are virtually unlimited: From interfaces between textiles and electronics to the testing of process chains, parts of the laboratory or even the entire laboratory can be used freely. In addition to the pure development and construction work, the premises can be converted in a few moves and repurposed for workshops or exhibitions.

Malte von Krshiwoblozki, who is providing scientific support for the project at Fraunhofer IZM, cited other advantages: “Not only the modular workstations and the meeting area are attractive for joint project work, especially the machinery offers a wide range for interested parties. The ‘sewing and embroidery’ work area, for example, is equipped with several sewing machines as well as a computer-controlled embroidery machine. It thus becomes central to the TPL, as textile finishing with small-format machines is the focus of this lab's work.” Another work area covers “Cutting & Separating” with a laser cutter and a cutting plotter. In addition, there are several presses and laminators, a soldering station and a 3D printer.

In the TPL, beginners can also try their hand at e-textiles and expand their knowledge: The prototyping kit developed at Fraunhofer IZM, which includes a series of electronic modules, LEDs and sensors that can be embroidered by hand as well as by machine, is particularly helpful in this regard.

“For particularly durable electronic textiles, the textile bonder developed and built by Fraunhofer IZM researchers can also be used in cooperative projects of the Textile Prototyping Lab. The versatile modules of the prototyping kit are deliberately designed so that integration into the textile can take place not only with classic textile technology such as embroidery during the prototyping phase, but also for subsequent, more industrial implementations using the textile bonder. In keeping with the motto ‘sharing is caring’ and the principle of interdisciplinarity, we at Fraunhofer IZM are available to provide advice and support during the realization of the textile projects, so that the artists' ideas can be enriched using such new technology,” said Malte von Krshiwoblozki.

Even before the opening of the laboratory, the collaboration between the Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin and Fraunhofer IZM had already produced developments that combine art and research in revolutionary ways. For example, a light rail for lamps that is made of a soft and conductive textile belt was created in cooperation with the designer Stefan Diez. For the Hans Riegel Foundation's Touch Tomorrow educational project, an interactive jacket was developed that can control the color of integrated LEDs via arm movements. The team of the Textile Prototyping Lab is looking forward to upcoming, exciting and agile projects and is open for ideas from start-ups, SMEs as well as industry partners.

Source:

Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM

(c) Neonyt/Messe Frankfurt GmbH
30.03.2021

Circularity and Fashion: Interview about the Business and Communication Platform Neonyt

Circular instead of throwaway economy - from fast fashion to zero-waste philosophy. The key elements of the circular economy in the fashion business are: Avoiding waste and pollution through new processes, continuous recycling of products and materials, and regeneration of natural systems. Textination talked with Olaf Schmidt, Vice President of Textiles & Textile Technologies, and Thimo Schwenzfeier, Show Director of Neonyt, from Messe Frankfurt about the Neonyt trade show as a business and communication platform for circularity & fashion.
 
It has been about 10 years since Messe Frankfurt ventured onto the "sustainable" fashion trade show stage. Initially with the Ethical Fashion Show, then with the Greenshowroom, there were two trade show formats in Berlin dedicated to the topic of green fashion. What prompted you as a trade show organizer to launch such a special format in Germany at that time?

Circular instead of throwaway economy - from fast fashion to zero-waste philosophy. The key elements of the circular economy in the fashion business are: Avoiding waste and pollution through new processes, continuous recycling of products and materials, and regeneration of natural systems. Textination talked with Olaf Schmidt, Vice President of Textiles & Textile Technologies, and Thimo Schwenzfeier, Show Director of Neonyt, from Messe Frankfurt about the Neonyt trade show as a business and communication platform for circularity & fashion.
 
It has been about 10 years since Messe Frankfurt ventured onto the "sustainable" fashion trade show stage. Initially with the Ethical Fashion Show, then with the Greenshowroom, there were two trade show formats in Berlin dedicated to the topic of green fashion. What prompted you as a trade show organizer to launch such a special format in Germany at that time?

Olaf Schmidt: Messe Frankfurt's Texpertise Network brings together the world's most important textile trade shows - at around 60 events worldwide, we show what drives the textile and fashion industry. We present the current topics and trends and set impulses for the entire textile value chain. Messe Frankfurt recognized the need for a suitable platform for the future topic of sustainability at an early stage. It was therefore obvious to expand our expertise in the field of fashion and to meet the demand from this segment. To achieve this, we have adapted and realigned existing formats: After launching the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris in 2004, Messe Frankfurt France took over the event in 2010. Two years later, Messe Frankfurt founded the Ethical Fashion Show Berlin in Germany and found, with the moving of the event to the polarizing capital, the ideal location for the coming years. Messe Frankfurt merged the already existing Greenshowroom with the Ethical Fashion Show, and from January 2015 the two shows took place in one venue. For Messe Frankfurt, hosting these events was the next logical step on our way to a sustainable fashion future - the concept is now established in the sustainable fashion market and has a continuous growth potential. The merging of the trade show duo in 2019, with the current name Neonyt, allowed us, our exhibitors and visitors a new content orientation and a holistic approach to the topic of sustainability as well as a more direct access to the conventional fashion market, especially with regard to retail. In summer 2021, Neonyt will take place for the first time in the new fashion hotspot Frankfurt as part of the new Frankfurt Fashion Week.

 
In 2019, both event formats were merged, the new trade show Neonyt was born and 1 + 1 became what? What components does Neonyt offer in addition to the previous trade show concepts, what is so "new-new" and how did you actually come up with the name?

Thimo Schwenzfeier: One plus one, as you so nicely put it, did not simply add up to two with Neonyt. One plus one equals unique, neo-new, internationally relevant: Among other things, the trade show business was supplemented by the international conference format Fashionsustain and a showcase to gradually bring
together the topic of sustainability with the topics of technology, innovation and prepress. Our content creator format Prepeek ensures the necessary lifestyle and the fashion show provides the glamour of the fashion world. Neonyt combines the most important elements of the international textile and fashion industry - style, business, inspiration, innovation, knowledge, fun and community. And that is exactly what makes Neonyt so "new-new". Progressive and polarizing - the artificial word Neonyt is derived from the ancient Greek word "neo" (eng. new, revolutionary) and the Scandinavian word "nytt" (eng. new). "The renewed new" - Neonyt is our synonym for the fundamental transformation process of the textile and fashion industry, a reinterpretation of what has already been there and our commitment not to stand still and to promote positive change together.

 
For the Neonyt trade show format, you have teamed up with partners - for example, for conferencing components and in the design area. What expertise do they provide, and what is the added value for exhibitors and visitors?

Thimo Schwenzfeier: We know which future topics our brands and the community are currently dealing with and therefore create the right platform - for personal encounters and exchange, for networking and successful business deals. To put it simply: we organize trade shows, we organize events, we provide the right setting, we connect people and business. Neonyt therefore forms the global interface between the various players in the textile and fashion industry - between industry, trade, politics, services and consumption. And so that a lively, transparent and, above all, authentic dialog can develop between all counterparts, we naturally draw on the knowledge of industry experts and form strong partnerships to push fashion and sustainability forward. Only together can we achieve real change and guarantee that our community is provided with sufficient and, above all, the right information to make self-determined decisions.
 

In recent years, the keyword circularity - or rather closing the loop - has been encountered everywhere in the fashion industry. Whether Stella McCartney, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, or large retail groups - many players and decision-makers are of the opinion that the future of the fashion world lies only in a circular economy and not in downcycling of any kind. What is Neonyt's view on this?
         
Thimo Schwenzfeier: That's right, the concept of circular economy is not new, nor is it limited to the textile and fashion industry. Circularity - actually the ultimate for every product, every industry, for our global society. The concept is supposedly simple: All materials and products are kept in a closed loop, the useful life is increased and at the end of the product life cycle everything is recycled. Many sustainable fashion labels are already showing how it's done. Neonyt brands are right at the forefront and are already implementing practices that should become the norm as soon as possible: starting with T-shirts or shoes made from recycled materials and take-back systems for collection items. As well as compostable clothing that "dissolves" at the end of the product life cycle and breaks down into its natural components, and on to repair services and leasing models for denim and co. - thinking holistically, acting in a sustainable manner and producing in a circular way are definitely the trends of the coming fashion seasons and at least one important, if not the most important, component of the future fashion world.

 
For the idea of a circular economy to be implemented successfully, there needs to be an interplay between technology, production, design and sales. What presentation options and forms of communication does Neonyt have in store for the various components?  

Thimo Schwenzfeier: The combined innovative power of technology, sustainability and digitization is an important driver of the current developments in the textile and fashion industry - including the topic of circularity. Processes and production sequences are changing along the entire value chain - the industry has to reinvent itself for the most part. Neonyt shows how this can work successfully in the long term, with the internationally established Fashionsustain conference format - including spin-offs in China, Europe and the USA - and the supplementary Showcase. Together, these two formats offer the ideal mix of orientation and inspiration to prepare the industry for the future. Virtual fashion, authentic brands and textile value chains, science and innovation as well as retail, business models and impact investment - at Fashionsustain, top-class experts will exchange ideas with an interested professional audience and discuss the change and new solutions in the textile and fashion industry. The Neonyt Showcase takes a deeper look at the topics and innovations presented and discussed on the Fashionsustain stage. Expert knowledge on-demand, so to speak: whether microfactories or installations - Neonyt brands as well as brands from the rest of the Texpertise Network of Messe Frankfurt, such as exhibitors at Texprocess, get the chance to present sustainable innovations, new technologies and materials, initiatives, change-maker campaigns or research projects. Here they interact directly and practically with Neonyt's international cross-sector community.
 

Last year was an unprecedented challenge for trade show companies due to the pandemic situation. Neonyt was also affected by this - and physical events had to be canceled. With a digital format "Neonyt on Air" you have tried to offer exhibitors and visitors an alternative platform. What has been your experience: Did the focus of the trade show and its community perhaps even help to make such a virtual event easier to launch? 

Olaf Schmidt: Corona has already changed a lot and will certainly continue to do so in one way or another. Nevertheless, it will continue to be our task as trade show organizers to offer the industry the best possible meeting platforms for presenting their new products worldwide. We are convinced that people will continue to want to meet in person and discuss new products as well as services in the future. This is particularly the case in the textile sector, where haptics plays a very crucial role. We expect that there will even be a certain catch-up effect after the crisis. Because what the last two very successful digital seasons of Neonyt on Air, for example, have nevertheless shown clearly: Fashion lives from personalities, presentation and inspiration. Digital formats can support this, but they cannot fully replace it.
 
Thimo Schwenzfeier: The digital Neonyt on Air was far from being a total replacement for the original physical seasons, but nevertheless a huge success. For one week, fashion, lifestyle and digital experts were discussing about more authenticity, immediacy and transparency in the textile and fashion industry in numerous keynotes, interviews and panel discussions. With more than 24,000 international followers on Instagram, we generated around 50,000 impressions and more than 4,700 content interactions with our presenting partners Grüner Knopf, Hessnatur and Oeko-Tex in just five days. These figures show, that the topic of sustainability has arrived in the middle of society and is being discussed across all industries. I think that the polarization and, above all, the prevailing restrictions, as far as trade and commerce are concerned, have certainly contributed to holding a successful digital format. Digitization was truly the booster for the fashion industry in this case: Instead of replacing personal exchange, it helps to maintain and expand the business activities of brands, especially in the current times. And quite clearly, the need for exchange in the fashion industry and the motivation to initiate together a change are still enormous. Neonyt on Air has once again shown us that clearly. However, we are already looking forward to the next physical edition of Neonyt.
 

The COVID-19 pandemic has also left its mark on the textile and clothing industry. When you look back on just under a year of "state of emergency" - what positive experiences do you take with you, where do you see a need for improvement, for what support are you grateful for and where did you feel you were left on your own? 

Olaf Schmidt: A year like no other - that can clearly be said about the last one. The Corona pandemic caught everyone off guard - us as trade show organizers, but of course also our exhibitors, visitors and partners. Especially in the near future, we must continue to expect, that trade shows can only be held under stricter health and safety regulations at first. Messe Frankfurt reacted quickly and developed a comprehensive safety and hygiene concept. One thing was clear: we all had to adjust and deal with a new situation. And so far, we've done a great job together, the team understanding among each other, the close contact - although physically at a distance, but globally networked - between all those involved, makes me feel positive about the future. For me, an important realization of this global pandemic, a credo almost, is to be open to new ways and opportunities and to find ways to combine things rather than separate them: Hybrid solutions, so to speak.    

Thimo Schwenzfeier: There was no master plan for Neonyt, and in places there was also the impression that we now had to "reinvent the wheel": How does collaboration work when face-to-face meetings cannot take place? Can digitized contact compensate for the social distancing that is currently being imposed and still make it possible to work closely together? How can business relationships be maintained when stores are closed? How can priorities be set when well-tested solutions and established annual plans lose their validity? Who am I, who are 'the others' and what defines community? Never have questions about our creation and existence, about what makes us who we are and what we want to be, been more relevant than right now. One thing that I take away from the current situation and that allows me to continue to look forward positively despite difficult circumstances is the fact, that cohesion and solidarity with one another - both privately and professionally - have become increasingly important. Like a magnifying glass, the crisis has magnified existing opportunities, but also challenges, and brought the essentials into focus. I think that if we continue to try to experience things more consciously and not take them for granted, we will manage together to create a " new normal " and leave this crisis with more strength.
 

As in the past in Berlin, Neonyt is currently also located in Frankfurt in the environment of the Fashion Week and conventional trade shows. Can you imagine that a special event concept like Neonyt will be unnecessary in a few years, because the circularity concept will have established itself in the clothing industry worldwide?

Olaf Schmidt: A clear no. Sustainability per se is already no longer a unique selling point. The important thing is to keep up with the times, to follow trends or, even better, to track down new trends yourself and develop them further. Things, strategies, concepts will always change - if last year showed us one thing, it was certainly that. It is more than desirable that we all learn from this crisis and reflect on the really important values, on solidarity between partners, on climate protection and sustainability. It may be exactly for this reason, that companies that place particular emphasis on sustainability will emerge even stronger from this crisis. So you can be sure that we, as a leading international trade show organizer for the textile industry, will continue to focus on sustainability and support future-oriented companies and solutions. However, this will not make our formats obsolete due to the establishment and normalization of holistic business practices in the textile industry. But it is impossible to make an exact forecast for the coming decades. Over the last few months, we have all noticed ourselves in our personal everyday lives or in our professional lives, how uncertain and volatile the future is. What is clear, however, is that the fashion industry - the world in general - will change even faster than before. And therein lies the opportunity for formats like Neonyt. The ten-year history shows in how many directions Neonyt has already developed, content focal points have been shifted and it has reinvented itself - this will also be the case in the future.
 

Mr. Schwenzfeier, in addition to your role as Director of Marketing Communications for Messe Frankfurt's textile exhibitions, you have also been Show Director of Neonyt since 2018. You have spoken to many exhibitors and visitors - which ideas or creations have particularly impressed you?

Thimo Schwenzfeier: I think it's not so much the individual innovations or creations of the exhibitors at our trade shows. And I deliberately choose the plural here. Because in my function as Director of Marketing Communications in the Textiles & Textile Technologies division of Messe Frankfurt, Neonyt is just one of "my" events. I think it's more the variety of fashion, technical and professional innovations that brands, labels, companies, start-ups and designers present every year. But if I really had to choose one innovation, it would probably be the vegan "Currywurst" sneakers made of red pepper and recycled PET bottles - the same label also offers shoes made of wood, stone, coffee and mushrooms or now even meteorite particles. It is impressive to experience every season anew of how creative the textile and fashion industry is.
 

Breaking new ground means being willing to make decisions, overcoming fears - and thus also having the courage to fail. Not every project can succeed. In retrospect, about which entrepreneurial decision by Messe Frankfurt are you particularly glad, that you made?
 
Olaf Schmidt: Clearly the decision to create Neonyt. To establish our own trade show format for fashion, sustainability and innovation and to integrate the freedom and lifestyle, which entail this topic, into our event. After more than a decade, we may be saying goodbye to Berlin in 2021, but not to our community and our spirit. Together we look back on many fashionable seasons and great locations in the capital: starting in the Hotel Adlon Kempinski to the Ewerk, the Postbahnhof, the Kronprinzenpalais, the Funkhaus and the Kraftwerk to the last physical event in Tempelhof. With the turn of the year and in the setting of Frankfurt Fashion Week, Neonyt is about to move to the metropolis by the Main. In Frankfurt, worlds collide: Skyscrapers and 19th-century villas. Architectural sins and masterpieces. Business and middle class. Red-light district and luxury boulevard. Frankfurt Fashion Week sets new impulses in this area of conflict. And in the middle of all this is Neonyt. The signs are pointing to a new beginning - a restart for the entire fashion industry, together we are taking sustainability to the next level - the focus topics Applied Sustainability and Applied Digitization are creating a completely new Fashion Week ecosystem in the metropolis by the Main.
 

If everything works out, Neonyt can be held again as a face-to-face event for the first time in July 2021. What are your plans? What and who can visitors look forward to? And what backup is there for a worst-case scenario?

Thimo Schwenzfeier: Of course, due to the currently ongoing tense situation around Covid-19, it is difficult to make binding statements about the next physical event. However, we are cur rently expecting the situation to ease into the summer summer 2021 is therefore on the health of everyone - exhibitors, visitors, partners and employees of Neonyt. Messe Frankfurt has developed a concept that includes detailed hygienic measures: Hygiene, distance and fresh air supply are important factors, which we coordinate with the responsible authorities in Frankfurt and those in charge of Frankfurt Fashion Week. In due course, the Neonyt community will receive advice and recommendations for the trade show attendance and participation, that comply with current regulations. We have not yet thought about a concrete backup for a worst-case scenario, as we are currently anticipating a physical B2B event - but the last two seasons have shown, should it not be possible to hold the Neonyt face-to-face, that we are quite well positioned with the digital Neonyt on Air and could certainly adapt the format for another summer event. We regularly exchange ideas with all market participants and try to get a sense of opinions and wishes from our community through surveys. Wait and see, one might say - in the end, we also have to act according to what the current health situation allows and what decisions are made by politicians.

The Interview was conducted by Ines Chucholowius,
Managing Partner, Textination GmbH

Entries now open for Basecamp of Inspiration by ISPO Brandnew in cooperation with Globetrotter © KontraPixel | Jana Erb
16.03.2021

Entries now open for Basecamp of Inspiration by ISPO Brandnew in cooperation with Globetrotter

  • Calling all innovative start-ups in the outdoor industry
  • Globetrotter as official Partner
  • Online entries incl. submission of products open until May 14, 2021

Basecamp of Inspiration by ISPO Brandnew in cooperation with Globetrotter is taking place in 2021. The competition is open to start-ups working in the outdoor industry that have developed innovative products. 10 shortlisted start-ups will be given the opportunity to make their pitch for first place live during OutDoor by ISPO from July 6 to 8, 2021. The winner will receive a “Globetrotter Innolab Scholarship”. The outdoor retailer is the Basecamp’s official partner. The competition entry process has already been successfully launched and will remain open until May 14, 2021.

  • Calling all innovative start-ups in the outdoor industry
  • Globetrotter as official Partner
  • Online entries incl. submission of products open until May 14, 2021

Basecamp of Inspiration by ISPO Brandnew in cooperation with Globetrotter is taking place in 2021. The competition is open to start-ups working in the outdoor industry that have developed innovative products. 10 shortlisted start-ups will be given the opportunity to make their pitch for first place live during OutDoor by ISPO from July 6 to 8, 2021. The winner will receive a “Globetrotter Innolab Scholarship”. The outdoor retailer is the Basecamp’s official partner. The competition entry process has already been successfully launched and will remain open until May 14, 2021.

The format for start-ups, which is based on a long tradition spanning 20 years, is being slightly reworked this year: the jury, consisting of industry experts, will shortlist the 10 best entries after which the relevant entrants will be invited to make their pitch for the scholarship and other prizes live on stage at OutDoor by ISPO. 

Winners will benefit from global reach and communications strategies
The winner of the top spot will receive a Globetrotter Innolab Scholarship: the winning product will be included in Globetrotter’s range and prominently showcased and advertised in the Globetrotter Innovation Lab in Berlin for an entire season. The winning start-up will also be given the golden opportunity to present the product or service in the Globetrotter online store and in selected retail spaces. Finally, the Globetrotter Innolab Scholarship will also involve inclusion in the outdoor retailer’s communications and content strategy. Globetrotter will promote the winning product via various different digital channels, including newsletters, social media platforms, blogs, and the Globetrotter magazine. The winner may also benefit from support in terms of subsequent marketing as well as joint further development of the product.  

Outdoor and adventure photographer Jana Erb from KontraPixel will shoot a video for the runner-up about the brand, including interviews and a tour of the company. Both the product and the start-up involved will therefore benefit from professional production. The third-placed start-up will win exclusive PR material from KontraPixel, including photos of its products.
Jana Erb is thrilled about the partnership with Basecamp: “Prizes like these firstly enable fledgling brands to network with the industry’s big hitters and secondly provide them with a unique opportunity to present their new products to a diverse audience.“

Globetrotter as solid partner for Basecamp of Inspiration by ISPO Brandnew
Globetrotter has its finger firmly on the pulse in terms of the industry’s latest developments and trends. The Globetrotter Innovation Lab has been a feature of the Berlin store since fall 2020. This area’s sole purpose is to showcase innovative developments in the outdoor retail industry. As such, Globetrotter is offering the Basecamp winner an unbeatable environment in which to present both itself as a newcomer and its award-winning product.
 
Franziska Zindl, Head of ISPO Awards & Innovations: “Not only does the cooperation demonstrate retail’s huge interest in and commitment to the summer format of ISPO Brandnew but the extensive service package is also set to provide the smallest players in our industry with yet another incredible springboard for gaining a solid foothold in the market.”

Andreas Vogler, CEO Globetrotter: “We are truly thrilled to be able to work together with the ISPO Brandnew team to offer up-and-coming new start-ups the benefit of our marketing expertise. We are proud of the fact that we are passionate about innovation and are now perfectly positioned to offer our services as a sales and launch partner. And, for us, ISPO is a partner with vision and a seemingly infinite network.”

More information:
ISPO OutDoor by Ispo
Source:

Messe München

Wanted: Start-ups with innovations for textile care © Photo: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Jens Liebchen
09.02.2021

Wanted: Start-ups with innovations for textile care

From 24-hour deliveries, status tracking and green packaging to textile recycling and innovative cleaning technology: new services have the potential to revolutionise the business of dry cleaners and laundries. Against this background, Messe Frankfurt invites start-ups to present their products and ideas at Texcare International. The world’s most important event for the textile-care sector in Frankfurt am Main from 27 November to 1 December 2021 offers young entrepreneurs outstanding opportunities to draw the market’s attention to their innovations.

From 24-hour deliveries, status tracking and green packaging to textile recycling and innovative cleaning technology: new services have the potential to revolutionise the business of dry cleaners and laundries. Against this background, Messe Frankfurt invites start-ups to present their products and ideas at Texcare International. The world’s most important event for the textile-care sector in Frankfurt am Main from 27 November to 1 December 2021 offers young entrepreneurs outstanding opportunities to draw the market’s attention to their innovations.

The demands placed by both private and commercial customers on textile care are extremely high, especially in terms of speed, immediate availability, transparent communication and sustainable solutions. In this connection, Johannes Schmid-Wiedersheim, Director of Texcare International at Messe Frankfurt, says, “Start-ups have an important role to play when it comes to promoting digitalisation and sustainability in the world of textile care. In many cases, they succeed quickly in transforming the results of scientific research or trends from other sectors into useful projects. To support this, we want specifically to promote young, agile companies at Texcare International and offer them an attractive ‘Start-up Package’.”

Digital platforms offer dry cleaners and laundries an opportunity to promote their services online in a modern way. Summarising what makes these platforms so important, Daniel Dalkowski, Managing Director of the European Research Association for Innovative Textile Care (EFIT), says, “Digital platforms are undoubtedly one of the most important achievements of recent times – not just because there are so many of them but also because they have found imitators in the sector. In this case, the innovation is to be seen in a combination of ordering, flexible logistics and billing in a smartphone app or online platform.”

With their robotics solutions and bright ideas for artificial intelligence, IT start-ups help textile care companies on their way to becoming smart laundries. Elgar Straub, Managing Director, VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies, explains how machine and plant manufacturers have benefited from their input: “In the field of mechanical engineering, an important role is played by start-ups offering technical solutions covering a broad spectrum of sectors, e.g., virtual machine commissioning and the optimisation of production process chains.”

Naturally, company founders in other disciplines are also putting forward their ideas. Against the background of the plastic waste debate, there are, for instance, numerous start-ups offering biodegradable packaging materials. As well, there are start-ups in the field of textile recycling, which process used workwear or laundry and thus contribute to the circular economy. And what does the future hold for the sector? One thing is for the experts certain: artificial intelligence and automation offer a great potential for ‘outsiders’ with genuine innovations to gain a foothold in the market. Improvements in the logistics chain of laundries and dry cleaners also have excellent chances of success.

Market entry at Texcare International Texcare
International from 27 November to 1 December 2021 offers start-ups an outstanding opportunity to draw attention to their services and to make contact with established companies. The Start-up Package of Messe Frankfurt includes a turnkey exhibition stand.

The prerequisites for participation:

  • The company was founded no more than ten years ago per 27 November 2021
  • The company employs max. ten people.
  • The annual turnover does not exceed € 1 million (net).
  • The start-up offers innovative products or services especially for the textile-care sector.

The product spectrum of Texcare International embraces machines and plant, laundry and cleaning substances, IT and logistics solutions and workwear and laundry.

More information:
texcare Startup Start-ups
Source:

Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

26.01.2021

DBU-Funding: From 3D Knitting Machines to Washing without Water

Environmental protection through digitalization - funding for start-ups

Clothing on-demand, a new type of textile cleaning and locally generated green electricity - these three business ideas of “Digitale Strickmanufaktur” (Krefeld), “Infinity Startup” (Aachen) and “prosumergy” (Kassel) convinced the Green Start-up Program’s jury of the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU). They will receive a total of around 370,000 euros in technical and financial support.

The DBU promotes company foundations and start-ups that combine solutions for the environment, ecology and sustainability in an innovative way with a focus on digitalization.
General conditions for promotion:

Environmental protection through digitalization - funding for start-ups

Clothing on-demand, a new type of textile cleaning and locally generated green electricity - these three business ideas of “Digitale Strickmanufaktur” (Krefeld), “Infinity Startup” (Aachen) and “prosumergy” (Kassel) convinced the Green Start-up Program’s jury of the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU). They will receive a total of around 370,000 euros in technical and financial support.

The DBU promotes company foundations and start-ups that combine solutions for the environment, ecology and sustainability in an innovative way with a focus on digitalization.
General conditions for promotion:

  • in the founding phase as well as start-ups up to 5 years old
  • up to 125,000€ per project
  • up to 24 months duration

A cloud service for retail
The “Digitale Strickmanufaktur” wants to change the clothing industry sustainably. The founders are developing a cloud service that is directly linked to retail. Customers of the " “Digitale Strickmanufaktur” can order individualized garments in which size, color and design are adapted to their wishes. The order data is then transferred using the cloud, an online storage medium. They can be retrieved at any place in the world.

First order - then produce
If a customer orders a hat, for example, the order is automatically transmitted to 3D knitting machines. Then production begins, followed by shipment of the goods. The “Digitale Strickmanufaktur” produces knitwear on demand completely automatically with robots and a 3D knitting machine.

In this way, sales can be planned for retailers and not too much clothing is produced. Additionally: The products are manufactured close to the customer in Germany. Long transport routes and times are eliminated.

Washing without washing machine
The “RefresherBoxx” of the “Infinity Startup” is basically a mobile textile cleaner that does not require water or detergent. “Using a combination of different physical methods, it disinfects, dries and refreshes all kinds of textiles - especially those that can't be put in the washing machine, like leather, velvet and silk,” explains founder Stefan Chang. The “RefresherBoxx” is gentler, more environmentally friendly and only takes 30 minutes for one washing phase. According to Chang, the mobile textile cleaning system can be used in the medical sector, but also in the private and leisure sector.

Local power for commerce and e-mobility
The start-up "prosumergy" offers building owners and tenants a low-cost power supply from renewable energies that are mainly generated locally. "With the help of the DBU, we want to further develop our energy supply approach. By means of standardization and digitization, we want to develop concepts for the decentralized power supply of commercial properties and charging solutions for e-mobility," says founder Lena Cielejewski.

25 founding teams already funded
The three founding teams will now be funded for two years in the DBU's Green Start-up program. "They bring together solutions for the environment, ecology and sustainability with a focus on digitalization in an innovative way," said DBU Start-up coordinator Dr. Stefanie Grade. 22 other companies have already convinced the selection committee of themselves since the program was launched.

Contact details
Digitale Strickmanufaktur PoC GmbH (Krefeld)
Connecting textile trade and automated textile production with the help of cloud services
Contact Mr. Christian Zarbl
URL: digitale-strickmanufaktur.de

Infinity StartUp GmbH (Aachen)
Development, production and distribution of cleaning equipment for textiles, especially using physical methods, as well as development of related applications.
Contact Mr. Stefan Chang
URL: refresherboxx.com

prosumergy GmbH (Kassel)
prosumergy GmbH realizes decentralized energy supply projects as project developer and energy supplier
Contact Christopher Neumann
URL: prosumergy.de

Photo: Wilhelm-Lorch-Foundation.
11.08.2020

Wilhelm Lorch Foundation: Demand and Support - Qualifying young and up-and-coming Talents

  • Interview with Klaus Kottmeier, Elke Giese, Markus Gotta, Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Maike Rabe

In June 1988, the shareholders and management of Deutscher Fachverlag announced the Wilhelm Lorch Foundation to the textile and garment industry. Its purpose is to promote vocational training, including student assistance as well as science and research.

Upon its establishment, the Foundation received an initial endowment of DM 300,000 from Deut-scher Fachverlag. Today, the Foundation has assets of approx. 2,85 m. Euro (as at Dec 2019). Since 1988, the foundation has awarded sponsorship prizes of around EUR 1,933,564 (as of June 2020) to date, in order to fund the initial and further training of young people from all areas of the textile industry, with a particular focus on young and up-and-coming talents.

  • Interview with Klaus Kottmeier, Elke Giese, Markus Gotta, Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Maike Rabe

In June 1988, the shareholders and management of Deutscher Fachverlag announced the Wilhelm Lorch Foundation to the textile and garment industry. Its purpose is to promote vocational training, including student assistance as well as science and research.

Upon its establishment, the Foundation received an initial endowment of DM 300,000 from Deut-scher Fachverlag. Today, the Foundation has assets of approx. 2,85 m. Euro (as at Dec 2019). Since 1988, the foundation has awarded sponsorship prizes of around EUR 1,933,564 (as of June 2020) to date, in order to fund the initial and further training of young people from all areas of the textile industry, with a particular focus on young and up-and-coming talents.

Textination talked to the former chairman of the supervisory board of Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH, the current member of the executive board and founding member of the foundation, Klaus Kottmeier, as well as three members of the board of trustees: Mrs. Elke Giese - trend analyst and fashion journalist, Markus Gotta, managing director of Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH, and Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Maike Rabe, who will take over the chairmanship of the foundation board on September 1, 2020, about the challenging task of continuing successfully the foundation's work in an environment characterized by the pandemic.

The figure 3 seems to play a very special role for the Wilhelm Lorch Foundation (WLS). In 1988 announced on the occasion of the 30th Forum of the TextilWirtschaft, it was endowed with assets of DM 300,000. 2019 marked the 30th anniversary of the award of the sponsorship prizes. If you had to introduce the WLS in 100 words to someone who does not know the foundation: Which 3 aspects have particularly influenced its development and made it unique?

Klaus Kottmeier: In more than 30 years the WLS has been in existence, the foundation has received great support all over the sector from the very beginning. This continues to this day and is not only reflected in the financial support provided by generous grants, but above all in an active commitment of many sector leaders on the foundation board and board of trustees. A second aspect is the unique range in the topics of the support, which extends across design, business and technology, covering young talents in retail as well as university graduates, but also involving educational institutions themselves. And thirdly, the motivation of so many applicants we experience every year, who prepare their applications with incredible diligence and thus impressively demonstrate their willingness to perform.

 

The name of the foundation is a tribute to Wilhelm Lorch, the publisher and founder of the trade journal Textil-Wirtschaft and thus of Deutscher Fachverlag, who died in 1966. Which of his characteristics and traits do you still see as exemplary for the next generation in our industry today?

Klaus Kottmeier: We are a publishing media house where professional journalism based on sound research always forms the basis. This is associated with classic values such as entrepreneurial courage and will, diligence and discipline, but also a sense of responsibility and team spirit, which were exemplified by our founder and which still form the culture of our company today. These all are qualities young people should take to heart and which, coupled with a passion for their profession, encourage them to continue on their path.

 

According to its statutes, the primary purpose of the foundation is the awarding of "... awards and prizes to graduates of continuation schools of the German retail textile trade, textile-technical training institutes and [...] for final degree or doctoral theses from universities, as far as these deal with textile topics.” How nationally and internationally does the WLS work?

Prof. Maike Rabe: The prizes are mainly awarded to graduates and applicants from Germany and German-speaking countries, but there are also always talents from Europe, who have close ties to the German market.

Markus Gotta: The focus is clearly on the core market of Germany or Germany-Austria-Switzerland respectively, which we cover with the TW - accordingly, we do not advertise internationally, but there is no exclusion for foreign applicants, the only requirement is that the submitted works and reports must be written in German or English.

 

Over the past 31 years in which the foundation has been awarding prizes to people, projects and works, you have met many young talents who have moved our industry or will certainly do so. Are there any unusual stories or special award winners that have remained in your memory? And how do you assess the development of the applicants' educational level over the years?

Elke Giese: The applicants come from very different schools and universities, differing significantly in their profiles and focus. The demands on teaching have grown enormously, especially as a result of increasing digitization. Since the job profiles in the fashion business are also constantly changing and will continue to be subject to major changes in the future, the challenges for schools and students remain very high.
From each year, particularly talented and creative personalities remain in one's memory. To name one, Elisa Paulina Herrmann from Pforzheim, who was twice among the prize winners in 2017 and 2019 with her bachelor's and then master's thesis. Her ability and originality were overwhelming for the board of trustees. She now creates exclusive knitwear collections for Gucci. Among the young men is Niels Holger Wien, who received WLS funding in 1995. He has been the specialist for color trends and zeitgeist of the German Fashion Institute for many years and is currently president of the world's most important color committee INTERCOLOR.

Klaus Kottmeier: There are many award winners who have subsequently made a great career, to name just one example, Dr. Oliver Pabst, current CEO of Mammut Sports Group AG and WLS award winner in 1994.

 

Due to its proximity to TextilWirtschaft, the foundation is primarily associated with fashion design and topics related to clothing production or marketing. In 2020 you have put Smart Textiles in the virtual spotlight with two project sponsorships. How do you see future topics in the field of technical textiles? Can you imagine creating a new focus on that field?

Prof. Maike Rabe: First of all, the WLS supports talented young people who, thanks to their training, can take up a career in the entire textile and clothing industry. Of course, this also includes the field of technical textiles, which is of great importance in terms of production in Germany being a technological leader. Here the boundaries to clothing are fluid, just think of outdoor or sports equipment.    „    

Klaus Kottmeier: Our excellently staffed board of trustees is open to all innovative topics in the industry. Innovations in the field of technical textiles in particular are important topics for the future. In 2017, for example, the sponsorship award went to the Anna-Siemsen-School, a vocational school for textile technology and clothing in Hanover, through which we supported the procurement of a pattern design software.

 

The Wilhelm Lorch Foundation has set itself the goal of supporting qualified young people in the textile and fashion industry. However, you preclude the support for business start-ups. In times, in which start-ups receive increasing attention not only through corresponding TV formats but also through industry associations, there must be reasons for this. What are they and how do you assess future prospects?

Klaus Kottmeier: Support for business start-ups is precluded by §2 of our statutes, which defines the purpose of the foundation. The WLS is exclusively dedicated to the charitable purpose. Support for start-ups and business start-ups would contradict this. We therefore concentrate fully on the further education of young professionals in the sector and the promotion of educational institutions, from which the entire sector benefits.

Prof. Maike Rabe: WLS funding is aimed at further developing the skills of graduates and young talents from the sector. They should receive specific further training, possibly reach a further academic degree, and also learn in an interdisciplinary manner. All of this benefits the sector as a whole and this is our strict objective.


          
The foundation also promotes the training and further education of young and up-and-coming talents who are already working in the textile retail trade. Grants are available to cover course or study fees for further qualification. The closure of shops caused by the lockdown  during the pandemic hit the stationary retail trade hard, and even today we are still miles away from regular business operations. Against this background, how do you see focused funding opportunities for further training in the e-commerce sector?

Markus Gotta: The topics of stationary retail and e-commerce can't really be separated, both have long since become part of the basic requirements in fashion sales and thus also of the topics of training and further education in general.
 
Prof. Maike Rabe: E-commerce has become an integral part of our industry and is naturally reflected in many grants and subsidies. The junior staff members are allowed to make their own suggestions as to where and how they would like to train. We support this. But we would also like to strengthen the connection between stationary and digital trade in particular. Our prize winners have come up with wonderful concepts for both sales channels, and of course they can be combined.

 

Breaking new ground means willingness to make decisions, overcoming fears - and thus courage to fail. Not every project can succeed. In retrospect, which decisions in your foundation work are you particularly happy to have made?

Markus Gotta: That we implemented the Summer School project last year. We broke new ground with the foundation, and this - in cooperation with the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences - was very successful.

Elke Giese: Especially in the field of design and creation, it is important to recognize an applicant's future creative potential from the work at hand and the information provided by the applicant. I am therefore always particularly pleased when the board of trustees makes courageous and progressive decisions.    

 

The Wilhelm Lorch Foundation offers project funding of € 10,000 to universities and educational institutions. They do not make any thematic restrictions here, but simply demand that there must be a clear reference to the sustainable further training of young up-and-coming talents in the textile and fashion industry. According to which criteria do you finally decide which project will be funded?

Elke Giese: One criterion is the relevance for future developments in the textile and fashion industry. Projects in recent years have enabled schools and educational institutions to train on laser cutters and 3D printers, for example, but also to purchase modern knitting machines or software programs.

Prof. Maike Rabe: All the projects submitted are evaluated very strictly by the jury's experts using a points-based system. This results in a shortlist which is presented to the board of trustees and intensively discussed by them. In this way, we ensure that all submitted applications are honored and that we then award the Wilhelm Lorch Prize to the outstanding project submissions in a joint consensus. The most important criteria are sustainable teaching of innovative learning content, practical training and the feasibility of the submitted project.

 

There are many different definitions of sustainability. Customers expect everything under this term - from climate protection to ecology, from on-site production in the region to the exclusion of child labor etc. Public procurement is increasingly switching to sustainable textiles. What does this mean for WLS, and what are you doing to promote sustainable thinking and acting, not only among young professionals?

Prof. Maike Rabe: At the foundation, we base our definition of "sustainability" on the 1987 report of the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, the so-called Brundtland Commission: "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". The textile and clothing sector plays a pioneering role as a globally enormously connected industry with complex supply chains, which should definitely also play a model role. We therefore make it a priority for all award winners to observe these criteria and at the same time try to provide a platform for people who, through their work and actions, offer suggestions for improvement or even already implement improvements.

 

Virtual instead of red carpet: Usually the awards are presented in the festive setting of the TextilWirtschaft Forum. In 2020, due to the Covid-19, there was only a digital version in the form of a short film. How important do you consider networking opportunities that arise from meeting influential personalities face-to-face? Or has such a format become obsolete in the age of video conferencing?

Prof. Maike Rabe: It is certainly remarkable what digital event formats can achieve. But one thing doesn't work: spontaneity, personal contact and closeness. Therefor it is a real pity that the Forum had to be cancelled this year due to corona. Especially for career starters, the chance for direct networking is of great value.

Markus Gotta: The need for personal exchange and meetings will continue to be of great importance and demand in the future. And I can say at this point: We are already working on the plans for the TW Forum 2021 as a live and meeting event with the top decision-makers in the sector.

 

In which socially relevant areas do you see a particularly great need for innovation and action during the next five years? What is your assessment that funding - for example from the Wilhelm Lorch Foundation - can provide targeted support for solutions? And what role do the experiences from the corona pandemic play in this assessment?

Prof. Maike Rabe: We don't think in five-year periods, today's world requires much greater agility - this applies to the Foundation as well as to the entire industry. With each award we re-orientate ourselves towards current topics. Topics such as aesthetics, function and innovation will certainly continue to play a major role, as will quality instead of quantity, eco-social justice and customer loyalty. It is also important, however, that our economy, which is strongly supported by medium-sized companies, is clearly perceived by the public and in politics; we still have to work on that.

Klaus Kottmeier: I gladly agree with Prof. Rabe's closing statement. Agility is also of great importance in a media company like ours. We live in a constant transformation process with constant changes that have to be faced. The corona pandemic has shown us very impressively how quickly original plans can become waste. Today, and more than ever before in the future, a constant willingness to change is required, and this applies not only to us but also to our hopeful young employees.
 

The interview was conducted by Ines Chucholowius,
CEO Textination GmbH

Heimtextil 2020 (c) Mese Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, Petro Sutera
05.11.2019

Heimtextil 2020

For the 50th edition of Heimtextil (7-10 January 2020), the international trade fair for home and contract textiles will once again sparkle with the world’s largest product range for textile interiors and its unique presentation of the hottest trends. Around 3000 international exhibitors will present their innovations in Frankfurt.

For the 50th edition of Heimtextil (7-10 January 2020), the international trade fair for home and contract textiles will once again sparkle with the world’s largest product range for textile interiors and its unique presentation of the hottest trends. Around 3000 international exhibitors will present their innovations in Frankfurt.

More than 250 companies will be presenting sustainably produced textiles at Heimtextil. The Green Directory, a separate exhibitor index focusing on the theme of sustainability that will be published by Heimtextil for the tenth time in 2020, lists these companies and their product innovations. The number of companies included in the directory has increased considerably and is higher than ever before. Progressive, sustainably produced materials can also be seen in the new Future Materials Library, part of the Trend Space. Here, visitors can explore the nature and production method of innovative materials. The focus is on recycled fabrics and cultivated – so-called living – textiles, among other things. The Green Village in hall 12.0 also functions as a hub for all questions relating to green issues. Seal providers and certifiers are among those introducing themselves here and offering companies their support in acting more sustainably. The United Nations will also present its Sustainable Development Goals here for the first time.

Trend Space: the furnishing trends of the future
The programme highlight for those interested in design is the Trend Space in hall 3.0. In this trend and inspiration area, visitors and exhibitors alike can look forward to a wealth of material innovations, colour trends and new designs. Sustainability is a top priority here too: thanks to targeted selection of materials, material requirements can be reduced and the environmental footprint kept to a minimum. On an area of around 2000 square metres, designers thus create a forum comprising primarily of textiles and materials that can be reused after the event. The overarching theme is “Where I belong”, which invites visitors to take an inspiring journey of discovery thanks to its numerous interactive elements. An accompanying programme of talks and guided tours give far-reaching insights into new design projects. The Trend Space has been designed by Stijlinstituut Amsterdam.

Expanded area for printers and processing machines
At its upcoming edition, Heimtextil will present an extended range of machines for the textile industry and expand the product segment “Textile Technologies”. The background to this is that the digital revolution is currently leading to fundamental changes in the manufacture and processing of home textiles. Heimtextil will present the opportunities offered by technological change in the industry and, under the new name “Textile Technologies”, will present the latest product developments in hall 3.0, from digital printing machines, software and corresponding accessories to machines for textile processing. The trade fair will also offer its own lecture programme with experts from industry and research for the first time.

Further growth in furniture and decorative fabrics
In the “Decorative & Furniture Fabrics” segment in particular, Heimtextil is experiencing unstoppable growth. At the upcoming fair, 40 new exhibitors will be joining and adding new perspectives to the already very large selection of furniture and decorative fabrics as well as leather and imitation leather. Over 400 international producers will present their new collections in halls 4 and 6. European top producers in particular are strongly represented. Another new aspect is that for the first time Heimtextil will be identifying around 250 weavers of furniture and decorative fabrics, curtains and bed linen fabrics with their own logo at stands and in the catalogue – for the better orientation of visitors. This innovation applies to both hall 4 and hall 8.0.

Design Dialog highlights trends for the furnishing industry
Representatives from the furniture industry will find hall 4 an attractive place thanks the expanded product range and information offered by the Design Dialog. Heimtextil will be providing information on the latest design trends for the furniture industry in the Lecture Area of hall 4.2 on the Wednesday of the trade fair between midday and 1.30 pm. Those present will include Christiane Müller from Studio Müller Van Tol, Anne Marie Commandeur from Stijlinstituut Amsterdam, representing the Heimtextil Trend Council, and product and furniture designer Werner Aisslinger. Susanne Tamborini-Liebenberg, editor-in-chief of md- Magazin, will chair the event.

Interior.Architecture.Hospitality by Heimtextil
Heimtextil offers new business segments and sales opportunities for contract furnishers. Around 370 exhibitors will provide solutions for the contract sector aimed specifically at interior designers, architects and hospitality experts. Selected suppliers will present their wares at the Interior.Architecture.Hospitality EXPO. The product offer will be supported by a new materials library, the Interior.Architecture.Hospitality LIBRARY. It will present a selection of exhibitor products with functional characteristics such as flame-retardant, sound-insulating, abrasionresistant and water-repellent. Numerous information offers, such as expert presentations and guided tours of the trade fair, complete the programme.

Hall 8.0: Hotspot for the latest interior collections
Curtains, decorative and furniture fabrics, drapery and curtain hardware, sun protection systems, carpets and tools for textile processing will be presented in Hall 8.0 under the title "Window & Interior Decoration". In addition, Heimtextil bundles all participating textiles editeurs and optimally integrates them into the product range for interior decorators and retailers. Around 50 international editeurs present their collections for the coming season.

Showcase: design classics from the past 50 years
Suppliers of pillows, blankets and plaids as well as table and kitchen linen will be exhibiting in Hall 9.0 under the title "Beautiful Living" – together with lifestyle-oriented accessories. Heimtextil thus creates a starting point full of brands for high-quality retailers. On the occasion of the 50th Heimtextil edition, the fair stages design classics from the past 50 years. On this showcase area the fair invites to a journey through five decades of Heimtextil history. Four designed tell about the colors, shapes, furniture and design objects of the past decades. The showcase will be complemented by a café, which will be realized in cooperation with Schöner Wohnen, Europe's largest interior design magazine.

Sleep: new findings and product solutions
Heimtextil puts the sleep theme prominently on the agenda: with the product segment Smart Bedding, the trade fair offers new insights into healthy sleep in hall 11.0 and presents concrete product solutions. Mattresses, bedding, sleep systems and associated technology can be viewed here, as well as duvets and pillows. 140 major players in the industry will bring the theme of sleep to life. There will also be some exciting start-ups that will cause a sensation with smart market innovations. More in depth-information is offered in presentation area “Sleep! The Future Forum”. Here, in the foyer of hall 11.0, visitors can look forward to discussions with sleep experts. These include professional athletes such as Olympic luge champion Susi Erdmann, sleep coach Nick Littlehales and scientists from Berlin’s Charité, the Fraunhofer Institute and the German Sleep Research Society. Speakers from Ikea, Hästens and Auping will talk about progressive sleep topics. The lecture programme covers the top themes of digital, sport, hospitality, sustainability and interior design. In this way, Heimtextil presents the latest findings from sleep research and showcases the latest developments in industry and trade.

(c) Deutsche Messe AG / Sonia Wedell-Castellano, Global Director DOMOTEX
15.10.2019

Interview with Sonia Wedell-Castellano about DOMOTEX 2020

  • Sonia Wedell-Castellano, Global Director of DOMOTEX,answers key questions on DOMOTEX 2020
  • "We're the world's flagship fair: At DOMOTEX, you can view the entire range of products from the global floor coverings industry."

As Global Director of DOMOTEX, you took over responsibility for DOMOTEX just over a year ago. What have you been able to accomplish so far?

  • Sonia Wedell-Castellano, Global Director of DOMOTEX,answers key questions on DOMOTEX 2020
  • "We're the world's flagship fair: At DOMOTEX, you can view the entire range of products from the global floor coverings industry."

As Global Director of DOMOTEX, you took over responsibility for DOMOTEX just over a year ago. What have you been able to accomplish so far?

In rapid response to the wishes voiced by our exhibitors and visitors, we have, for example, opted for changes in the fair's layout. Previously, premium suppliers were located in the immediate vicinity of the special Framing Trends showcase. They will now go back to their traditional market environments, in their respective halls. For visitors, this means shorter distances and easier on-site orientation. We are also addressing our target visitors in an even more differentiated and more targeted way. We have also reassessed the concept of our classic "Preview" press conferences, and are now touring key media cities, visiting editorial offices and organizing informal dinners, to which we invite exhibitors as well as partners and the press – a networking event with a view to 2020.

Nearly 97,000 square meters of space have already been sold for DOMOTEX 2020. Who are some of the more interesting exhibitors that visitors can look forward to at the event?

With some 1,500 exhibitors anticipated, the list is already quite long, so I'll only mention a few: Rug Star by Jürgen Dahlmanns, Naziri, Creative Matters, Galleria Battilossi, Rica Basagoiti will be showing in the handmade carpets segment. In the category of machine-woven carpets we are looking forward to Oriental Weavers, Carmel Carpet, Royal Hali, Prado Egypt, Stefany and Reinkemeier. US Floors, Windmöller, Moderna (MeisterWerke) and IVC will be exhibiting their resilient floor coverings, while ter Hürne, Decospan, BIMBO, SWISS KRONO and Forestry Timber will be presenting parquet, wood and laminate flooring. The manufacturers of installation technologies include Mapei, Selit, Välinge, Unifloor, Uzin Utz and Küberit.

What is the ratio of domestic to foreign exhibitors?

Of all Deutsche Messe events, DOMOTEX is by far the most international. This applies to exhibitors and visitors, alike. German exhibitors account for some 12% of display space, with the international share consequently running at 88%. This is naturally quite an achievement for the world's leading marketplace for floor coverings and carpets. That said, we also aim to expand our exhibitor lineup by attracting more exhibitors from Germany and the rest of Europe.

As a result of the changes made to the show's layout plan, Hall 8 will now be devoted entirely to the Framing Trends display. What can visitors expect to see there – and what's new?

Hall 8 will star as the pulsating, emotive heart of the event, with visitors being welcomed and wowed by a large textile horizon showing projections of atmospheric images. Our new lead theme of "ATMYSPHERE" will address how floors can improve our sense of well-being. In a series of Frames, we'll be showing the contribution that a floor's appearance makes to the overall atmosphere, how its texture dampens noise and how ecological production techniques make for a healthier indoor climate. Manufacturers, artists, universities and, for the first time, start-ups will take up these and numerous other characteristics to create soothing, personal worlds of experience via their creative approach.

Our partner agency, Schmidhuber will moreover be staging four pavilions consisting of furnished themed rooms, so as to make the lead theme even more tangible. "Hotel – Sustainable", for example, illustrates the impact of materials and furniture, including acoustic paneling in a hotel room. "Wellness – Green Living" emphasizes health-promoting and environmentally friendly aspects. "Conference – More than Floor" focuses on acoustic solutions, going all the way to upholstered seating landscapes, while "Health – Wellbeing" features a yoga room for relaxation. In the space between these focal points, the advantages of outdoor floors and a flowing transition from indoors to outdoors will be highlighted. The aim is not only to provide inspiration to designers, architects and retailers, but also to illustrate concrete areas of application.

Visiting professionals from retail, the skilled trades and architecture are among the main target groups at DOMOTEX. All of these groups have different needs and requirements. Apart from having interesting exhibitors, what will DOMOTEX be offering its attendees?

There will be something for everyone at the event. For top buyers from the wholesale and retail trades, we'll be offering a special service package to make their visit at DOMOTEX as pleasant as possible.

Craftspeople can look forward to a more state-of-the-art "Treffpunkt Handwerk" – a forum featuring issues ranging from the challenge of digitalization for the skilled trades and topics related to personnel and recruiting young talent to current product trends and cutting-edge application techniques. In addition, craftspeople can visit their associations here, such as the Federal Association for Parquets and Flooring Technology. In the adjacent live-action zones, our exhibitors will once again be giving practical tips on how to prepare and lay wooden floors.

As a special showcase, Hall 8 is ideal for architects and designers. On all four days of the event there will also be a wide range of presentations by renowned architects followed by discussions. This year for the first time ever, exhibitors can join in on staged panel discussions. The focus will be on the latest social transformations and their significance for architecture, in particular as it applies to floors. In specific terms, trendy topics such as building information modeling (BIM) or healthy living and working will be explored. In addition, AIT Dialog Tours – guided tours where internationally renowned architects and interior designers will share their personal highlights of DOMOTEX – will be conducted daily.

Exhibitors displaying new products and services for digitalization will be of interest to all three target groups. For retailers, this will consist of digital sales tools, for architects, the focus will be on building information modeling, and for craftspeople, interest will revolve around things like how to introduce an up-to-the-minute order database.

What do you see as the top USPs of DOMOTEX?

We are the world's only global business platform for carpets and floor coverings: At DOMOTEX, you can see and experience the entire range of products on offer by the global floor coverings industry.

Here you can get an overview of the latest trends and developments in the international market and keep abreast of the latest developments. Manufacturers and buyers as well as partners, architects and designers from all over the world come together at DOMOTEX. New business relationships and cooperation opportunities are emerging that were hitherto inconceivable. The show attracts visitors of extremely high caliber, nearly 90 percent of whom play a decisive role in their companies' buying decisions.

© Koelnmesse GmbH, Kind + Jugend
23.07.2019

KIND + JUGEND 2019: ONCE AGAIN AROUND 1,200 PROVIDERS FROM MORE THAN 50 COUNTRIES

  • For the first time with a Start-up Area
  • More than 200 applications for the Innovation Award
  • New concept for The Connected Kidsroom
  • Kids Design Award
  • Design Parc
  • Trend Forum with concentrated lectures

 
Kind + Jugend in Cologne: it is not only the most important and most international business and communication platform of the baby and toddler outfitting industry. It is surely also the world's most inspiring and cheerful event for this theme. For the coming trade fair from 19 to 22 September 2019, around 1,200 providers from more than 50 countries will present an almost complete overview of the latest trends and products for the first baby and toddler years.

  • For the first time with a Start-up Area
  • More than 200 applications for the Innovation Award
  • New concept for The Connected Kidsroom
  • Kids Design Award
  • Design Parc
  • Trend Forum with concentrated lectures

 
Kind + Jugend in Cologne: it is not only the most important and most international business and communication platform of the baby and toddler outfitting industry. It is surely also the world's most inspiring and cheerful event for this theme. For the coming trade fair from 19 to 22 September 2019, around 1,200 providers from more than 50 countries will present an almost complete overview of the latest trends and products for the first baby and toddler years.

As usual, top, smaller and medium-sized companies will explore the extensive bandwidth of the theme worlds. These include the baby carriage, children's car seat, children's furniture, textile and care outfitting, hygiene item, safety and networked electronics, as well as educational toys and toys sections. The trademarks of the exhibitors and thus also of the trade fair are the high quality requirements for the products and concepts shown, as well as the wealth of innovations presented.

The theme of sustainability is also proving to be a growing trend. Kind + Jugend is also offering the manufacturers of textiles a special listing service for the first time this year. The event programme at Kind + Jugend, with award ceremonies, special events and impulse lectures on the most important themes also plays a central role for the representation and mediating of trends.

Among the key players exhibiting at Kind + Jugend 2019 are ABC Design, Angelcare, Artsana/Chicco, Babybjörn, Babymoov, bibi/Lamprecht, Bébécar, Brevi, Britax Römer, Cam il mondo, Cybex, Delta Children, Diono, Dorel, Doudou et Compagnie, Ergobaby, Easywalker, Foppapedretti, Geuther, Haba, Hartan, Hauck, HTS Besafe, iCandy, Infantino, Jané/Concord, Joie/Nuna, Joolz, Julius Zöllner, Kaloo/Juratoys, Lässig, Leander, Mayborn/tommee-tippee, Melissa&Doug, Micuna, Munchkin, Mutsy, Nattou, Newell, Nuby, Odenwälder, Paidi, Peg Perego, Pinolino, reer, Roba Baumann, rotho, Schardt, Sauthon, Sterntaler, Thule, Tobi, Uppababy and Vulli.. New exhibitors or returnees in 2019 once again include Bugaboo, Mattel and Silver Cross. Among the new companies at Kind + Jugend 2019 are APOLO Baby from Japan, Felice from Italy or Warmbebe from France.

The share of foreign exhibitors is once again impressive. Around 85 percent of exhibitors come from abroad, with strong participation of German manufacturers on the whole. Especially well-represented are exhibitors from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the USA, France, Spain and Poland. Belgium and Denmark are also in place with large-scale participation. Asian providers also have their fixed place at the trade fair, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea especially worthy of mention. In addition to this, around 20 companies from Australia exhibit regularly.

The foreign share of visitors is also very high at 75% and spans the globe. In 2018, the trade visitors came to Kind + Jugend in Cologne from 125 countries. Besides Germany, the European nations also take the lead here. Asian, Eastern European and North American buyers were also strongly represented at the trade fair. Visitors come from all segments of the trade: from the specialised and wholesale trade to department stores and chemist's shops, as well as the various online commerce channels.

Kind + Jugend once again covers all levels of halls 10 and 11, as well as hall 4.1, and thus spans a gross exhibition surface of 110,000 m². The clear hall structure with two entrances makes it easier for visitors to orient themselves and clusters the trade fair offerings in clearly defined theme areas. Vistors can prepare for the trade fair especially well with the help of the exhibitor database. On the grounds, the practical trade fair app assists in the search for exhibitors, products and brands. Familiar and new special events, as well as the much appreciated award ceremonies and the trend forum with expert lectures bring out the main points of the trade fair happenings.
 
For the first time: Start-up Area at Kind + Jugend

For the first time, Kind + Jugend is offering young, international companies the opportunity to present themselves in the context of a Start-up Area at favourable conditions. Sixteen providers from six countries will take advantage of the opportunity to exhibit at the world's leading trade fair for the baby and toddler outfitting industry at favourable conditions. The 16 start-ups come from Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands. Their products suit the theme worlds of Kind + Jugend extremely well and extend from a sustainable diaper system through digital measuring devices for child care to exclusive accessories for mothers and children, as well as children's furniture for learning and playing. (Hall 11.1, B50 – C59)

Sustainability and environmental awareness are the trend. Joint action together with BTE for the first time.
Together with the German Textile Trade Association (BTE), which is also a member of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, we will separately list those exhibitors who can attest to the sustainable production of their exhibited textiles by means of recognised seals of approval and/or other certificates. The recognised seals include, for example, GOTS, Oekotex, bluesign or Made in Green. The BTE assumes responsibility for the formal examination of the submissions. The list of manufacturers showing sustainable textiles at the trade fair will be available at the Kind + Jugend website, so that trade fair visitors can plan their tour with a focus on this area of interest.

The Connected Kidsroom
Since 2017, the The Connected Kidsroom special event has drawn attention to digital and smart products or concepts for the outfitting of nurseries and children's rooms. The theme will also receive special attention this year with a new concept. Attractively integrated into a complete children's room with furniture, doors and windows, the special event shows the various products that control technical functions, measure values like the temperature or pulse of the child, regulate climatic room conditions, register movement and much more. All products are already available in retail outlets. In order to be able to represent the functions even more informatively for trade fair visitors, an expert will be on location to demonstrate the applications, provide explanations and answer questions. (Hall 11.2, E21)

Innovation Award
More than 200 applications for the Kind + Jugend Innovation Award have been submitted this year for evaluation by a jury of trade journalists and health experts, a new record. Following intensive consultation, the jury nominates a selection of products for a special event that is regularly one of the crowd pullers at Kind + Jugend. The Innovation Awards are then presented to the eight winners in eight categories on the first day of the trade fair. The award is the most important recognition of innovations in the baby and toddler sector, and is also highly respected outside of the industry.

Kids Design Award
The Kids Design Award promotes products and concepts that distinguish themselves through special design, but are not yet commercially available. The ten best designs of the competition, which Kind + Jugend tenders in advance of the trade fair with a particular view to young designers, are shown in an attractive special area. The winner of the Kids Design Award will also be honoured on the first day of the trade fair (Hall 11.1, D40/E49)

Design Parc
Design has a high standing at Kind + Jugend. International design products that are ready for the market therefore appear in the special event of the Design Parc, which shows select products and furniture – from children's beds to play kitchens and dishes suitable for children. (Hall 11.1, C40 - D59)

Trendforum
The stage of the Trend Forum can once again be found in hall 11.1 this year. Not only are the Innovation Award and the Kids Design Award presented on the first day. All those interested can look forward to a high quality expert lecture program on the first three days of the trade fair. The trend researchers from GfK, Trendbible and The Insights People will once again present market data, as well as trends and tendencies from a global perspective. The German association of children's outfitting manufacturers (BDKH) is also participating once again, this time with a focus on the theme of the children's car seat. (Hall 11.1, E50/F59).

12.02.2019

TECHNICAL TEXTILES ARE A SUCCESSFUL INDUSTRY IN ISRAEL

  • Israeli Manufacturers with increasing Presence on the World Market

The production of technical textiles is one of the leading sectors of the Israeli textile industry. Their success is not least due to intensive research and development. In view of the fierce international competition facing the Israeli textile industry, high-quality and innovative products are indispensable for stabilizing this
industry. One of the sectors that best manage this modernization is the production of technical textiles.

In 2017, this product category accounted for an estimated USD 600 million or nearly one-third of the total sales generated by the textile and apparel industry. With an export share of around 70 percent, the division is also strongly world market-oriented and accounted for USD 414 million, 43 percent of Israeli textile and clothing exports in 2017.

  • Israeli Manufacturers with increasing Presence on the World Market

The production of technical textiles is one of the leading sectors of the Israeli textile industry. Their success is not least due to intensive research and development. In view of the fierce international competition facing the Israeli textile industry, high-quality and innovative products are indispensable for stabilizing this
industry. One of the sectors that best manage this modernization is the production of technical textiles.

In 2017, this product category accounted for an estimated USD 600 million or nearly one-third of the total sales generated by the textile and apparel industry. With an export share of around 70 percent, the division is also strongly world market-oriented and accounted for USD 414 million, 43 percent of Israeli textile and clothing exports in 2017.

The production of technical textiles is based not least on strong domestic demand. The largest domestic customers include the armed forces and security forces, which demand high functionality and top quality from their suppliers. Among other things, this market segment produces bulletproof textiles, special textiles for uniforms, carrier bags for sensitive devices under field conditions and camouflage nets.

Strong domestic demand helps product development
As the Fashion & Textile Industries Association explained to Germany Trade & Invest in January 2019, direct contact with the military and internal security institutions helps companies to offer tried and tested products. In addition, according to Maya Herscovitz, director of the association, former members of the armed forces and security forces who are familiar with the requirements for corresponding products are active in the manufacturing companies.    
 
Other domestic customer industries are construction and agriculture. Building construction is increasingly relying on modern building materials, including lightweight and highly insulating textiles. The agricultural sector, on the other hand, contributes only 1.2 percent to the gross domestic product, but is capital-intensive and innovation-oriented. Safety nets are a popular agrotechnical product. In September 2018, Israeli agronomist Yossi Ofir pointed out in a contribution that climate change is leading to an increasing use of shadow nets. Last but not least, more and more Israeli farmers covered entire orchards with shade nets. 

Networking with the high-tech industry
The anchoring in the domestic market and the direct contact to customers accelerate the development of new products. At the same time, the technical textiles sector is embedded in the high-tech scene. For example, manufacturers integrate research results from nanotechnology and materials science into their products.

An example of this is Marom Dolphin, which manufactures military and civilian products and uses plastics, metal and composite materials to increase the strength of its textile products or reduce their weight. A leading manufacturer of technical textiles is Hagor Industries, which offers combat vests, protective vests, backpacks and tents of all sizes among other things, while Source - Shoresh produces textile hiking accessories. These and similar manufacturers are represented on numerous export markets.

Some companies do not offer finished products, but technological solutions. Nano Textile, for example, has launched an antibacterial sonochemical coating for textiles. Hospitals are planned as a main field of application, but according to company information other fields of application such as aircraft construction and public transport, restaurants and hotels or baby clothing may also open up. Gideon Guthrie Technical Textile also offers research and development (R&D) services in cooperation with Israeli and foreign textile manufacturers.

In addition to the activities of the company's own R&D departments, research is also carried out at universities. For example, the textile coating technology used by Nano Textile was developed at the Israeli Bar Ilan University. The Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art is home to CIRTex (The David & Barbara Blumenthal Israel Center for Innovation and Research in Textiles). The center carries out applied research on new products, production processes and applications for textiles and promotes cooperation between established companies on the one hand and start-ups and individual inventors on the other. Industrial textile research and development is supported by the Innovation Authority.

According to the trade association, the production of technical textiles will continue to increase in the coming years. As Maya Herscovitz explained to Germany Trade and Invest, manufacturers of technical textiles invest large amounts not only in the development of new products, but also in the modernization and automation of production processes. This was not only necessary for reasons of cost savings, but also because of the shortage of skilled workers on the labour market.

Israel is a net exporter of technical textiles
Der mit großem Abstand wichtigste Exportposten im Bereich technischer Textilien (SITC 657) sind The by far most important export item in the technical textiles sector (SITC 657) are nonwovens (SITC 657.2). They accounted for 67.1 percent of total exports of technical textiles in 2017, or USD 278 million. Second place went to batting, wicks and goods and products for technical use made of textile materials. With an export value of USD 88 million, they accounted for 21.6 percent of industry exports.

The most important export market in 2017 was the USA, followed by the Netherlands and Germany in a great distance. The Federal Republic of Germany purchased technical textiles worth USD 44.7 million (10.8 percent of Israeli exports) from Israel.

With USD 136 million imports accounted for 32.6 percent of exports. The three most important supplier countries - China, Turkey and Italy - were almost on a par at USD 25 million, USD 24.8 million and USD 24.2 million. Germany ranked fifth and, with a delivery value of USD 11.2 million, achieved an import market share of 8.3 percent.

Source:

Wladimir Struminski, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

06.11.2018

CHINESE ENGAGEMENT IN EAST AFRICA UNDERGOING CHANGE

Cooperation and local production the new trend

Cooperation and local production the new trend

Nairobi (GTAI) - China dominates infrastructure projects and the construction industry in East Africa. But now the Kingdom of the Middle is also intensifying its commitment in trade and industry.

The Chinese advance in East Africa is breathtakingly fast, focused, efficient and highly successful. The approach is simple: one makes a business proposal that meets the wishes of the decision-makers, brings everything with you, including financing, and the project will be brought out with Confucian efficiency.

Because the customer is satisfied, follow-up orders are being placed. And the more orders there are, the more Chinese activities are there that no longer have anything to do with the original project: Trade, housing construction and business start-ups. And the more the debt with Chinese financiers rises, the more their interest grows in ensuring that the debt can be serviced.

China is fast - on its terms
In Kenya, the Chinese breakthrough came with the comparatively short road from Nairobi to Thika. The international donor community was willing to finance a road construction project, but only at the usual terms, such as regular feasibility studies and tenders, but at favorable interest rates. During the term of office of the former acting President at the time, all this would not have been completed.

Meanwhile, the Chinese made a different offer: shortest construction time and commercial credit with free hand and political backing. Residence permits were issued in an urgent procedure, and work had already begun before necessary expropriations had been completed. Everything was brought along, even truck drivers and food. Deliveries were made on time for the end of the President's term of office.

If customers are satisfied, there are follow-up orders. For example, a new railway - the favorite project of the current Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta - is also being built, financed and operated by the Chinese. The usual donors, such as the World Bank, had previously declined because the project was unlikely to pay off economically. Thanks to Chinese commitment, the first route from Mombasa to Nairobi was completed in time for the presidential election campaign and could be marketed as a political success. The fact that, in the opinion of critics, that the section was three times as expensive as necessary, was not contested by the voters.

Chinese appearance in the ripening process
Chinese companies had learned a lot from the first road project: They now know what the Kenyan business world and industry can and can't do, what they need, how they tick, how to do business in Kenya and how to deal with bureaucracy and widespread corruption, what cartels and monopolies one has to fear and how to deal with them if necessary.

Thanks to this knowledge and preferential treatment in work permits, Chinese construction and trading companies were able to gain a foothold within a very short space of time. And the more Kenyan government orders go to Chinese companies and the more Chinese traders gain a foothold in Kenya, the more Chinese goods flood the country.

But not only that: Chinese companies have been founded to manufacture locally. In addition, hordes of Kenyan workers are employed or Kenyan goods are being purchased if they are cheaper and/or better, or, logistically speaking, can they be procured more quickly. Kenyan companies and workers have also learned what is important to the Chinese partners - a learning and maturing process on both sides. Some Chinese people have married local and want to stay.

State acquisition perfected
Meanwhile, Chinese companies have virtually "perfected" their government procurement, reports the leading Kenyan daily newspaper "The Nation" with a sarcastic undertone: Chinese acquirers use an English first name that can be remembered and pronounced and, accompanied by a politically well-connected "fixer", visit together a cabinet secretary or the head of a semi-state company and make a proposal for a major infrastructure project combined with the promise to provide the financing.

A "Memorandum of Understanding" is then signed very quickly, followed by a commercial contract with the responsible ministry. Then only the Ministry of Finance has to sign the loan agreement and the deal is perfect. Parliament, budget controllers and the state auditor are excluded. The fact that high commissions and so-called kickbacks (bribes) are being paid in these transactions is in the nature of things.

German companies that participate in Chinese projects may be familiar with this background and are therefore usually very cautious. In other words: German-Chinese business relations in East Africa are reluctantly hanged on the big bell, because the German reputation could suffer. The German-Chinese business relationships that have nevertheless become known are quite different but show a range of possibilities.

Professional cooperation without ideology
On the one hand, there are German companies which are based in China, either independently, as joint ventures or in the form of cooperation. Such companies are considered "Chinese" because they know the rules of the game, the correspondence can be conducted in Chinese and the bank account exists in China. Then there are other German companies with whom one has already worked successfully together in Germany or elsewhere in the world - so why not again? And there are German companies that have a lot of experience in Africa and are well networked, such as consulting firms that can take over construction supervision. It is often the Kenyan client who demands a neutral and professional watchdog.

Many German products are appreciated by the Chinese. If a German company in Kenya is successful with construction chemicals, a Chinese company will also like to come back on them. And if a German construction machine has the desired specifications, it is also being bought by Chinese people in Kenya.

Chinese companies are first and foremost concerned with business and not ideology. German products and services have a good reputation worldwide, even among Chinese people. If China did not used them for its first projects in East Africa, it was because of a lack of knowledge of what is locally available and what is not. In the meantime, this has changed dramatically. And like everywhere in business life, contacts count and they need time to be established.

Chinese are the new Indians
It can already be foreseen that the driving force behind new industrial projects in Kenya will no longer come from entrepreneurs of Indian origin, but from Chinese ones. Once planned Chinese-built industrial parks are completed, there will be a wave of Chinese investment. If these investors first look at Chinese technology, it is only because they are better acquainted with the Chinese market. Anyone who knows and appreciates German products, on the other hand, will know how to weigh up the commercial advantages and disadvantages. For example, one of the first Chinese industrial projects in Kenya, the building materials supplier China Wu Yi Precast, has primarily installed German technology.

Farthest in Ethiopia
What applies to Kenya also applies to Ethiopia, where the Chinese advance is already much further ahead. There, too, the Chinese have built a railway, much more modern and cheaper than in Kenya. And more importantly, they are building industrial parks throughout the country where international companies can find good conditions for low-wage production. The first textile, clothing and leather factories report successes. Food processing and pharmaceutical companies are coming in a second wave. Of course, there are many Chinese companies in it, but not only. And, of course, German companies have good sales opportunities if they make the appropriate marketing efforts.

In Uganda are Chinese traders who have been mixing up the local market. The great Chinese engagement will only come with the start of the oil production and when the Kenyan railway has reached the Ugandan border. In Tanzania, the Chinese currently have less to report because the incumbent president, who is committed to fighting corruption, wants it that way. Instead of Chinese, he gets his railroad built by Turks. Meanwhile, Djibouti has become so heavily indebted to China that its influence can no longer be stopped.

New tones from Beijing
While the Chinese progress all over East Africa - even without Tanzania - can no longer be stopped, it remains exciting to see to what extent new tones from Beijing will affect China's involvement in East Africa. The Chinese leadership has declared its intention to curb corruption in its own government. If it is serious about this, it will also have to introduce stricter rules in its East Africa business.

And then there is the "socialism with Chinese characteristics" propagated by Chinese President Xi Jinping, with which he wants to make the world happy. So far it has been Western Europe and North America that have aggressively propagated their democracy as a form of government and political ideology in Africa. It seems that Xi Jinping now wants to counter this with Chinese principles. Chinese reforms can also be expected in the areas of environmental protection and sustainability, which at some point will also affect Chinese Africa business.

Investment projects in East African countries with Chinese participation
Country Project Investment mio. USD Status Note
Ethiopia Gas production and export 4,300 Talks Start 2020 Poly Group / GCL China
Ethiopia Industrial park 2,000 – 2,500 Different project statuses Developers primarily Chinese companies
Dschibuti Gas pipeline between Ethiopia and Djibouti 4,000 Talks; start of gas production mid-2019 Poly Group/GCL Petroleum Group Holdings Ltd. (both PR China)
Dschibuti 48 sqkm Chinese Free Zone 340 Under construction; largely completed in 2019 Dalian Port Corp., China Merchants Holdings (both PR China), Djibouti Ports and Free Zone Authority
Kenya High Grand Falls Dam (Kibuka) 1,500 Contract awarded; start of construction still pending China State Construction Engineering Corporation
Kenya Standard gauge railway Nairobi-Naivasha 1,500 Under construction; anticipated completion: September 2019 China Road and Bridge Corporation
Tanzania Mchuchuma Coal and Liganga Iron Ore Project 3,000 Planning Sichuan Hongda Group of China
Uganda Development of an oil production infrastructure More than 10,000 Development of a master plan Development of a master plan Joint project between Total, Tullow Oil and China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC)
Uganda Uganda Crude Oil Pipeline through Tanzania to Indian Ocean 3,600 Front End Engineering Design (FEED) completed Joint projects of Total, Tullow Oil and CNOOC
Uganda 800 MW Ayago hydropower plant N.A. Letter of intend Desired partner: China

Source: Research by Germany Trade & Invest

The entire study "China in Africa - Perspectives, Strategies and Cooperation Potentials for German Companies" is available free of charge: Print version under order number 21054 (32 pages) at Germany Trade & Invest, Kundencenter, Postfach 140116, 53056 Bonn, Germany, Telephone: 0228/24993-316, e-mail: vertrieb@gtai.de or as PDF document (german only) after short registration at http://www.gtai.de/china-in-afrika.

Source:

Martin Böll, Germany Trade and Invest www.gtai.de

Lifestyle Collection Area: Outdoor as a way of life (c) Messe Friedrichshafen | OutDoor Show | www.outdoor-show.de
12.06.2018

LIFESTYLE COLLECTION AREA: OUTDOOR AS A WAY OF LIFE

  • Lifestyle trend area for apparel, footwear and accessories brings like-minded brands together

Outdoor, everyday use and lifestyle - athleisure wear and urban fashion are a permanent fixture on both urban streets and the outdoor market. Urban lifestyle is also a growing trend topic on display at the OutDoor show from 17 to 20 June, 2018. At the Lifestyle Collection Area, exhibitors are showing that there is more to outdoors than being out in nature. Lifestyle collections reflect a way of life and mindset that blends responsibility for the natural world with an international approach and worthwhile fashion. In addition to the full spectrum of outdoor goods, OutDoor 2018 will be showcasing all facets of lifestyle trends from apparel, footwear and accessories for trade visitors. Start-ups and new brands will also be exhibiting at the area.

  • Lifestyle trend area for apparel, footwear and accessories brings like-minded brands together

Outdoor, everyday use and lifestyle - athleisure wear and urban fashion are a permanent fixture on both urban streets and the outdoor market. Urban lifestyle is also a growing trend topic on display at the OutDoor show from 17 to 20 June, 2018. At the Lifestyle Collection Area, exhibitors are showing that there is more to outdoors than being out in nature. Lifestyle collections reflect a way of life and mindset that blends responsibility for the natural world with an international approach and worthwhile fashion. In addition to the full spectrum of outdoor goods, OutDoor 2018 will be showcasing all facets of lifestyle trends from apparel, footwear and accessories for trade visitors. Start-ups and new brands will also be exhibiting at the area.

Cheeki, the Australian manufacturer of high-quality stainless steel drink bottles and flasks, is entering Europe. The company is presenting its products at OutDoor in the Lifestyle Area for the first time. "It suits us down to the ground, because our products are not just for work, school, picnics, sport or just for hiking and camping - instead they represent a lifestyle,” explains Simon Karlik, Cheeki’s director. Simon Karlik feels that Cheeks water bottles reflect an attitude towards life. This is also clear to see in the company’s product catalogue, which shows how Cheeki bottles help reduce mountains of plastic rubbish. They are also a personal statement against pollution of the seas. Cheeki is a mindset - an attitude and a way of life.

Swedish manufacturer Icebug has been exhibiting at OutDoor for a number of years, and has chosen deliberately to present at the Lifestyle Area in 2018. Country Manager for Germany, Mathias Basedow sees the traditional outdoor look as past its zenith: "Running, camping, climbing - they are all lifestyles, but you don’t always want to look like you are on an expedition. We need pioneers from retailers and brands, who are bold enough to break away from the design status quo, without sacrificing performance.” The shoe manufacturer wants to take up the challenge with the clean, stylish, Scandinavian design of its new performance sneakers.

Both products and functionality are important for urban environments, but there is more to it than that. There is the mindset and mentality behind them. Sustainability is also an issue here. Take, for example the manufacturer Steinkauz, who make products from natural functional materials: Loden, felted wool and waxed cotton. "Loden is a thick waterproof woollen cloth with excellent breathability and is also a biologically degradable natural fabric,” argues Markus Holthausen, Managing Director Waldkauz/Steinkauz. He sees it as decisive that: "Loden strikes a chord with contemporary environmentally-friendly attitudes and looks at home both when trekking and in other environments. This is why we belong in the lifestyle segment.”

Outdoor attitudes always involve crossover to some extent. No one expects to have a separate product for each activity, or specialist clothing for each social appearance. Cavida are presenting their distinctive Wave Hawaii Ponchos at OutDoor. "They were designed especially for outdoor use, but are also ideal for home, swimming pool or sauna.” Our stylish designs capture the contemporary zeitgeist,” says managing director Carsten Raphael. Outdoor, everyday use and lifestyle apply to sunglasses from Slastik, who also belong to Cavida. Raphael describes them as "exceptionally stylish” and "trendsetting”. "We are going to attract a lot of interest here too.”

The OutDoor Lifestyle Area has consciously decided not to include any large booths. "This would run contrary to the whole idea of the Lifestyle Area,” explains project manager Dirk Heidrich. "Small stands, independent stand designs and opportunities for new brands and start-ups as well as long-standing OutDoor exhibitors to mix it up and experiment, while enjoying maximum exposure.” As such, the Lifestyle Area functions as an exhibition inside the OutDoor show. There will be everything from high-quality functional apparel and backpacks, tents and sleeping bags to a diverse range of accessories - all with an emphasis on style and responsibility. This is outdoor as a lifestyle.

The 25th OutDoor jubilee edition show takes place from Sunday 17 to Wednesday 20 June 2018 and is open to trade visitors only. For more information, please visit:
: www.outdoor-show.de and www.facebook.com/OutDoor.Show/.

Kind + Jugend - Fair in Cologne © Koelnmesse GmbH
27.06.2017

KIND + JUGEND 2017 GATHERS THE WHO'S WHO OF THE CHILDREN'S OUTFITTING INDUSTRY

Preparations for a successful Kind + Jugend from 14 to 17 September 2017 in Cologne are running at full speed, and the leading international trade fair for baby and children's outfitting is really picking up speed. Four months before the event, around 1,000 exhibitors from more than 50 countries have already confirmed their participation in the trade fair. Virtually all of the renowned manufacturers and brands have applied to participate. Around 85 percent of the confirmations are from foreign companies. In addition to the comprehensive industry offerings, the target group-specific event program, the so-called Support Circle, is considered to be one of the key factors of the trade fair’s success.

Preparations for a successful Kind + Jugend from 14 to 17 September 2017 in Cologne are running at full speed, and the leading international trade fair for baby and children's outfitting is really picking up speed. Four months before the event, around 1,000 exhibitors from more than 50 countries have already confirmed their participation in the trade fair. Virtually all of the renowned manufacturers and brands have applied to participate. Around 85 percent of the confirmations are from foreign companies. In addition to the comprehensive industry offerings, the target group-specific event program, the so-called Support Circle, is considered to be one of the key factors of the trade fair’s success.

In past years, the traditional trade fair Kind + Jugend has been able to continuously expand its position as the world's leading trade fair of the baby and children's outfitting industry. Exhibitors from the industry of many years, including the following key players, contribute to this: ABC Design, aden & anai, Alvi, Angelcare, Artsana-Chicco, Baby Björn, Babymoov, bibi-Lamprecht, Bebecar, Brevi, Britax Römer, Cam il mondo, Combi, Concord, Cybex, Delta Children, Diono, Dorel, Doudou et Compagnie, ergobaby, Easywalker, Foppa Pedretti, Gautier, Geuther, Hauck, Hartan, HTS, iCandy, Infantino, Jané, Joie/Nuna, Joolz, Kaloo, Kiddy, KidsII, Kidsmill, Lässig, Lodger, Mayborn – Jackel, Medela, Munchkin, Mutsy, Nattou, Newell, Noukies, Novatex, Nuby, Nürnberg Gummi, Odenwälder, Paidi, Peg Perego, Philips Avent, Pinolino, Playgro, reer, Reisenthel, roba-Baumann, rotho, Schardt, Sauthon, sigikid, Silver Cross, Sterntaler, Suavinex, Takata, Tobi, Uppababy, Vulli, Wickelkinder – manduca and Julius Zöllner. Kind + Jugend also has renowned exhibitors or returnees in all segments, like Blue Seven – H. Obermeyer, David Fussenegger, Didis, Koelstra, lief! Lifestyle, nobodinoz, Teddy-Hermann, Tiriciclo and VTech.

In addition to the high-class product show, the leading international trade fair once again offers an interesting event and supporting programme with many awards for all exhibiting companies, from start-ups and young designers to established, globally active brand manufacturers.

The successful and proven concept of the "Support Circle" is thereby oriented to the typical development and distribution chain of a product. A convincing concept and a prototype is always at the start of a product development process. Kind + Jugend presents the best prototypes with the nominees of the KIDS DESIGN AWARD. Further information can be found here:
http://www.kindundjugend.com/kindundjugend/Trade-Fair/Events/Kids-Design-Award/index.php 

The DESIGN PARC presents extraordinary objects, furniture and toys that are already ready for the market, and thus offers a good possibility for traders to distinguish their assortment from those of competitors. The newly created #DESIGNINFOCUS design hotspot in hall 11.1 rounds off the offering in this segment.

The Kind + Jugend Innovation Award is a permanent fixture in the industry and is viewed as an important marketing and sales argument in the trade. The award is seen as a springboard for establishing oneself on the market with a product. The award is traditionally conferred in eight categories at the start of Kind + Jugend on the first day of the fair.
Further details: http://www.kindundjugend.com/kindundjugend/Trade-Fair/Events/Innovation-Award/index.php or http://news.kindundjugend.de/2017/02/kind-jugend-fragt-nach-ein-interview-mit-whisbear/

A real drawing card is the Consumer Award, which was established in 2014, with which Kind + Jugend addresses the wish of visitors to also be presented with the favourite products and best sellers of the consumers that are already well-established on the market in addition to the brand-new product innovations. This year the following partner magazines and portals provided support with the surveying of consumers: Germany participated with 1st Steps, the Netherlands with Baby Stuf, Austria with NEW MOM, Poland with Branza Dziecieca, Russia with Rodi, France with Parole de Mammans, Turkey with Baby & Kids Store and the UK with Mother & Baby.

Kind + Jugend supports startups and smaller companies in the form of country pavilions. This year there will be group stands from Australia, the UK, France, South Korea, Latvia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan and the USA. Twenty young German companies will also present themselves in the special area of the Young Innovative Companies, which is sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).

The Kind + Jugend Trend Forum also offers valuable pro tips and best practices for everyday application in the form of lectures, discussion groups and workshops. High-quality speakers will pick up on the trend themes of the industry and acknowledged experts will present information and strategies that are tailored to meet the needs of the trade and which are practice-oriented, as well as offering the trade visitor added value. The benefits of visiting the trade fair are thus double.

Online admission tickets are available under the following link:
http://www.kindundjugend.com/kindundjugend/For-Visitors/Admission-ticket/index.php

Apparel Show @ Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
24.01.2017

TECHTEXTIL ON A GROWTH CURVE

Living in Space: Techtextil presents technical textiles in the aerospace industry in cooperation with ESA and DLR

More exhibitors and a journey to Mars: visitors and exhibitors can look forward to an even bigger event and a completely new trade-fair experience at the coming Techtextil from 9 to 12 May 2017. With around four months still to go before the leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens opens its doors, the booked space already exceeds the total area of the last edition in 2015. Moreover, the extensive complementary programme of events is set to be distinguished by a variety of innovations in 2017. The highlight of this year’s Techtextil will be the special ‘Living in Space’ event in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Centre (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt – DLR).

Living in Space: Techtextil presents technical textiles in the aerospace industry in cooperation with ESA and DLR

More exhibitors and a journey to Mars: visitors and exhibitors can look forward to an even bigger event and a completely new trade-fair experience at the coming Techtextil from 9 to 12 May 2017. With around four months still to go before the leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens opens its doors, the booked space already exceeds the total area of the last edition in 2015. Moreover, the extensive complementary programme of events is set to be distinguished by a variety of innovations in 2017. The highlight of this year’s Techtextil will be the special ‘Living in Space’ event in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Centre (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt – DLR).

“We are branching out in completely new directions with this year’s Techtextil and are, therefore, all the more delighted about the outstanding resonance of our exhibitors”, says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies, Messe Frankfurt. “Furthermore, the fact that we have gained strong new partners, ESA and DLR, from one of the main areas of application for technical textiles represents solid evidence of the application relevance of the products and technologies shown at Techtextil.”

Exhibitors include not only international market leaders but also numerous newcomers and returnees. Significant exhibitor growth comes from European countries, particularly from Ger-
many, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland and Spain. However, additional growth is also expected to come from Asia.

Special ‘Living in Space’ exhibition and special area in Hall 6.1

In cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Techtextil will illustrate the wide range of applications for technical textiles with reference to the aerospace industry under the title ‘Living in Space’. To this end, the concurrent Texprocess trade fair will also be integrated into the exhibition.

“The technical-textile sector offers the textile solutions needed to move around and survive in space. This is what we will show in a professional and at the same time entertaining way on a dedicated area at the trade fair. For visitors, the area will offer inspiration and orientation”, says Michael Jänecke, Director Brand Management Technical Textiles & Textile Processing, Messe Frankfurt.

A special area in the vicinity of exhibitors of functional apparel and technical textiles is being created in hall 6.1 and, based on the areas of application for technical textiles, will show high-tech textiles and textile-processing technology from and for the aerospace sector. The highlight of the interactive area is a virtual-reality experience. On a special area, Techtextil and Texprocess visitors can undertake a virtual journey through space to Mars and discover how technical textiles and their processing technology can make it possible to set up communities in space. Additionally, the ‘Material Gallery’ will show textile products and processing technologies from Techtextil exhibitors with links to space travel. There will also be presentations by start-ups that work at the interface of technical textiles and space travel.

In hall 6.1, exhibitors and visitors will also find the ‘Innovation made in Germany’ area of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie – BMWi), which is aimed at young, innovative companies based in Germany. Applications for a place in the BMWi area can still be made on the Techtextil website.

Change in placement for CAD/CAM and Cutting, Making, Trimming

To make the profiles of Techtextil and Texprocess even sharper, the bonding and separating technology, CMT (Cutting, Making, Trimming), CAD/CAM and printing product segments will be concentrated together at Texprocess in hall 4.0. Thus, visitors will find Techtextil exhibitors from these segments at Texprocess. These product groups will be deleted from the Techtextil nomenclature.

Complementary programme with changes to the Innovative Apparel Show

Successfully started at Techtextil and Texprocess in 2015, the Innovative Apparel Show will get in 2017 even more international with universities for fashion and design from four European countries. These universities will present their visionary product ideas using technical textiles and modern processing technologies on all four days. They are: Accademia Italiana, Florence / Italy; ESAD College of Art and Design, Matosinhos / Portugal; Esmod Paris/France, and the University of Trier / Germany. The young designers will show designs revolving around the themes of textile effects, creative engineering and smart fashion while a fashion show in the foyer of Halls 5.1 and 6.1 presents their ideas in a professional way.

Techtextil Symposium in cooperation with Dornbirn MFC 

The concept of Techtextil Symposium, one of the world’s leading events for textile research, is being expanded with the coming edition to be held in seven consecutive blocks, each of seven lectures. Thus, all lecture blocks will be expanded by one lecture. Additionally, Techtextil is working together with the Dornbirn MFC Man-made Fibres Congress for the first time. Thus, Dornbirn-MFC will organise one of the seven lecture blocks within the framework of the symposium (to be held in ‘Saal Europa’ of Hall 4.0).
Moreover, outstanding new developments and advances in the fields of technical textiles, nonwovens and functional apparel textiles will be honoured for the 14th time with the Techtextil Innovation Award, the competition for which is also open to non-exhibitors. Entries are now invited. The deadline for receipt is 20 February.

Together with the international Tensinet network, Techtextil is holding the 14th ‘Textile Structures for New Building’ competition for students and young professionals, which honours innovative and practical concepts for building with textiles or textile-reinforced materials. The closing date for receipt of entries to the competition, which is worth a total of € 8,000, is 26 February 2017. In addition to the awards ceremony, all award-winning works from the student competition and the Innovation Award will be on show in special exhibitions in hall 4.1 and hall 6.1.

Technical Textiles market continues growth
 
According to the Confederation of the German Textile and Fashion Industry (textile+mode) the textile and apparel industry with more than 130,000 employees, 1,400 companies and an annual turnover of around 32 billion euros is the second largest consumer goods industry in Germany. The growth is primarily driven by technical textiles. “German companies are the global market leaders in terms of technical textiles. For years, the turnover has been growing steadily – a proof for the innovativeness of the industry and excellent products. The digitalization of textile products and processes will furthermore trigger an innovation boost in other industries”, says Manfred Junkert, Deputy General Manager of textile+mode.

Held concurrently with Techtextil, Texprocess, Leading International Trade Fair for Processing Textile and Flexible Materials (9 to 12 May 2017), offers insights into all stages of textile processing, including finishing and digital printing. Texprocess is also characterised by an outstanding number of exhibitor registrations exceeding the results of the previous edition, too. Techtextil 2015 was attended by 28,500 trade visitors from 102 nations, as well as over 5,500 trade visitors from the parallel Texprocess.

Turkish State pushes sluggish Economy © Bildpixel/ pixelio.de
06.09.2016

TURKISH STATE PUSHES SLUGGISH ECONOMY

  • Low interest rates and government subsidies should drive consumption and Investments
  • Less start-ups and fewer direct foreign investment

Istanbul (GTAI) - After the failed coup attempt of July 15th 2016 the Turkish government wants to support the economy. Financial relief, government subsidies and a low interest rate policy should aim strengthening of consumption and investment and eliminate the arisen uncertainty in the business world. At the same time the overall savings ratio should be increased and the basis for financing of major infrastructure projects be improved.

The target of the government for an economic growth of 4.5% in 2016 appears now as no longer realistic. After the impressive increase of 4.8% in Q1 2016 government representatives expect for the rest of the year lower numbers, so that for the full year 2016 a growth of around 3.0 to 3.5% could be achieved.

  • Low interest rates and government subsidies should drive consumption and Investments
  • Less start-ups and fewer direct foreign investment

Istanbul (GTAI) - After the failed coup attempt of July 15th 2016 the Turkish government wants to support the economy. Financial relief, government subsidies and a low interest rate policy should aim strengthening of consumption and investment and eliminate the arisen uncertainty in the business world. At the same time the overall savings ratio should be increased and the basis for financing of major infrastructure projects be improved.

The target of the government for an economic growth of 4.5% in 2016 appears now as no longer realistic. After the impressive increase of 4.8% in Q1 2016 government representatives expect for the rest of the year lower numbers, so that for the full year 2016 a growth of around 3.0 to 3.5% could be achieved.

But not only the failed coup attempt and subsequent the internal political turmoil are affecting the economic development. Also the in the recent months clearly increased geopolitical risks, the armed conflicts along the southeastern border with Syria and Iraq, and the threat of terrorist attacks are pressing on the business climate.

The number of start-ups is declining since April 2016th. According to the Turkish Chamber Union TOBB (Türkiye Odalar ve Borsalar Birligi) in July a provisional low point with a decline of about 34% over the same month of last year has been reached.

Establishment of new companies
Month 2015 2016

Change (%)

January 6,471 6,894 6,5
February 5,509 6,363 15,5
March 6,092 7,117 16,8
April 6,022 5,860 -2,7
May 5,635 5,422 -3,8
June 5,896 5,571 -5,5
July 4,760 4,760 -34,1
January til July 40,385 40,363 -0,1

Source: Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce TOBB (http://www.tobb.org.tr)

"Tailored" state support for Investors

Despite a rising inflation (annual increase of consumer prices in late July 2016: 8.8%) since several months the Turkish Central Bank is lowering the interest rates in small steps and ensures an increasing liquidity. For investors the government is planning generous subsidies. In the words of economy minister Nihat Zeybekci the government investment promotion is standing before fundamental changes. The plan includes "unlimited, customized and project-based" facilitations for specific sectors, which will go far beyond current incentives.

In this context Zeybekci named metallurgy, petrochemical, pharmaceutical and medical technology, in addition the renewable energy and modern agricultural technologies. In addition to extensive tax breaks the planned state aids will also include subsidizing the salaries of highly skilled employees, a free allocation of land, subsidies of taxes and energy subsidies. With this especially international investors should be won and high technology projects should become supported.

Foreign direct investments slumped in the first half year of 2016

According to the Turkish Ministry of Economy foreign direct investment declined in the 1st half of 2016 compared with the same period of last year by 55%. In 2015 a net amount of USD 16.9 billion flowed into Turkey, and in 2014 approximately USD 12.5 billion. Of these USD 5.3 billion or resp. USD 4.2 billion were invested in real estate.

Foreign direct investment in Turkey without real estate (in USD million)
Sector 1.Halfyear 2015  1.Halfyear 2016  Change (in %)
Agriculture 5   24 380
Industry 2,710 866 -68
Mining 185 17 -91
Manufacturing  1,445 607 -58
Food, Beverages, Tobacco products 257 171 -33
Textile and Clothing 399 21 -95
Leather and leather goods 2 8 300
Wood and wooden products 0 1 -
Paper and paperproducts 4 20 400
Coke and refined petroleum products 500 11 -98
Chemical and pharmaceutical 
  products
69 136 97
Coutchouk and plastic products  21 54 157
Non metal  mineral products - 23 -
Metal and metal products 36 24 -33
Machines and machinery equipment 5 20 300
Electronic and optical products 46 98 113
Automotives 90 8 -91
Furniture 16 12 -25
Electricity, Gas 1,078 242 -78
Water, wastewater, waste-disposal 2 0 -100
Services  2,066 1,274 -38
Total  4,781 2,164 -55

Source: Turkish Ministry of Economy (Ekonomi Bakanligi, http://www.ekonomi.gov.tr)

State fund to finance infrastructure projects established

Of particular importance for the future financing of large infrastructure projects, especially in the transportation sector, is the law No. 6741 of  08  /19th / 2016, establishing the Turkey-Property Fund (Türkiye Varlik fonu - Sovereign Wealth Fund). The law, which was announced in the government Gazette No. 29813 on 08 / 26th /2016 regulates the structure and operational rules of the new fund, which originally was to be filled from the state budget and privatization proceeds and should have started with an initial capital of TL 50 million. The law provides the establishment of a stock corporation that will be responsible for investments, stakes and other commitments of the fund. The financial market operations of the fund are according to paragraph 8 of the law 6741largely exempt from taxes and fees.

From the new Turkey-Fund the government expects major funding contributions for ongoing and upcoming major projects. These include the third international airport in Istanbul and the planned "Canal Istanbul", which will run parallel to the Bosporus. Expected to the ideas of the government the fund should bring an annual contribution of 1.5 percentage points to the real GDP growth over the next ten years. Economy Minister Zeybekci expects through the fund in the long term an asset control of about USD 200 billion.

Debts to the State can be paid by installments

Companies that are under financial pressure should be relieved by the law no. 6736 for the restructuring of public demands from March 8th 2016. This came in force after the publication in the government Gazette no. 29806 of August 19th 2016. With this law firms and persons, which have debts at the tax office or at social security institutions, can get the possibility to settle their outstanding claims, including failure surcharges by installments within 18 months. On claims up to TL 50 (1 Euro = 3.31 TL) the state will entirely dispense. The redemption of debt from tourism enterprises, which are due in2016, will in accordance to the law shifted by one year.

The private retirement provision for all workers should increase the savings rate 

In order to increase the country's low savings rate, the Turkish government has adopted the law no. 6740 on August 10th 201616, which gets into force on January 1st 2017 (promulgated in the government Gazette No. 29812 on August 25th 2016). With this law, changing the law no. 4632 of March 28th 2001 about the voluntary private retirement provision all workers aged less than 45 years and of Turkish nationality will in the future "automatically" be included in the system of the private pensions system. Affected employees however have the right, within two months from the inclusion date to declare their abandonment and leave the system.