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Texcare Messe Frankfurt (c) Messe Frankfurt
06.09.2024

Circular economy long established in the textile care industry

The professional rental service for linen and workwear is a textbook example of a circular, sustainable business model, which uses hard-wearing textiles instead of lower-quality or disposable products (reduce), optimises their useful life through professional care / repairs (reuse) and develops solutions to re-purpose them after they have reached the end of their useful life (recycle).

The professional rental service for linen and workwear is a textbook example of a circular, sustainable business model, which uses hard-wearing textiles instead of lower-quality or disposable products (reduce), optimises their useful life through professional care / repairs (reuse) and develops solutions to re-purpose them after they have reached the end of their useful life (recycle).

With its ‘Green Deal’, the European Commission has, inter alia, initiated the transformation of the garment-manufacturing industry from a business model of short-lived consumption to a more sustainable, circular system. By 2030, fast fashion will be replaced increasingly by textile products that have a longer life cycle and thus contribute to reducing environmental pollution. To achieve this goal, textiles must be more durable, reusable, repairable, fibre-to-fibre recyclable and have a greater proportion of recycled fibres. For the textile-service sector, the circularity requirements defined in Brussels have long been standard practice because hiring out professional workwear and protective clothing, as well as hotel and hospital linen, mop covers and other items, requires precisely these characteristics, i.e., the fabrics must be durable, washable – and therefore reusable – and easy to repair. Thanks to these qualities, rental linen can remain in the service cycle for a long time and has thus become established as a sustainable alternative to outright purchasing.

Laundry in the circular system
The textile-rental service offers a variety of systems tailored to the needs of different groups of customers. Workwear and protective clothing is stocked by textile-service laundries in a wide range of sizes, so that each customer's employees can be supplied with a suitable outfit. This is then labelled and made available to the individual wearer. If the employee leaves the customer's employ, the garments are taken back and – provided they are in good condition – reused as replacement clothing. In the case of workwear in the healthcare sector, as well as bed linen, table linen and towelling, a pool solution is more common. A laundry pool comprises similar textiles that are supplied without being assigned to a specific customer or wearer, which significantly reduces the quantity of textiles used.

Local textile cleaning is another major area of commercial textile care that also helps extend the life of textiles with a wide range of goods being professionally processed on behalf of private and commercial customers by such businesses. High-quality outerwear and underwear, premium home textiles, delicate down jackets or heavily soiled workwear are all restored to a clean, fresh and usable condition. And if stains prove particularly stubborn even after cleaning, a specialist company can re-colour the goods, thus ensuring they can be reused.

The recycling benefits of textile rental services
Besides the two main requirements of ‘reuse’ and ‘repair’, the sector is also working hard on the recycling of old textiles, as called for by the EU textile strategy. Several workwear manufacturers have developed their own returns models, whereby customers can hand back their old workwear when buying new items. The old workwear is then reused or recycled by partner organisations. Large companies, including Deutsche Telekom and Ikea, have also introduced a centralised returns and recycling system for discarded workwear. Indeed, the furniture giant has even created its own home textiles line using old workwear. However, the easiest way to implement a system of this kind is to use a rental service, as the goods are always returned to the specialist company and sorted there. In other words, the used laundry is collected in one place after washing, where it forms a large volume of similar discarded textiles, which greatly simplifies both the collection logistics and the recycling process. These favourable conditions have already led to the establishment of an initial initiative in which several textile service companies pool their waste hotel linen and channel it into industrial cotton-to-pulp recycling. Whether individual or joint initiatives, this is a testament to the industry's commitment to the development of solutions for ‘waste materials’.

Textile upcycling for designer items
Solutions for rejected textiles are more varied than simply recycling them. For example, Sweden's Fristads company offers a repair service for its workwear. The British department store chain John Lewis goes one step further. In a field trial, customers can hand in their garments to selected stores for cleaning and repair. The garments are processed by Johnsons, a laundry and dry-cleaning chain belonging to the Timpson Group. Designers have also recognised second-life opportunities for discarded workwear and contract textiles. For example, they apply elaborate decorations to items from their collections or take them apart and reassemble them. The creatively enhanced goods are then returned to the market as designer items. There are also recycling solutions for large contract textiles, which are converted into bags or cosmetic accessories or, after a colour-changing process, into small batches of aprons. However, the effect of such concepts on reducing textile waste is as small as their diversity. Only the established second-hand model is able to return larger quantities to the economic cycle.

The pros and cons of recycled materials
While the textile-care industry is unanimous in its support for the requirements of the EU textile strategy and is contributing solutions, it disagrees on increasing the proportion of recycled fibres in its products. Although there are already numerous workwear collections and hotel-linen ranges that meet the requirements from Brussels, some of the products do not, however, meet the durability requirements because the fibre quality deteriorates with each recycling stage. Therefore, many contract-textile manufacturers still rely exclusively on virgin, brand-new fibre materials to ensure durability in industrial laundering. Texcare International offers the industry the perfect setting to discuss this conflict of objectives in depth.

Source:

Messe Frankfurt

Skin contact and remote hugs via smart textiles (c) Oliver Dietze
10.04.2024

Skin contact and remote hugs via smart textiles

Smart textiles are making virtual reality more immersive and enabling wearers to experience the sensation of physical touch. An ultrathin film that can transmit touch sensations is able to turn textiles into a virtual second skin. For seriously ill children in hospital isolation wards, this new technology offers them the chance to feel the physical closeness of their parents during computer-simulated visits and to experience again the feeling of being held, hugged or cuddled.

The research team led by Professors Stefan Seelecke and Paul Motzki from Saarland University will be presenting the technology behind these smart textiles at Hannover Messe from 22 to 26 April.

Smart textiles are making virtual reality more immersive and enabling wearers to experience the sensation of physical touch. An ultrathin film that can transmit touch sensations is able to turn textiles into a virtual second skin. For seriously ill children in hospital isolation wards, this new technology offers them the chance to feel the physical closeness of their parents during computer-simulated visits and to experience again the feeling of being held, hugged or cuddled.

The research team led by Professors Stefan Seelecke and Paul Motzki from Saarland University will be presenting the technology behind these smart textiles at Hannover Messe from 22 to 26 April.

A hand on a shoulder, the stroke of an arm or a simple hug. Human touch can bring calm, comfort and closeness, a sense of safety and of being protected. When the nerve cells in our skin are stimulated by touch, numerous parts of our brain are triggered, causing immediate changes in our body's biochemistry. Hormones and signalling molecules are released, including oxytocin, which creates a sense of well-being and bonding. Video calls, on the other hand, tend to leave us cold. We miss the closeness and emotional connection that in-person meetings produce. But what happens when physical closeness is essential, when children are seriously ill, but their parents are unable to visit? When physical contact is not possible due to a weakened immune system?

An interdisciplinary research team at Saarland University, htw saar University of Applied Sciences, the Centre for Mechatronics and Automation Technology (ZeMA) and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) is working on a technology that will enable children in hospital isolation wards to feel in a very natural way the close physical proximity of their parents during virtual visits. The 'Multi-Immerse' project is at the interface of engineering science, neurotechnology, medicine and computer science and the members of the research team are developing ways to realize multi-sensory virtual encounters between individuals. The aim is to create new technology that will allow young patients to see, hear and feel their parents and siblings in as realistic a manner as possible so that the children experience a strong sense of close physical interaction even though they are physically separated.

The research group led by Professors Stefan Seelecke and Paul Motzki at Saarland University and ZeMA in Saarbrücken is responsible for the tactile side of the project and for creating technical systems that deliver a realistic sense of touch. The Saarbrücken engineers are experts in using thin silicone films to impart novel capabilities to surfaces. They have developed films that are a mere 50 micrometres thick and that can be worn like a second skin. Just as our skin is our body's interface to the outside world, these ultrathin films are the body's interface to the virtual world. The goal is to create a lifelike sensation of touch from interactions between people in a virtual environment.

When incorporated into textiles, these high-tech films allow the child to experience being touched when the mother or father strokes a second smart textile elsewhere. 'The films, known as dielectric elastomers, act both as sensors – detecting the tactile input from mum or dad – and as actuators – that transmit these movements to the child,' explained Professor Seelecke, who heads the Intelligent Material Systems Lab at Saarland University. When functioning as a sensor, the film is able to recognize with very high precision how a hand or finger presses or stretches the film as it brushes over it. This physical deformation caused by the parent's hand is then reproduced exactly in a second textile that is in contact with the child's skin – giving the child the realistic impression of being stroked on the arm, for example.

‘A highly flexible electrically conducting layer is printed onto each side of the ultrathin film to create what is known as a dielectric elastomer. If we apply a voltage to the elastomer film, the electrodes attract each other, compressing the polymer and causing it to expand out sideways, thus increasing its surface area,' said Professor Paul Motzki, who holds a cross-institutional professorship in smart material systems for innovative production at Saarland University and at ZeMA. Even the slightest movement of the film alters its electrical capacitance, which is a physical quantity that can be precisely measured. When a finger runs over the film, the film deforms and an exact value of the electrical capacitance can be assigned to each individual position of the film. A sequence of these measured capacitance values represents the path taken by the finger as it moves. The film is therefore its own flexible sensor that can recognize how it is being deformed.

By knowing how capacitance values and film deformations correlate, the researchers can use the smart textile to transfer the stroking motion of a parent's hand to the child's arm. The research team is able to precisely control the motion of the elastomer film. By combining the capacitance data and intelligent algorithms, the team has developed a control unit that can predict and program motion sequences and thus precisely control how the elastomer film deforms. 'We can get the film to perform continuously controlled flexing motions so that it exerts increasing pressure on the skin, or we can get it to remain in a fixed position”, explained PhD student Sipontina Croce, who is carrying out doctoral research in the project. They can also create tapping movements at a specified frequency. The amplitude and frequency of the motion can be precisely regulated.

At this year's Hannover Messe, the team will be demonstrating their technology with a “watch” that has a smart film applied to its back. 'We can create chains of these smart components so that they can transmit long stroking motions. To do this, we interconnect the components so that they can communicate and cooperate collectively within a network,' explained Paul Motzki.

This smart-textile technology is inexpensive, lightweight, noiseless and energy-efficient. By providing a tactile element to computer gaming, the novel elastomer-film technology can also be used to make the gaming experience more realistic. In related projects, the engineers have used their technology to create interactive gloves for future industrial production processes, or to create the sensation of a tactile 'button' or 'slider' on flat glass display screens, which is literally bringing a new dimension to touchscreen interactions.

At this year's Hannover Messe, the experts for intelligent materials from Saarbrücken will be showcasing other developments that make use of dielectric elastomers, such as sensory shirts or shoe soles, or industrial components like pumps, vacuum pumps and high-performance actuators.

Source:

Universität des Saarlandes

Heimtextil Trends 24/25 © SPOTT trends & business for Heimtextil
12.09.2023

Heimtextil Trends 24/25: New Sensitivity

Under the theme "New Sensitivity", textile transformation is the focus of Heimtextil Trends 24/25. Three approaches show ways to a more sensitive world of textiles: the plant-based production of textiles, the support of textile cycles by technology and the bioengineered use of natural ingredients. In addition, Future Materials curates regenerative materials and designs.
 
After last year's focus on circular solutions, Heimtextil Trends 24/25 will once again shed light on transformative textile innovations.
Under the title "New Sensitivity," the focus is on innovations and changes in the composition of textiles, in addition to aesthetic aspects. "In this context, sensitivity means considering the impact on the environment when making a decision or creating a product. Understanding how natural ecosystems work and prioritising balance as the default are key," says Anja Bisgaard Gaede, Founder of SPOTT trends & business.

Under the theme "New Sensitivity", textile transformation is the focus of Heimtextil Trends 24/25. Three approaches show ways to a more sensitive world of textiles: the plant-based production of textiles, the support of textile cycles by technology and the bioengineered use of natural ingredients. In addition, Future Materials curates regenerative materials and designs.
 
After last year's focus on circular solutions, Heimtextil Trends 24/25 will once again shed light on transformative textile innovations.
Under the title "New Sensitivity," the focus is on innovations and changes in the composition of textiles, in addition to aesthetic aspects. "In this context, sensitivity means considering the impact on the environment when making a decision or creating a product. Understanding how natural ecosystems work and prioritising balance as the default are key," says Anja Bisgaard Gaede, Founder of SPOTT trends & business.

How does New Sensitivity translate into something concrete in the lifestyle industry, and what does having a sensitive approach to design and products mean? Also the adoption of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is transforming current times. AGI has the potential to bring innovative solutions and help tackle significant challenges, also in the textile industry. However, AGI can have the opposite effect on society. AGI needs the mindset of New Sensitivity that helps simplify complexity, expand creativity, and find unseen solutions, also within the world of textiles.
     
"With Heimtextil Trends 24/25: New Sensitivity, we encourage the textile industry to approach the future with thoughtfulness and consideration. Specifically, we see this change in three different trends for a more sensitive world of textiles: biotechnical, plant-based and technological," Bisgaard Gaede continues.

Plant-based: textiles made from plant crops or plant by-products
Plant-based textiles mean that the fibres are derived from something that grows rather than being synthetically produced. The sustainable advantage of plant-based textiles is that their origin is natural and, therefore, more able to recirculate in existing ecosystems. They can be divided into two groups. The first group of textiles are made from plant crops. New resilient crops like cactus, hemp, abaca, seaweed, and rubber offer new sustainable textile solutions. Because of mechanical extraction, they can grow despite climate changes and require fewer chemicals in their development. The second group consists of textiles made of plant by-products which are leftover raw materials from production such as banana, olive, persimmon and hemp.

Technological: technology and technical solutions transforming textiles
Technology can support the transformation of textiles through the use of different methods: upcycling and recycling of textiles, textile construction, and textile design. Due to decades of production, textiles are now a material available in abundance. Developing technologies for recycling textile waste and methods for upcycling textiles increases the circular usage of existing textiles. Furthermore, old textile construction techniques also offer pathways to sustainable solutions: For instance, using knitting technology for furniture upholstery produces less fabric waste; alternatively, weaving technique allows the creation of several colours using only a few coloured yarns. Textile Design Thinking is another method that addresses critical issues such as energy usage and durability of natural fibres and enhances these through technological textile advancement.

Bio-engineered: engineered to enhance bio-degrading
To a certain degree, bio-engineered textiles represent a fusion of plant-based and technological textiles. Bio-engineering bridges nature and technology and transforms the way textiles are made. They can be divided into two directions: fully bio-engineered and bio-degradable textiles. In the production of fully bio-engineered textiles nature-inspired strategies are adopted. Instead of growing plants and extracting their fibres, textiles are made from the protein, carbohydrates, or bacteria in corn, grass, and cane sugar. Manufacturing involves a bio-molecular process that creates filaments which are made into yarn. The sustainable advantage of bio-engineered textiles is that they can have some of the same functionalities as synthetically produced textiles, while still being biodegradable because of their natural origin. Biodegradable fibres can be added to conventional textiles like polyester to enhance the conventional textiles’ ability to revert to materials found in nature and hence biodegrade in natural environments such as water or soil. Although not biodegrading completely, these bio-enhanced textiles will biodegrade up to 93 % compared to conventional textiles.

Heimtextil Trends 24/25: new colourways
A sensitive approach to colouring methods is expressed by a dynamic yet subtle colour palette created through natural pigments deriving from the earth, as traditional colouring processes are brought to the next level through innovative bioengineering technology. In pursuit of creating colours that evoke emotions in our senses while at the same time respecting our values in protecting the environment, we see colour bacteria growing pigments generating hues with great richness and depth.
               
This New Sensitivity includes acceptance of natural colour flows, as colours may fade with time or morph into new colourways. The colourways for Heimtextil Trends 24/25 were inspired by natural colours deriving from avocado seeds, algae, living bacteria, antique pigments such as raw sienna, and bio-engineered indigo and cochineal. The high black component in most colours allows for widespread application and a greater variety of combinations. The punchy saturated accents enhance our senses as they lift our spirits. In contrast, the grounding neutrals in different shades of grey, terra and even dark purple allow for calmness and tranquillity.

Future Materials: regenerative design
How are regenerative textiles and materials defined? Regenerative design is dedicated to developing holistic creative practices that restore or renew resources, have a positive impact on the environment, and encourage communities to thrive. For Heimtextil 2024, design futures consultancy FranklinTill is curating a global showcase of cutting-edge textiles and materials to illustrate the principles of regenerative design and recognize pioneering designers, producers and manufacturers who are at the forefront of regenerative design.
The Trend Space at Heimtextil in Frankfurt, Germany, January 9-12, 2023, will showcase these pioneering solutions in an inspiring way. In addition, Heimtextil Trends will offer visitors orientation and insights into the future of home and contract textiles in the form of workshops, lectures and other interactive formats.

Source:

Heimtextil, Messe Frankfurt

DOMOTEX (c) Deutsche Messe AG
30.05.2023

"DOMOTEX is and will remain the home of the entire industry"

Interview on the trade fair landscape for floor coverings in Germany

The effects of the Corona pandemic were felt in almost all areas of social and economic life. The trade fair industry in particular was severely affected, with many events cancelled or postponed. With the return to normality, the question arises as to what significance leading trade fairs will have in the post-Corona era and how the competition between different organisers will develop. For its KLARTEXT interview series, Textination talked to Ms Sonia Wedell-Castellano, Global Director of DOMOTEX Events.

 

Interview on the trade fair landscape for floor coverings in Germany

The effects of the Corona pandemic were felt in almost all areas of social and economic life. The trade fair industry in particular was severely affected, with many events cancelled or postponed. With the return to normality, the question arises as to what significance leading trade fairs will have in the post-Corona era and how the competition between different organisers will develop. For its KLARTEXT interview series, Textination talked to Ms Sonia Wedell-Castellano, Global Director of DOMOTEX Events.

 

After DOMOTEX was unable to take place in 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic, the trade fair returned in 2023 with a successful event. Nevertheless, the number of exhibitors has almost halved compared to 2020. How do you assess the future importance of leading trade fairs after the industry had to come to terms with online meetings and travel restrictions for a long period of time?

I think it is important to remember that this was the first DOMOTEX since the outbreak of the pandemic, and at a time when the global economic situation is rather difficult. Of course, this situation has made some companies reluctant to participate in DOMOTEX 2023, so we have not yet been able to welcome all companies back as exhibitors at the show. In addition, there were still significant travel restrictions in place at the beginning of the year, for example in China, which simply made it more difficult for our exhibitors to participate in a trade fair abroad. As far as our expectations for the next event are concerned, I can say that many companies - even those that did not exhibit this year - have communicated their interest in wanting to be back at DOMOTEX 2024.
 
We are certain that leading trade fairs and exhibitions in general will continue to be of great importance in the future! You may be able to cultivate existing customers at digital events, but you can't generate new ones. The focus of DOMOTEX is on products you can touch, on the haptic experience on site. You can't transfer that to the digital world. Even the chance encounters at the stand or in the halls do not happen digitally. But a trade fair thrives on personal encounters, personal exchanges. Business is done between people, not between screens. Both exhibitors and visitors have told us quite clearly that they want and need DOMOTEX to be a trade fair where people are present.

 

The degree of internationalisation among DOMOTEX visitors was between 62 and 67 percent in the last three years of the event before the pandemic; in 2023 it even reached 69 percent. Would you agree that leading international trade fairs in Germany are now primarily only important for export-oriented companies? And what does that imply for the economic efficiency of trade fairs?

Certainly, leading international trade fairs in Germany are particularly interesting for export-oriented companies, but not exclusively. That doesn't change anything at all about the profitability of trade fairs. We generate our turnover with all our exhibitors, regardless of whether they are export-oriented or only interested in the Germany-Austria-Switzerland region. That's why satisfied exhibitors are very important to us. And an exhibitor is satisfied when he can do good business or make good contacts at our fairs. It's more and more about the right quality of visitors, less about the quantity. In any case, all our exhibitors very much welcome international visitors!

 

For the 2024 edition, Deutsche Messe has announced that its DOMOTEX concept has been changed to focus on different areas each year: Carpet & Rugs in the odd-numbered years and Flooring in the even-numbered years. Flooring covers wood and laminate flooring, parquet, design flooring, resilient floor coverings, carpets, outdoor flooring and application and installation technology. Carpet & Rugs stands for hand-made carpets and runners as well as for machine-woven carpets.

Yet you say that the Carpet & Rugs segment in particular needs an annual presentation platform, while the flooring segment would like to see DOMOTEX every two years as the central platform for the industry due to longer innovation cycles. Doesn't that actually mean that floor coverings are only in Hannover every other year, but carpets continue to exhibit annually in Hannover? Could you clarify that?

DOMOTEX - Home of Flooring will take place in 2024 and in all even years: This is a DOMOTEX with all exhibitors as we know them from the past. So, from herringbone parquet to outdoor coverings, oriental carpets and contemporary designs - everything, under one roof. In the odd years, i.e. from 2025, there will then be DOMOTEX - Home of Carpets and Rugs, with a focus on suppliers of fitted carpets. The background to this is that the hard flooring industry had wanted DOMOTEX to be held every two years. After this year's DOMOTEX, the suppliers of wall-to-wall carpets have again clearly spoken out in favour of an annual platform. With our new focus model, we are meeting the needs that the market has expressed to us.

 

Messe Frankfurt has declared a new product segment for next year's Heimtextil - interestingly, under the name Carpets & Rugs. While the watchword at DOMOTEX in the even year 2024 is Flooring, Heimtextil offers an alternative trade fair venue for carpets. How do you assess this situation - do exhibitors now have to choose between Hannover and Frankfurt and what does this mean for the split concept?

No, exhibitors from the carpet sector will not have to choose between Hannover and Frankfurt in future - because DOMOTEX is and will remain the home of the entire industry, even in the even years! At DOMOTEX, Home of Flooring means, as I explained earlier, that we present the entire spectrum of floor coverings and carpets. But what is even more important is that we have been told by exhibitors and many visitors that the market does not want to be split up any further. Through the many (small) events, the flooring industry is only competing with itself. To put it bluntly: if only some of the exhibitors take part in ten events, it can't really work. The critical mass is missing. A trade fair is only as good as its participants and they often don't have the time to visit several events.    

 

Another innovation for DOMOTEX is the country focus. What do you expect from this and why did you choose "Insight Italy" for 2024?

With our new special presentation, we want to arouse the curiosity of our visitors - especially retailers, architects and contractors - and highlight the international character of DOMOTEX. After all, what could be more exciting than getting to know a country in depth?  

That is why the INSIGHT concept will in future feature a different country at each DOMOTEX - Home of Flooring. Special exhibition areas will showcase innovations and products, present partnerships with designers and universities, and stage trends. In addition, the conference will provide insights into the respective market and references.  
In 2024, we will start with Italy, a very design-savvy and creative country from which many trends come.

 

Deutsche Messe wants to strengthen the Hannover venue for the leading trade fair DOMOTEX and to hold additional fairs only in Shanghai and in Gaziantep. There will be no Carpet Expo in Istanbul. What influence does the changing entrepreneurial landscape in terms of production countries and markets have on your international concept?

First of all, it must be noted that the business landscape for carpets has not changed in Turkey. Here, only the associations have decided to organise a carpet fair in Istanbul in the future. The background is the continuing visa problem for Turkish exhibitors in Germany as well as the immensely high inflation in Turkey, which makes foreign participation extremely costly for Turkish companies. We would have liked to organise a carpet fair in Istanbul together with the Turkish associations, but not at any price and not on their terms alone. Hannover is and will remain the international platform for DOMOTEX, and we will continue to strengthen this location.

But of course, we also keep an eye on the global market and keep our eyes and ears open at all times, for all our brands, by the way. It was only in this way that DOMOTEX asia/Chinafloor in Shanghai was able to develop into what is now a very successful event. The potential was there, we were in the right place at the right time. If we hadn't seized the opportunity at the time, there would still be a strong floor coverings trade fair in Shanghai - but it would be run by one of our competitors and it wouldn't be called DOMOTEX today.

Many thanks to Ms Sonia Wedell-Castellano for the KLARTEXT.

(c) INNATEX – international trade fair for sustainable textiles
06.12.2022

51st INNATEX targets the topic of conventional retail

International trade fair for Green Fashion focuses on new formats and strategic partnerships:

From 21 to 23 January 2023, INNATEX will be taking place for the 51st time in ac-cordance with its usual daily schedule. So far, well over 200 brands have regis-tered from Saturday to Monday in Hofheim-Wallau, near Frankfurt am Main, getting back towards pre-COVID levels. Its motto, ‘One Goal, Endless Styles’, refers not only to the diversity and solidarity in the INNATEX community but also to the fact that Green Fashion is a fundamental business area for the future.

International trade fair for Green Fashion focuses on new formats and strategic partnerships:

From 21 to 23 January 2023, INNATEX will be taking place for the 51st time in ac-cordance with its usual daily schedule. So far, well over 200 brands have regis-tered from Saturday to Monday in Hofheim-Wallau, near Frankfurt am Main, getting back towards pre-COVID levels. Its motto, ‘One Goal, Endless Styles’, refers not only to the diversity and solidarity in the INNATEX community but also to the fact that Green Fashion is a fundamental business area for the future.

Sustainability: a business model fit for the future
“We are seeking to promote constant new development in a sustainable textile industry through new formats and cooperation agreements,” says Alexander Hitzel, INNATEX Project Manager. “We are currently working with the Retail Federation (HDE) on addressing conventional retailers. In addition, we are planning creative and entirely novel concepts for the presentation of labels, as well as a business panel designed to deliver insights and hard facts for the trade. Sustainability projects are only truly sustainable if they are also selfsupporting business models.

From live presentations and strategic communication to fundraising campaigns
But, he says, the demand for established natural fibres and specifically designed production and certification options is also rising. The International Association of the Natural Textile Industry (IVN) will again be on site to offer its expertise and provide information on the implementation of the new German Supply Chain Act. The DesignDiscoveries support program, which will be on display in a freshly designed Special Area, offers selected newcomer labels a platform for their creative ideas. Applications are still open until 15 December.

“At INNATEX, retailers can seek out trends and discover new ideas and products, directly compare an unbeatable range of collections and articles from different suppliers, and get down to networking – those are the benefits of this ordering fair,” says Hitzel.

INNATEX is collaborating for the first time with the organisation Europe Cares, which provides humanitarian assistance for ‘people on the move’. Surplus goods that exhibitors can donate to the campaign will be used for the benefit of refugees at Europe’s borders.

Source:

INNATEX

Photo: Pim Top for FranklinTill
29.11.2022

Heimtextil Trends 23/24: Textiles Matter

The Heimtextil Trend Preview 23/24 presented future-oriented design concepts and inspiration for the textile furnishing sector. With ‘Textiles Matter’, Heimtextil 2023 wants to set the benchmark for tomorrow’s forward-facing and sustainable textile furnishing. Hence, the focus is on circularity. Marta Giralt Dunjó of futures research agency FranklinTill (Great Britain) presented the design prognoses for 23/24. At the coming Heimtextil in Frankfurt am Main from 10 to 13 January 2023, the presentations of new products will generate stimulating impulses in the Trend Space.

The Heimtextil Trend Preview 23/24 presented future-oriented design concepts and inspiration for the textile furnishing sector. With ‘Textiles Matter’, Heimtextil 2023 wants to set the benchmark for tomorrow’s forward-facing and sustainable textile furnishing. Hence, the focus is on circularity. Marta Giralt Dunjó of futures research agency FranklinTill (Great Britain) presented the design prognoses for 23/24. At the coming Heimtextil in Frankfurt am Main from 10 to 13 January 2023, the presentations of new products will generate stimulating impulses in the Trend Space.

The Heimtextil Trend Council – consisting of FranklinTill Studio (London), Stijlinstituut Amsterdam and Denmark’s SPOTT Trends & Business agency – offers insights into the future of the national and international market. The focus is more than ever before on sustainability and the circular economy, the main factors in setting the trends for the season 23/24.

Textiles Matter: bear responsibility
Textiles are an integral part of modern life. The material applications and the manufacturing processes are no less multifarious than user expectations. And this represents a great challenge for the international textile industry, which obtains its raw materials from a broad spectrum of sources and uses numerous processes to make a huge variety of products. This offers a great potential for the sustainable development of the textile industry in the future. The Heimtextil Trends show ways in which this potential can be utilized and sustainable developments promoted. Under the motto ‘Textiles Matter’, visitors can explore concepts for increased circularity, which will generate new impulses for the sustainable market of the future.

"Considering the state of environmental emergency we are currently living through, the textile industry has a responsibility to examine its processes, and change for the better. That is why for this edition of the Heimtextil Trends we are taking a material’s first approach, and focusing on the sourcing, design, and sustainability of materials. Textiles Matter showcases the potential of circularity and celebrates design initiatives that are beautiful, relevant and importantly sustainable”, explains Marta Giralt Dunjó of FranklinTill.

Change via circularity
The Trend Space at the coming Heimtextil 2023 will revolve around ideas and solutions for circularity in the textile sector. How can textiles be produced in a sustainable way? What recycling options are there? What does the optimum recycling of textile products look like? Within the framework of the circular economy, materials are continuously reused. On the one hand, this reduces the need for new raw materials and, on the other hand, cuts the amount of waste generated. In the technical cycle, inorganic materials, such as nylon, polyester, plastic and metal, can be recycled with no loss of quality. In the biological cycle, organic materials, such as linen and bast fibres, are returned to nature at the end of their useful life. This is the basis of the four trend themes: ‘Make and Remake’, ‘Continuous’, ‘From Earth’ and ‘Nature Engineered’.

Make and Remake
Pre-used materials, deadstock and remnant textiles are given a new lease of life with the focus shifting to the aesthetics of repair and taking the form of a specific design element of the recycled product. Bright and joyful colours and techniques, such as overprinting, overdyeing, bricolage, collage and patchwork, result in new and creative products. Layered colour patterns and graphics lead to bold and maximalist, yet conscious, designs.

Continuous
The Continuous trend theme describes closed-loop systems in which materials are recycled into new, waste-free products again and again. Putative waste materials are separated out and reprocessed as new fibres, composites and textiles. Thus, synthetic and cellulose yarns can be produced zero-waste. Thanks to technically advanced reclamation processes, the materials retain their original quality and aesthetic. Practicality, essentialism and longevity determine the design of Continuous products.

From Earth
This theme focuses on the natural world and harmony with the nature of organic materials. Natural colours communicate warmth and softness. Imperfect textures, signs of wear and irregularities create ecological and earth-born aesthetics. Earthen and botanic shades, natural variation and tactile richness dominate the From Earth segment. Unrefined and raw surfaces, unbleached textiles and natural dyes celebrate materials in their original states.

Nature Engineered
Nature Engineered uses mechanical means to elevate and perfect organic materials, such as bast fibres, hemp, linen and nettles. Cutting-edge techniques process natural textiles into sophisticated and smart products. Combined with shades of beige and brown, clean lines and shapes are the distinguishing features of this theme.

More information:
Heimtextil Trends FranklinTill
Source:

Heimtextil, Messe Frankfurt

(c) Messe München GmbH
16.08.2022

ISPO Shanghai: Record number of visitors in new location

With a record of nearly 21,000 specialist visitors as well as 350 brands from 200 exhibiting companies, ISPO Shanghai took place as a one-off happening in the Nanjing International Exhibition Center (NIEC) from 29 to 31 July, 2022.

ISPO Shanghai presented the latest trends and innovative products from the areas of camping lifestyle, outdoors and running as well as health and fitness, watersports, climbing, surfing, boxing and yoga in the Nanjing International Exhibition Center (NIEC). The key topics of textiles and technology, sports design, and e-commerce were newly integrated, further strengthening ISPO Shanghai’s position as one of the most important sports and lifestyle trade fairs in the Asia-Pacific region.

With a record of nearly 21,000 specialist visitors as well as 350 brands from 200 exhibiting companies, ISPO Shanghai took place as a one-off happening in the Nanjing International Exhibition Center (NIEC) from 29 to 31 July, 2022.

ISPO Shanghai presented the latest trends and innovative products from the areas of camping lifestyle, outdoors and running as well as health and fitness, watersports, climbing, surfing, boxing and yoga in the Nanjing International Exhibition Center (NIEC). The key topics of textiles and technology, sports design, and e-commerce were newly integrated, further strengthening ISPO Shanghai’s position as one of the most important sports and lifestyle trade fairs in the Asia-Pacific region.

Due to the difficult pandemic situation, the meeting of the Asian sports and outdoors community at ISPO Shanghai 2022 took place in Nanjing for one time only. It achieved a new record with 21,000 specialist visitors, reflecting the industry’s determination to present and develop sporting goods and related industries together even in difficult times. For comparison, 17,800 visitors came in 2020, and 19,000 the following year. The many sports professionals and sports fans, as well as up-and-coming sports and free-time trends such as camping, surfing and frisbee, demonstrated the numerous possibilities in the sports market and underlined the fact that even the outdoors sector is booming following the coronavirus pandemic.

The industry discussed innovations and new opportunities at the five big topic forums – namely the summit for the sustainable development of the outdoors industry in the Asia-Pacific region, the trend forum for sports fashion, the innovation salon for the outdoor sports industry, the summit for cross-border e-commerce in the Chinese sporting goods industry and for fitness and rehabilitation.

The main focus was on the topic of sustainability. ISPO has been driving this topic for years: Starting with the “Brands for Good” initiative in 2018, ISPO offers not only a platform for brands’ initiatives on sustainable development, but also actively participates in the discussion about sustainable products and their production.

Tobias Gröber, Executive Director of the Consumer Goods Business Unit at Messe München and Head of the ISPO Group, says: “The urban sports style that we showed at ISPO Shanghai this year, including frisbee, surfing and climbing, is continuing to develop. Seasons and categories are becoming increasingly blurred, which is why we will continue to expand the product segments on our Chinese platforms and pursue a cross-category approach. In future, ISPO will concentrate on expanding its offering and will also include new sports and outdoor topics such as cycling and off-road vehicles.”

The next ISPO Shanghai will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) again in June 2023, while ISPO Beijing 2022 will take place from December 9 to 11, 2022 at the National Convention Center in Beijing.

Source:

Messe München GmbH

(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

Photo: pixabay
03.05.2022

The Journey to Carbon Neutrality: Reduction technologies and measuring tools

More and more sports and fashion brands are setting themselves the goal of becoming climate neutral within the next few years, on a corporate as well as product level. The CO2 balance serves as the gateway to sustainable apparel and for more transparency for the consumer.

This process begins with the materials supplied by textile producers, requiring knowledge of the amount of CO2 emitted during production. By evaluating and quantifying CO2 emissions, the industry gains in transparency and can turn to more sustainable options.

More and more sports and fashion brands are setting themselves the goal of becoming climate neutral within the next few years, on a corporate as well as product level. The CO2 balance serves as the gateway to sustainable apparel and for more transparency for the consumer.

This process begins with the materials supplied by textile producers, requiring knowledge of the amount of CO2 emitted during production. By evaluating and quantifying CO2 emissions, the industry gains in transparency and can turn to more sustainable options.

In close collaboration with sustainability insights platform Higg and partners such as Climate Partner, PERFORMANCE DAYS Munich and Functional Fabric Fair by PERFORMANCE DAYS Portland seek targeted answers to the question, “How can we cut down on CO2 emissions?” as part of its roadmap over the next three fairs. The Focus Topic “The Journey to Carbon Neutrality” will therefore highlight materials and fibers that provide solutions on how to produce and reprocess materials in the future in a climate-friendly manner, kicking off at the spring trade fair, to be held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland on April 4-5, 2022, at the Munich’s Exhibition Center on April 27-28, 2022, continuing through the winter fair in October/November and culminating at the Spring 2023 fair.

When the conversation turns to environmental protection and climate change these days, the term CO2 neutrality is also often mentioned in connection with CO2 emissions and CO2 reduction. Yet what exactly does CO2 neutrality mean? Climate neutrality implies achieving a balance between carbon emissions themselves and the absorption of carbon in the atmosphere into carbon sinks. To achieve net zero emissions, all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide must be offset by carbon sequestration. The fashion and sportswear industries are among the world’s highest emitters of CO2.

If one wishes to examine their emissions across all stages of the value chain, it is worth looking beyond raw materials, production, logistics and trade. Consumer behavior can also influence emissions: According to the “Fashion on Climate” report published by the Global Fashion Agenda and McKinsey at the end of August 2020, even greater leverage lies in the products themselves: 61 percent of reductions in emissions could be achieved through CO2 reductions in material production and processing, by minimizing production and manufacturing waste, and in the manufacturing of garments. By 2030, that would account for around 1 billion tons annually. And last but not least, consumer behavior is also a factor that impacts the fashion industry’s climate footprint. If even more attention is paid to sustainable clothing, and if it is reused and worn longer, this can lead to a reduction in emissions of up to 347 million tons, according to the report.

A pioneering example on the road to sustainability was PERFORMANCE DAYS’ decision to only present sustainable materials at the PERFORMANCE FORUM from the trade fair event in November 2019 onwards. And from the upcoming Spring Fair onwards, the sustainable approach will be heightened further. Within the framework of this roadmap, the new Focus Topic is intended to accompany exhibitors on their way to climate neutrality over the course of three fairs. In doing so, PERFORMANCE DAYS and Functional Fabric Fair are pursuing a 3-step plan.  

  • Step 1, April 2022: The focus of the upcoming fair will be on CO2-reducing technologies and the measuring of a product’s carbon footprint.
  • Step 2, November 2022: Within the entire Focus Topic product category, only products that indicate CO2 emissions caused during production will be shown. This contributes to more transparency and comparability in the industry.
  • Step 3, April 2023: The PERFORMANCE FORUM will present the amount of CO2 emitted by each individual product. Furthermore, approaches to solutions will be shown as to how CO2 released during the manufacturing of materials can be offset and further reduced.

For the best possible implementation and presentation of the new Focus Topic, PERFORMANCE DAYS and Functional Fabric Fair trust in collaborators: Higg and Climate Partner – amongst others – will accompany the next three fairs. The Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) is considered the leading tool for assessing the environmental impact of materials in the apparel, footwear and textile industries. The Higg MSI is able to calculate the environmental impact of millions of possible material manufacturing variants. A packaging library has also been added to assist in making sustainable decisions for packaging. The Higg Index is neither a certificate nor a label, but rather an important self-assessment tool that textile companies can utilize internally to be able to identify and improve environmental and social issues throughout their value chain.

Climate Partner, on the other hand, seeks solutions for climate protection: This involves the balancing of CO2 emissions – which in turn are to offset the emissions of companies with recognized climate protection projects in order to make products, services and companies climate neutral. Climate Partner also sees itself as an advisor to companies on their climate protection strategies. Together, the aim is to work on reducing CO2 emissions and to support climate protection projects that benefit the everyday lives of people in developing countries. 

Source:

PERFORMANCE DAYS

(c) Vincentz Network GmbH & Co. KG / ALTENPFLEGE
26.04.2022

ALTENPFLEGE 2022: Intelligently equipped rooms for more independence in old age

Most people want to live as independently as possible in old age. Exhibitors at the industry's leading trade fair ALTENPFLEGE from April 26 to 28 in Essen, Germany will be showing how senior facilities with modern interior design and smart equipment meet this need.

Demand for forms of housing such as service living is on the rise. Studies predict a need for around 540,000 new service living units in the coming years. One of the major trends at this year's 32nd edition of the Altenpflege trade fair is how senior facilities are meeting the rapidly growing demand with flexible room design and digital support. They can be seen in the Aveneo special show, including intelligent systems for stove shut-off, lighting control and room temperature, as well as for fall sensors and emergency calls.

Most people want to live as independently as possible in old age. Exhibitors at the industry's leading trade fair ALTENPFLEGE from April 26 to 28 in Essen, Germany will be showing how senior facilities with modern interior design and smart equipment meet this need.

Demand for forms of housing such as service living is on the rise. Studies predict a need for around 540,000 new service living units in the coming years. One of the major trends at this year's 32nd edition of the Altenpflege trade fair is how senior facilities are meeting the rapidly growing demand with flexible room design and digital support. They can be seen in the Aveneo special show, including intelligent systems for stove shut-off, lighting control and room temperature, as well as for fall sensors and emergency calls.

Future tenants or buyers of serviced apartments are prepared to invest specifically in their own living environment (source: Terragon study 2021). The focus is on a feel-good atmosphere, a high level of security and the option of using care services if required. "This can be facilitated by a cleverly thought-out arrangement of the rooms within a serviced apartment, for example by arranging the bathroom and bedroom right next to each other and making the wall with the washbasin rotatable," explains Carolin Pauly, managing director of Universal Rooms, which considers itself to be the interface between the wishes of the operators and the products in the serviced apartment market. "The furniture and furnishings industry is called upon to design modern collections with hidden product features that make life easier in old age," Pauly demands. This could be, for example, a grab handle built into the washbasin or a dining table that can be accessed by a wheelchair.

Lighting management also plays an important role. It should convey a sense of well-being and security as well as provide orientation and safety. Age-related clinical pictures in particular place high demands on lighting. Here, lighting systems that simulate the natural day and night rhythm can provide help.

Living, care and digitalization combined
The Chief Executive Officer of the Evangelische Heimstiftung (EHS - Evangelical Home Foundation), Bernhard Schneider, sees "an individually and comfortably furnished apartment that uses intelligent technology to provide a great deal of security and self-determination" as the senior living of the future. "I am certain: In the future, in a sector-free setting, we will have to understand housing, nursing and care, and digitalization even more strongly as building blocks that can be combined as needed."

According to Schneider, this starts with housing: In a nursing apartment or an assisted living apartment, in a shared apartment or other form of communal living, in a residence or an intergenerational project. All forms of housing should be well integrated into the neighborhood - this requires reliable, financed advisory structures, for example through neighborhood managers. In addition, there is care, support and assistance, in the form of day or night care, a mobile service or volunteers. "And technology, for example through our Aladien system, i.e. with intelligent home emergency call, fall sensors, stove shut-off, roller shutters and light control, video door telephony, etc. In the future, Aladien will evolve into a service robot," predicts Schneider.

This makes it possible for people to live a self-determined life and participate in society, even in old age. That's what people want, he says: a pleasant living environment, social contacts, cultural offerings and the certainty that someone will take care of them if necessary. "What we need for this is political commitment in the form of an ambitious funding program for modern forms of housing in old age," demands the EHS CEO. This would not only help the older generation, but young families could also benefit because this would free up the far too spacious apartments and terraced houses of the older generation for them.


ALTENPFLEGE – Trade fair and congress for the care industry since 1990
The traditional leading trade show for the care industry has so far been held alternately in Hanover and Nuremberg. From this year it alternates between Essen and Nuremberg. It covers all segments of professional geriatric care: services and products for care and therapy, occupation and education, IT and management, nutrition and home economics, textiles and hygiene as well as space and technology. In more than 30 lecture blocks, the accompanying trade congress covers the current topics of the industry, such as digitalization, the future of professional nursing care, hospice and palliative care, training or the new collectively agreed payment under the Healthcare Development Act (Gesundheitsversorgungsweiterentwicklungsgesetz - GVWG).

Photo: Unsplash
15.03.2022

Heimtextil Conference: „Sleep & More“ in June

Sleep myths, corona fatigue and sustainable hotel room concepts of tomorrow: to coincide with the Day of Sleep on 21 June 2022, the Heimtextil Conference "Sleep & More" will begin and provide bed retailers and hospitality decision-makers with answers to the megatrend of "healthy sleep" over three days in Hall 3.0. Numerous key-
notes will highlight the latest findings in sleep research as well as important issues concerning the green future of the hotel bed.

The Day of Sleep on 21 June marks the start of the conference, which will take place on the first three days of this year's Heimtextil Summer Special. As a national day of action in Germany, the Day of Sleep was launched in 2000 on the initiative of the "Tag des Schlafes e.V." association and annually raises awareness of the importance of sleep and its impact on quality of life.
               
Keynotes at the Heimtextil Conference „Sleep & More“

Sleep myths, corona fatigue and sustainable hotel room concepts of tomorrow: to coincide with the Day of Sleep on 21 June 2022, the Heimtextil Conference "Sleep & More" will begin and provide bed retailers and hospitality decision-makers with answers to the megatrend of "healthy sleep" over three days in Hall 3.0. Numerous key-
notes will highlight the latest findings in sleep research as well as important issues concerning the green future of the hotel bed.

The Day of Sleep on 21 June marks the start of the conference, which will take place on the first three days of this year's Heimtextil Summer Special. As a national day of action in Germany, the Day of Sleep was launched in 2000 on the initiative of the "Tag des Schlafes e.V." association and annually raises awareness of the importance of sleep and its impact on quality of life.
               
Keynotes at the Heimtextil Conference „Sleep & More“

  • Markus Kamps, sleep consultant and founder of "Schlafkampagne," with insights into sleep myths and important help on the corona sleep effect
  • Dr. Hans-Günther Wees from the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine with the latest research findings
  • Carsten Schmid from Brainlit with insights into the importance of biocentric lighting
  • Jens Speil of MyCircul with the latest approaches to the use of tracking gadgets
  • Sleep consultant Eva Bovet of Betten Raab and managing director Thaela Schlosser of Feder & Bettenfachgeschäft on the successful use of podcasts
  • Bed expert Jens Rosenbaum with impulses on the sustainability potential of the hotel bed and green solutions from associations and industry for hotel rooms
  • Expert Julia von Klitzing from the Hotel Competence Center with reflections on the hospitality industry from the perspective of Generation Z

On Wednesday, visitors can look forward to a panel highlight: sleep consultant Eva Bovet from Betten Raab, Managing Director Thaela Schlosser from Feder & Bettenfachgeschäft and Markus Kamps will discuss how both bedding specialists and retailers can successfully use podcasts to tap into new target groups and win customers through accessible audio content formats. These and other keynotes will make the Heimtextil Conference 'Sleep & More' the place to go for representatives of the bedding trade, who can expect a top-class programme of lectures, discussion rounds and product presentations.
 
Sleep & More: New format builds a bridge to hospitality and sustainability
In addition to consulting and product offers for bed retailers, the new concept format "Sleep & More" also provides valuable orientation for hospitality decision-makers and highlights hospitality trends, especially from the perspective of sustainability: How can mattresses be part of the circular economy? And what will the sustainable hotel room of the future look like? Hospitality and sustainability experts pool the collective knowledge of the industry and provide visitors with inspiration and impulses for their future actions.
Bed expert Jens Rosenbaum from Swissfeel Germany, for example, will bridge the gap to the hotel industry in two keynotes and show how the sustainability potential of the hotel bed can be used and how associations and industry are working on solutions for a green future of the hotel room. Hotel industry expert Julia von Klitzing from the Hotel Competence Centre will look at the hospitality industry from the perspective of Generation Z and provide important insights into how the target group of tomorrow envisions their stay in hotels.    

A complete overview of these and numerous other speakers can be found here from April 2022.
What helps us sleep well and what is important for hotel beds to ensure that guests sleep well - we have put together to you the latest studies, recommendations and podcasts on the megatopic of healthy sleep. Sleep well! And join us now in looking forward to Heimtextil and a host of new products revolving around the mega-topic of healthy sleep.

More information:
Heimtextil Sleep & More
Source:

Heimtextil, Messe Frankfurt

(c) Ligne Roset
22.02.2022

Home textile trends for 2022: A craving for constancy

Sometimes loud, sometimes very gentle – but always on the move: the world of textiles has real expertise in the art of the quick change. The home textile trends for 2022 see nature quietly and discreetly settling inside our homes, making a clear statement – it’s time to take a fresh look at familiar things.

Home textile trends for 2022: back to basics
Before the pandemic, our homes were just one part of our lives. We spent much of the day out and about. The coronavirus pandemic changed all that. Many people spent more time within their own four walls than ever before – our homes took on a central role in our lives. “Home living” became an inescapable theme last year. In times when instability seems to be everywhere, many people switch their focus to the essentials and crave security and peace, turning their homes into a natural refuge where they can recharge their batteries. This trend is also influencing the interiors and lifestyle sector.

Sometimes loud, sometimes very gentle – but always on the move: the world of textiles has real expertise in the art of the quick change. The home textile trends for 2022 see nature quietly and discreetly settling inside our homes, making a clear statement – it’s time to take a fresh look at familiar things.

Home textile trends for 2022: back to basics
Before the pandemic, our homes were just one part of our lives. We spent much of the day out and about. The coronavirus pandemic changed all that. Many people spent more time within their own four walls than ever before – our homes took on a central role in our lives. “Home living” became an inescapable theme last year. In times when instability seems to be everywhere, many people switch their focus to the essentials and crave security and peace, turning their homes into a natural refuge where they can recharge their batteries. This trend is also influencing the interiors and lifestyle sector.

Pure nature in colour and form
The connection between nature and home living is becoming increasingly important when it comes to textile design. It’s a matter of creating a symbiosis between natural materials, colours and textiles to infuse rooms with a warm atmosphere. Soft textures, amorphous shapes and muted earthy tones define the home textile trends for 2022.

Rediscovering the classics: bouclé & corduroy
When most people think of bouclé, the first image that springs to mind is probably the world-famous and timeless Coco Chanel suit from the 1950s. In the 1980s and 1990s, the fabric disappeared from the trend radar. But this year it’s celebrating a fantastic comeback in interior design. Bouclé hits just the right spot between soft and hard-wearing. The upholstery is typically made of cotton and is especially durable. Whether on a sofa, armchair, cushion or as curtains, bouclé fabric is a real all-rounder and gives any room a cosy vibe. Paired with wood or metal, it softens the more hard-edged elements.

Another tactile highlight from days gone by is enjoying a revival, too – corduroy. A timeless classic that is quite rightly settling back in to our homes. Its soft structure means the fabric is well-suited for sofas and seating furniture of various kinds, with its characteristic vertical furrows making the material particularly exciting. And best of all, corduroy fits into any interior design style with ease – contrary to its stereotype of being stuffy.

A mix & match of natural materials and shapes
Natural materials like linen, wool and wood immediately lend an organic, vibrant quality to any home. The natural connection is especially apparent from last year’s DIY boom, with many walls now adorned by macramé – decorative art made by knotting wool. Cushions and blankets made of woven and braided wool in muted cream tones also create a natural and cosy look. Organic patterns and structures inspired by nature are now a must in every home.

Catapulted straight into the 2022 textile trends from the fashion world, “organic camouflage” gives camo patterns a makeover. In warm earth and pastel shades, this on-trend motif calls to mind soft, sandy beaches, the sea or the forest. On a rug or a cushion, “organic camouflage” creates a vibrant look when paired with a low-key couch.

Take the plunge with bold patterns
Whether on wallpaper, rugs or accessories, floral prints in sumptuous colour combinations are still in fashion when it comes to fabric design. In dark shades of green, they forge an elegant connection to nature, and dramatic floral prints on wallpaper make a statement in any room. But even small accessories and decorative elements like floral cushions or blankets on a monochrome sofa or armchair can have a big impact. Combined with light hues and patterns, the overall result is a harmonious interplay of colours and textures. Alongside floral textiles, upholstered furniture with geometric prints is a trend that demands the courage to be different. Large and small geometric patterns add depth to any material and are an artful way of bringing life into the home.

Sustainable materials and textiles
The global sustainability trend also raises questions concerning textile production. Where does the product come from? Is the manufacturing process environmentally friendly? The textile industry has responded with fabrics made from recycled polyester or resource-friendly hemp, cork as a substitute for wood, or fair-trade organic cotton. Alternatives to animal-derived fabrics are also becoming more common in the textile industry. Vegetarian or vegan leather can be produced from many natural resources, from apples and pineapples to mushrooms and cacti. The range of sustainable and environmentally friendly textiles has expanded in recent years and is expected to continue to grow.

Source:

imm cologne / Koelnmesse

(c) PERFORMANCE DAYS
16.11.2021

PERFORMANCE DAYS 2021: Hybrid Event in December

From December 1 to 2, 2021, the industry will meet up again live at the trade fair center in Munich. Trade visitors, industry insiders and experts can look forward to inter-personal exchanges, intensive networking, exciting fabric innovations and various other program highlights. The fair will go ahead in strict compliance with the current official hygiene regulations and in close cooperation with the Messe München authorities. Planned as a hybrid event, PERFORMANCE DAYS offers the possibility to follow what is on offer digitally.

From December 1 to 2, 2021, the industry will meet up again live at the trade fair center in Munich. Trade visitors, industry insiders and experts can look forward to inter-personal exchanges, intensive networking, exciting fabric innovations and various other program highlights. The fair will go ahead in strict compliance with the current official hygiene regulations and in close cooperation with the Messe München authorities. Planned as a hybrid event, PERFORMANCE DAYS offers the possibility to follow what is on offer digitally.

Live in Munich: PERFORMANCE DAYS in Hall A6
In Hall A6 on the grounds of the New Trade Center in Munich, trade visitors can look forward to an extensive portfolio of exhibitors showcasing their latest functional textiles and fabric innovations for the upcoming winter season, winter 2023/24. Exhibitors who are unable to present their highlights on site can also be accessed via the PERFORMANCE DAYS LOOP digital platform throughout the course of the fair. As part of the newly developed “remote booths” concept, trade visitors will for the first time also find collections from exhibitors who cannot be in Munich in person for the trade show. Interactive exchanges via chat, call or video call is planned.

Two further PERFORMANCE DAYS fairs are planned as live events: The Functional Fabric Fair by PERFORMANCE DAYS in Portland, Oregon, USA on November 17-18, 2021 and Functional Textiles Shanghai by PERFORMANCE DAYS on December 6-7, 2021. Registration is open at www.functionalfabricfair.com/ and www.functionaltextilesshanghai.com/

PERFORMANCE FORUM together with USA Fair
As part of the PERFORMANCE FORUM, a select jury of experts assembles for two days prior to the fair to exchange views on the latest fabric innovations for the winter 23/24 season. In order to ensure a more global market overview, the PERFORMANCE FORUM will curate highlights for the first time in conjunction with the US fair in Portland. Consequently, the next fair in Munich will not only feature the latest products from exhibitors at the Munich fair, but also highlights from the fair in Portland. This year’s Focus Topic in cooperation with the Vaude Academy will engage with the topic “The Sustainable Future of Nylon” and a specific hand-chosen selection of fabric materials. Furthermore, as part of the winter fair, the “sustain & innovate” conference on sustainability, organized in close cooperation with SAZsport, will take an in-depth look at the topic comprising all its aspects along with speakers, webinars and discussion rounds. The program will be broadcast live from the fair and thus accessible for all who wish to follow it online in digital form.  

Eco Award and Performance Award for Innovative Winter Fabrics 23/24
This year, in addition to a PERFORMANCE AWARD, the jury also presented an ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD. An integral part of the winter edition of PERFORMANCE DAYS is the presentation of the fabric highlights and accessory trends in the respective categories for the Winter Season 2023/24 at the PERFORMANCE FORUM. The well-known segments will be joined for the first time this winter by the Shoes & Bags category, while the renowned Lifestyle Category will be continued under its new title, “Function Meets Fashion”. The high level of innovation and quality of many of the fabrics submitted this year are particularly striking.

“The fusion of the two PERFORMANCE FORUMs of our fairs in Munich and Portland has lead to a significant increase in quality and innovation. Thanks to the new partnership, not only were we able to get new, exciting manufacturers on board, but there was also a significant increase in participation in general“, says Marco Weichert, CEO of PERFORMANCE DAYS.

Natural fabrics such as organic cotton, wool or canvas remain in demand. These are joined by significantly more plant fibers such as hemp, coconut shell, bamboo or fibers derived from pineapple or banana leaves. The additional use of castor oil, zinc or ginger supports the antibacterial effect, ensures enhanced breathability, optimum temperature management and makes the fabric soft, light and kind to the skin. The topic of recycling presents itself in various new facets and features exciting trends. The portfolio ranges from the recycling of marine waste, such as old buoys, plastic waste or fishing nets, to the recycling of waste from the automotive and computer industries, such as old car tires or computer chips. Natural dyeing methods are also gaining increasing importance, as is the recycling of materials into the textile loop.

In the Marketplace, visitors have the opportunity to view over 13,000+ products from exhibitors, including the fabric highlights of the individual categories at the PERFORMANCE FORUM. In order to be able to present the fabrics to the digital visitors as realistically as possible in terms of feel, design and structure, the PERFORMANCE FORUM has been equipped with groundbreaking 3D technology, including innovative tools such as 3D images, video animations and U3M files for download.

In addition to the PERFORMANCE AWARD WINNER, which goes to drielease/Optimer, there is also an ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD WINNER, awarded to Long Advance.

Completely new look: With the innovative Dricomfort Geo, drirelease turns to a blend of 6 % Lycra, 44 % polyester and 50 % recycled polyester. The processing of the various fibers in the knitting process, in combination with the Dricomfort GEO finishing, makes the reversible interlock fabric unique.

Unique, new pattern and knit designs are possible thanks to a special jacquard knitting process used to process the recycled polyester yarn. The material impresses with its lightness and versatility. The GEO technology also ensures optimal body temperature management. The adaptable technology provides excellent thermal regulation features through efficient heat management and enhanced moisture transport to optimize comfort and performance. Moreover, GEO boasts UV protection up to 50+.

New recycling variant: Long Advance presents LNT-21191-Z4C, a post consumer nylon that opens up a new world to recycling. The fabric, which consists of 7 % elastane and 93% recycled polyamide via Mass Balance, introduces new facets to the topic of recycling. BASF is using tire waste from now on and processes them into a new fiber. fiber. Due to the recycling, the need for synthetic fabrics are reduced to replace petroleum-based plastics with plastics made from renewable raw materials.

(c) FESPA
02.11.2021

FESPA back with first live events in Europe

FESPA has kick-started business recovery in the speciality print and signage communities with the successful return of FESPA Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo 2021 (12 – 15 October 2021) after a two-year gap.

The first live FESPA events in Europe since Spring 2019 attracted a strong audience dominated by business leaders, who came with an appetite to update their industry knowledge with a view to short- and medium-term investment.

FESPA has kick-started business recovery in the speciality print and signage communities with the successful return of FESPA Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo 2021 (12 – 15 October 2021) after a two-year gap.

The first live FESPA events in Europe since Spring 2019 attracted a strong audience dominated by business leaders, who came with an appetite to update their industry knowledge with a view to short- and medium-term investment.

International audience of senior decision-makers
Visitors came from more than 100 countries, with a strong emphasis on the Benelux region and Germany which accounted for 49% of the audience, in line with expectations given the location in Amsterdam. Other strongly represented countries were Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Poland. As anticipated, the challenges for long-haul travellers due to COVID-related restrictions resulted in fewer visitors from outside Europe than usual for a Global Print Expo event. In total, the events attracted 7,850 unique visitors, 42% of whom attended for more than one day, bringing total visits to 11,130.

Close to half of all visitors (44%) were owners or managing directors, reinforcing the significance of the event as a springboard for business recovery and forward planning. Two in three visitors influence or make final purchasing decisions in their business.

54% of visitors stated that they were visiting FESPA for the first time, indicating a thirst for market knowledge, insight and inspiration following the commercial challenges of the pandemic.

Sources of inspiration
Printeriors was once again a popular attraction for visitors. Inspired by nature and curated by FESPA’s Textile Ambassador, Debbie McKeegan, the feature highlighted digitally printed applications targeted at printers operating in or looking to expand into interior décor. In collaboration with industry suppliers including Imageco, Kornit Digital, PONGS, swissQprint and TTS, the products displayed were produced using a series of high-end technologies, print processes and materials.

The World Wrap Masters Europe 2021 competition was also a key area of interest. In addition to a series of demonstrations and workshops from wrap experts, visitors saw competitors battle it out for the title of the “World Wrap Master of Europe 2021”. On day four, Norman Brübach from Germany was crowned the winner and will go on to compete against regional champions in the World Wrap Masters Final 2022 at FESPA Global Print Expo 2022 in Berlin.

For members of the community unable to attend the event in person, FESPA and its exhibitors provided an array of live-streamed and virtual content. The FESPA Live sessions involved conversations with key exhibitors, printers and print experts on the latest trends and innovations and these attracted 5,125 views throughout the four-day event. The recordings of the sessions are also still available to watch on demand.

Neil Felton, FESPA CEO comments: “Feedback from exhibitors was effusive, with many commenting on the upbeat mood among visitors, the unmatched value of face-to-face conversations with senior decision-makers, the enthusiasm for the new technologies and consumables on display, and the overriding sense of optimism for the future. The buzz in the halls was energising and the impression was that delegates felt very confident and happy to be in a live event environment again after such a long time.”

Neil Felton concludes: “The past two years have undoubtedly been challenging for everyone in our community. To move forward, printers and signmakers need to unearth new opportunities, explore the latest technologies and meet with peers to share ideas. This year’s events were an important milestone in our collective recovery and we hope that our next Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo, which will return to Messe Berlin, Germany, from 31 May – 3 June 2022, will finally put our whole global community back in motion.”

(c) Messe Düsseldorf / ctillmann
26.10.2021

A+A 2021: Restart for Trade Fairs in Düsseldorf

  • World's leading trade fair for safe and healthy working offers central platform for personal exchange within the industry

The responsible handling of the issues of safety and health at work has once again moved into the focus of society and politics due to the pandemic. At A+A 2021, which begins on 26, October 2021, these topics have been the focus since its premiere. Under the motto "People matter", A+A 2021 will present everything to do with personal protection, occupational safety and health at work from 26 to 29 October. More than 1,200 exhibitors from 56 nations will present themselves to trade visitors in 10 halls at the Düsseldorf exhibition centre.

  • World's leading trade fair for safe and healthy working offers central platform for personal exchange within the industry

The responsible handling of the issues of safety and health at work has once again moved into the focus of society and politics due to the pandemic. At A+A 2021, which begins on 26, October 2021, these topics have been the focus since its premiere. Under the motto "People matter", A+A 2021 will present everything to do with personal protection, occupational safety and health at work from 26 to 29 October. More than 1,200 exhibitors from 56 nations will present themselves to trade visitors in 10 halls at the Düsseldorf exhibition centre.

"The anticipation for the fair was great. This year we were particularly looking forward to the personal exchange with the industry. The positive exhibitor feedback confirms that the players in occupational health and safety want a live platform. And with the A+A we deliver what only a trade fair can offer. Tactile product presentations and innovations as well as planned and accidental encounters with the entire industry," says Birgit Horn, Project Director A+A.

Exciting topics and best practices at the A+A Congress
Parallel to the A+A trade fair, the 37th International Congress for Occupational Safety and Health deals with numerous current topics and challenges of the scene. It is organised by the Federal Working Group for Safety and Health at Work (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft für Sicherheit und Gesundheit bei der Arbeit, Basi). In more than 25 series of events, well-founded specialist knowledge and current political topics are conveyed and intensively discussed for all stakeholders in matters of safety and health at work, on site and in some cases also digitally. "Even the opening event will be interesting. Social partners and other stakeholders will discuss the impact of the pandemic on occupational safety and health and the return to the 'new normal' that is now beginning," says Basi Managing Director Dr Christian Felten.

At the A+A Congress, renowned experts from the field of occupational safety and health will provide answers to central questions such as: How does the digitalisation of work affect the health and safety of employees? How do I, as an occupational safety specialist, advise companies and employees on this? How should decentralised workplaces be managed in a safe and healthy way? How do you determine a healthy balance between mobile and stationary work? What is the need for occupational prevention in the case of musculoskeletal stress and what is the current need for prevention in the case of activities involving carcinogenic hazardous substances and bio-substances? There are many interesting events on this and many other topics, further information can be found at www.basi.de/kongress. .

Trend topics at the A+A 2021
Digital performance and sustainability determine the current discussion and will continue to strongly influence the future of work. In addition to these two megatrends at A+A 2021, the focus of the framework programme is on solutions for the future (Future Solutions), new working worlds (New Work) and the topic of hygiene and pandemics.

A+A Live: Experience safe and healthy work with all senses
Best practices using state-of-the-art products and processes will be communicated under the label "A+A live" in the Trend Forum, the Theme Park Operational Fire Protection and Emergency Management, the Robotics Park and the Start UP Zone.

In Hall 10, trade visitors will find the Safety and Health Meeting Point, the competence centre for all occupational health and safety issues. This is where Basi's member and partner organisations present themselves..

The Robotics Park is also located in Hall 10, it is divided into the Self Experience Space and the Exoworkathlon. The partner of the Robotics Park is the Fraunhofer IPA from Stuttgart.
In the Self Experience Space, the following manufacturers of exoskeleton solutions will be presenting their products, which visitors can try out for themselves:  Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA, Japet Medical Devices SAS, Iturri, German Bionic Systems GmbH, Ergoschutz GmbH, suitX Inc, hTRIUS GmbH, Levitate Technologies Inc. and Laevo B.V.

The Exoworkathlon is a live study conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) and the Institute for Industrial Manufacturing and Management at the University of Stuttgart (IFF) in which young test subjects (trainees and technical students) run through a course once with and once without an exoskeleton. The data collected during the Exoworkathlon is used to scientifically evaluate the extent to which these exoskeletons reduce muscular and skeletal strain and increase performance.

In Hall 4, expert lectures on the topics of digitalisation + safety, digitalisation + health, sustainability, protection and hygiene as well as safe handling of hazardous substances will provide an insight into current developments in the Trend Forum.

The Corporate Fashion Lounge is located in Hall 5. Here, trade visitors can find out about the latest trends in fashionable workwear and experience how versatile modern workwear is today. At the same time, the lounge provides an outlook on the future role that corporate fashion will play at the trade fair from A+A 2023 onwards.

In Hall 6, trade visitors will find the action area on industrial fire protection and emergency management, organised by the Bundesverband Betrieblicher Brandschutz / Werkfeuerwehrverband Deutschland (WFVD). Several live demonstrations will simulate the use of chemical protective suits (CSA) in the event of the escape of toxic substances in the event of an accident and demonstrate the correct prevention.

More information:
A+A
Source:

Messe Düsseldorf

(c) Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH or Messe Frankfurt GmbH
05.10.2021

Heimtextil 2022: International Reunion eagerly awaited

Meeting business partners, discovering new products and gaining inspiration – all will be possible again when Heimtextil 2022 opens its doors in Frankfurt am Main from 11 to 14 January. With registrations from around 1,600 exhibitors from 50 countries, the Trade Fair for Home and Contract Textiles anticipates a highly promising return to the international stage. The Heimtextil Team has begun the decisive preparatory phase for this international meeting place for the sector with great commitment and enthusiasm.

Meeting business partners, discovering new products and gaining inspiration – all will be possible again when Heimtextil 2022 opens its doors in Frankfurt am Main from 11 to 14 January. With registrations from around 1,600 exhibitors from 50 countries, the Trade Fair for Home and Contract Textiles anticipates a highly promising return to the international stage. The Heimtextil Team has begun the decisive preparatory phase for this international meeting place for the sector with great commitment and enthusiasm.

“With four months still to go, there has been a tremendous response to Heimtextil 2022, especially from the international side. The yearning for personal encounters and the chance to examine the latest products in reality is greater than ever before. We are looking forward very much to welcoming the sector back to our fair and exhibition centre and have complete confidence that Heimtextil 2022 will be a safe and successful event for all concerned”, says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies, Messe Frankfurt.

Trendsetting themes and a multifaceted product spectrum
In addition to the extensive spectrum of products to be seen, Heimtextil 2022 will offer inspiration and an attractive range of information services and events to help visitors discover the latest market developments in the sector. In particular, the presentation of the Heimtextil Trends provides in-depth insights into tomorrow’s furnishing themes. Also at Heimtextil, Interior.Architecture.Hospitality will spotlight offers for (interior) architects and hospitality experts. Moreover, particular emphasis will be given to the on-trend subject of healthy sleep, including numerous advisory services and products for the specialist bed trade. In this connection, the Heimtextil Sleep & More Conference will be a meeting place for representatives of the specialist bed trade with a high-grade programme of lectures, discussions and product presentations to choose from. Another important focal point at Heimtextil 2022 will be far‑reaching aspects for greater sustainability. Naturally, detailed information will also be available about this topic. Other highlights include presentations by Trevira and DecoTeam.

Digital services to supplement the trade fair
The range of products and information at Heimtextil 2022 will be rounded off by a blend of digital services. For example, the complete spectrum of Heimtextil Trends will be available for the first time in digital form – richly illustrated and visualised with the latest colours, designer features and short films. The Future Materials Library is also online with a first-class selection of sustainable material innovations. Also in planning are videos on demand about many of the items on the programme and tours of the fair via audio guides.

Another digital service provided by Messe Frankfurt is the order and data-management portal Nextrade, which offers a digital 24/7 business relationship between dealers and suppliers. The first digital B2B marketplace for the home and living, Nextrade brings together the demand and supply sides of the whole sector online and thus generates substantial value added for both sides.

(c) Messe Frankfurt GmbH / SPOTT for Heimtextil
07.09.2021

Next Horizons: Heimtextil presents Trends 2022/23

With “Next Horizons”, Heimtextil is presenting its design forecast for the new season 2022/23 – analysed by international trend researchers and packed with valuable inspiration and inspiring content. The new trend themes take sustainability and resource conservation in the heart of their approach. The international trade fair for home and contract textiles takes place from 11 to 14 January 2022 in Frankfurt am Main.

With “Next Horizons”, Heimtextil is presenting its design forecast for the new season 2022/23 – analysed by international trend researchers and packed with valuable inspiration and inspiring content. The new trend themes take sustainability and resource conservation in the heart of their approach. The international trade fair for home and contract textiles takes place from 11 to 14 January 2022 in Frankfurt am Main.

Three international design agencies form the Heimtextil Trend Council. Together, they develop a well-founded global vision of the coming interior trends. Alongside the Heimtextil Trend Council, Heimtextil management has established a trend forecast for the coming season and presented it live via an online conference on 1 September 2021 from Frankfurt am Main. Trend Council members Anja Bisgaard Gaede from SPOTT trends & business, Anne Marie Commandeur from Stiljinstituut Amsterdam and Kate Franklin and Caroline Till from London studio FranklinTill shared their insights into the future of the industry. Designers, interior architects and decorators get inspired by the design forecast for the new season.

Next Horizons: long-term and circular mindset
The Next Horizons are not a fixed goal or a finish line – they are mindsets. These are made up of long-term thinking, accepting that the best way to impact the world is simply not to. Paradoxically, we have begun our transition to sustainability by addressing the problems within our manufactured system instead of transforming our approach to not create waste or imbalance. Transforming our nexus begins with accepting our economies are embedded within nature. The composition of design should be accessed, made and recirculated in tune with a long-term and circular mindset and simply not create waste. The Heimtextil Trends 22/23 “Deep Nature”, “Hyper Nature”, “Beyond Identity” and “Empowered Identity” explore these new mindsets for “Next Horizons”.

Heimtextil Trends in a new digital format
With “Next Horizons”, Heimtextil is breaking new ground and, for the first time, making trend information fully available in a digital format. The brand-new online platform of Heimtextil introduces the trends richly illustrated via colours, short films, bespoke imagery, key designer features and a soundtrack. The new online platform and all trend activities are directed by SPOTT trends & business from Denmark.

The Future Materials Library is now digital
Curated by Futures Agency FranklinTill, The Future Materials Library was launched in 2020 and is now available online at www.heimtextil-trends.com/future. This collection of exciting interior material innovations from around the world celebrates radical designers, innovative manufacturers and environmentally conscious producers who are helping to turn the current, linear system of production and consumption into a circular model.

Heimtextil Trends 22/23 – overview
Deep Nature – Rebalance by relearning

“Deep Nature” explores our ecosystem’s strategies: it’s our legacy and future all at once. We need to relearn and give into untamed texture, slow process, natural structures and living colours. “Deep Nature” is a long-term transformation and relearning process which gives us the ability to rebalance the natural world for a regenerative future. The colour scale for “Deep Nature” has a harmonious and soft expression used for untamed patternmaking. Mouldy, herbal tones and delicate tones of blue and rouge create a calm, tonal, and earthy approach.

Hyper Nature – Reconnect with nature via technology
“Hyper Nature” is about reconnecting to nature through technology. The theme is a digital facilitator of nature’s blueprint, fusing technology and nature for a protopia state and creating a better tomorrow step by step. Responsive materials, technical fibres, fluid patterns and microscopic structure describes materials and textiles for “Hyper Nature”. Bioscience brings inspiration to colours of both bright and lucid and blurred nuances of green and grey. Reflections and artificial light create new perceptions of nature-based colours. Coral, salmon and light raspberry are highlights.

Beyond Identity – Values more than physical attributes
“Beyond Identity” addresses the future with hopeful messages and soft and powerful defiance toward existing norms, leaving identity in flux. For the world of home interiors and textiles “Beyond Identity” works with recycled synthetic fabric, vintage silk and satin, natural-coloured textiles and new cellulose-based textiles. They are formed via the uncontrolled colouration process of a pastel-coloured look resembling the constant flux of identity. The colours scale for “Beyond Identity” features a range of pastels, complemented with a familiar grey and pale khaki as muted transferral colours.

Empowered Identity – Empower artisanship to sustain culture
“Empower Identity” is about creating sustainable cultural connections, renewing artisan sources of inspiration in a collaborative way. Empowering Identity encourages forming new connections between heritage cultures and future generations. Recycled and heritage textiles combined with textile craft techniques as tufting, embroidered appliqué and Cross-stitch are in focus in “Empower Identity”. Primary colours resemble their colour pigment origins to support the heritage expression of the theme. Sparks of coral and a greyed lilac accompany these primary tones. Multi-coloured usage is key.

(c) Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Jens Liebchen
31.08.2021

Textile Services Industry a key to providing sustainable solutions and eco-friendly best practice

How can the major sustainability challenges in the textile industry be met? The textile services industry, whose business model has always been based on durability and re-use, has an important role to play here as ambassador. In the run-up to Texcare International, Elena Lai, Secretary General European Textile Services Association (ETSA), talks about these challenges and her expectations for Texcare International from 27 November to 1 December 2021.

How can the major sustainability challenges in the textile industry be met? The textile services industry, whose business model has always been based on durability and re-use, has an important role to play here as ambassador. In the run-up to Texcare International, Elena Lai, Secretary General European Textile Services Association (ETSA), talks about these challenges and her expectations for Texcare International from 27 November to 1 December 2021.

The textile sector was identified as a priority sector in the European Green Deal and in the Circular Economy Action Plan. What are the implications for the European textile services industry?
Elena Lai:
We are in a truly historic and exciting time for the textile services industry. We are all well-aware that our industry is the key to providing sustainable solutions and ecofriendly best practice. We had a series of webinars at ETSA dedicated to sustainability and circular economy being key elements of the Green Deal and our larger companies such as industrial laundries, key textile manufacturers and innovative machinery companies, are all up to the task and providing effective solutions. Our national associations too, members of ETSA, are all working synergistically to exchange their best ways forward, in Europe and beyond as we have also partners from the US. These efforts within ETSA’s value chain make us really proud and eager to go the extra mile, guiding our members also towards those areas which seem to be the most challenging. For instance, the new EU Climate Law, which calls for 55% CO2 reductions by 2030: this means that European industries will all have to do better to make us reach these targets in less than nine years. We know ETSA could represent the right network to identify the best way forward on this issue and truly perform and deliver what the EU is advocating for.

How can the textile services industry contribute to achieving circular economy in the textile industry?
Elena Lai:
The business model of textile services is inherently circular. By having a business model which is focused on renting and reusing textiles we can see a litany of benefits that it can offer to the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan. Firstly, in renting textiles. Through rented textile services, textile service companies can extend the lifecycle of products and thus reduce the amount of production that is necessary to occur in the first place, while also reducing the amount of wastewater and energy needed in the laundry process. Secondly, through re-use and repair textile products can remain in consumer hands for longer, which is paramount as our industry is one that battles against planned obsolescence. Both of these are important pillars to our industries that will help both consumers and the planet. Lastly, by continuing to expand recycling and upcycling we can minimise waste, ensuring that a product stays inside the European economy as long as possible. These are all important steps and help us do our part to help Europe reach its emissions and sustainability goals.

Textile recycling is a very important point. How do you think the textile recycling rate can be increased?
Elena Lai:
The Commission will mandate separate waste sorting of textiles by the year 2025, thus recycling, upcycling and end of life re-use must be improved. A ban on the burning of unused textiles will also soon take effect, this will incentivise further recycling and waste reduction. Fundamentally what we in textiles services need to do is to continue to reduce, re-use and recycle. We can increase the rate of recycling by making consumers aware of rented textiles and textile services so to increase the public demand for such services.

How can sustainability in textile services be further improved?
Elena Lai:
In order to boost sustainability in our industry we need to build on the existing culture of innovation and entrepreneurship where exciting, new, out-of-the-box ideas can be developed and refined. EU programs like Horizon Europe, which emphasise green and digital solutions to common problems are an excellent way to empower citizens, textile service firms and local communities to take the initiative and take matters into their own hands. The EU’s Due Diligence legislation is one example of somewhere we can see both consumers and firms come together and take proactive action to improve sustainability, not only in textiles and textile services, but in European industry more broadly. To put it clearly, we have to strengthen our technological innovation while also empowering consumers, authorities and textile service firms, we believe our work at the EU level helps to make this a reality.

How does ETSA promote new projects in the field of sustainability?
Elena Lai:
We at ETSA have been hard at work lobbying EU policymakers for responsible legislation, while also spreading awareness of the industry’s best practice to the public. Recently ETSA has also become an EU Commission Climate Pact Ambassador. This is an exciting opportunity which will allow ETSA to work closely with European Institutions to inform and inspire real climate action amongst our members, national associations and the industry as a whole. ETSA is a platform where stakeholders, citizens, industries and European Union representatives can come together and have a dialogue on the best ways to improve Europe’s sustainability. Furthermore, we have been hard at work disseminating information on the best practice that will help Europe get to 55% emissions reductions, as well information on chemicals, waste-water, microplastics and other salient environmental issues. Our work is far from being done but we look forward to continuing to strive and advance via our focused Working Group on Environment and our webinars to make the world green and sustainable again.

What role will circular economy/sustainability play at Texcare?
Elena Lai:
A central role, several European and World Leaders have underlined, is that Climate Change is the most important issue of our time and it is imperative we act now. Climate Change is also an issue with a global spill over and therefore we all have a clear incentive to find solutions and work in synergy with each other. We need future-oriented dialogue which understands the urgent need for sustainability across the entire textile value chain. ETSA in synergy with one of our members, DTV, is working hard to put together a panel at Texcare dedicated to the sustainability debate, with lots of members and participants to get engaged.

What does ETSA expect from this year's Texcare?
Elena Lai:
We at ETSA are excited to be at Texcare, we think it’s a great opportunity to not only network and converse with other relevant actors in the industry but also to share best practice, concerns and most of all opportunities. Due to the pandemic we had a difficult year 2021 and this event will really enhance a stronger engagement of key actors in this sector. The need for green, sustainable and digital solutions is nonetheless imperative. We are looking forward to hearing of ways that the industry across the world not only continues to adapt to the evolving COVID situation, but also how it is embracing the green and digital transition that has been emphasised as being the futuristic approach by our EU policymakers. We at ETSA wholeheartedly look forward to this event.

Texcare International will take place from November 27 December 1, 2021 in Frankfurt am Main.

(c) Messe Frankfurt GmbH
13.07.2021

Messe Frankfurt aiming for €500 Million in Sales in 2022

Messe Frankfurt is ready to start up again. Speaking at the Corporate Press Conference earlier today, Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt, said: “If the pandemic situation continues to improve, we have every confidence that we will be able to get fully started again in all areas in 2022. We are aiming for sales of over €500 million.”

Mayor Peter Feldmann, Chairman of the Messe Frankfurt Supervisory Board, also stressed: “Our trade fairs, congresses and other events are central elements in the global economy and part of the economic lifeblood of Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region in particular. I firmly believe that, once the pandemic has passed, Messe Frankfurt will be one of the top players in the international trade fair sector.”

Messe Frankfurt is ready to start up again. Speaking at the Corporate Press Conference earlier today, Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt, said: “If the pandemic situation continues to improve, we have every confidence that we will be able to get fully started again in all areas in 2022. We are aiming for sales of over €500 million.”

Mayor Peter Feldmann, Chairman of the Messe Frankfurt Supervisory Board, also stressed: “Our trade fairs, congresses and other events are central elements in the global economy and part of the economic lifeblood of Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region in particular. I firmly believe that, once the pandemic has passed, Messe Frankfurt will be one of the top players in the international trade fair sector.”

Presuming that the pandemic situation and the restrictions imposed by local authorities permit this, events are also to be organised again at the Group’s Frankfurt base in the second half of this year. Since the pandemic broke out in March 2020, it has been scarcely possible to generate any sales at all in Germany. Outside Germany, Messe Frankfurt was only able to hold events to a limited extent, for example in China. The pandemic brought the Group’s decades of growth to an abrupt halt. Since then, Messe Frankfurt has focused on ensuring sufficient liquidity for the Group, with a flexible but strict budget. There are still no plans for redundancies.

Wolfgang Marzin: “In spite of the strict cutbacks, the backing of our shareholders – the City of Frankfurt and the State of Hesse – means that, even in times like these, we are in a position to seize opportunities and invest counter-cyclically. With outside capital and a shareholder loan, Messe Frankfurt’s financial position has been secured for the current financial year and well into 2022.”

After the final financial report for financial year 2020 was submitted, Group sales were approximately €257 million (2019: approx. €736 million). With a consolidated net loss of around €122 million for the year, the result was far removed from the consolidated net profits of previous years (2019: approx. €50 million). The current financial year will also see a decline in all the Group’s financial performance indicators.

In spite of very difficult conditions, a total of 153 events were held over the past financial year – these included 46 trade fairs and exhibitions (2019: 155) with more than 33,000 (2019: 99,246) exhibiting companies and 1.2 million visitors.

As Wolfgang Marzin summed up: “The need to hold all events entirely in digital form illustrated the importance of face-to-face interaction for success in business.” And Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, added: “The digital working environment and long-distance interaction that have been our everyday reality for over a year have led to a certain digital fatigue among many people. In the overall context of our events, hybrid events will continue to play an important part and to add value for the sectors.” It is not possible at present to predict exactly how the demand for digital and hybrid formats will actually develop. Wolfgang Marzin: “Changes will be of an evolutionary but lasting nature, with great advances being made in integrating valuable digital elements. Aspects relating to sustainability, growing environmental awareness and experience in digital interaction will lead to changes in behaviour – which, incidentally, was already happening before the coronavirus broke out.”

Messe Frankfurt is planning events in digital, hybrid and in-person formats for the third and fourth quarters of the current financial year. The premiere of Frankfurt Fashion Week took place in digital form under the Frankfurt Fashion Week (FFW) Studio label. Detlef Braun: “Back in April, we opted – together with everyone else involved – to hold an exclusively digital event. With an expected international component of 80 percent, a physical event would not have been feasible given that the pandemic situation was still volatile.” Automechanika Frankfurt Digital Plus will be launched in September according to the Plug & Play principle. As Detlef Braun explains: “We developed a hybrid concept that contains a condensed physical exhibition while also allowing all participants to present themselves and network internationally by digital means.” In 2022, Automechanika will be reverting to its original cycle of being held in even-numbered years. For the first time ever, Hypermotion will be taking place parallel to Automechanika. When Nordstil opens its doors in Hamburg in July, it will be the first in-person Messe Frankfurt event to be held again in Germany.

The 70 or so guest events scheduled to take place in Frankfurt in the second half of the year – including trade fairs like Franchise Expo, White Label World Expo, the Frankfurt Book Fair and Food Ingredients & Health Ingredients Europe – will also be creating new momentum at the Group’s Frankfurt base. Uwe Behm, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, commented: “We are delighted that our contract with DECHEMA has been renewed.” This means that the Frankfurt exhibition grounds will be playing host to ACHEMA – the world forum and leading show for the process industries – until at least 2027. Uwe Behm: “ACHEMA is a prime example of the kind of premium international event and personal interaction that will remain important in the future as well as sending an important signal for our Frankfurt base.”

As Mayor Peter Feldmann concluded: “Even in challenging times, Messe Frankfurt continues to invest in its future and in expanding its portfolio, having added a total of 23 events worldwide since 2020. These include, for example, the Cross Border E-Commerce Fair in Shenzhen – the first event of its kind in China – which was added during the current financial year. As well as this, the Group will be stepping up its activities in the North Chinese city of Tianjin. Located in the centre of the Circum-Bohai-Sea Economic Zone, the city’s economic importance is on a par with that of the Greater Bay Area and Yangtze River Delta and it is set to be a new global trade fair hotspot.”

Photo: pixabay
18.05.2021

ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD and PERFORMANCE AWARD for innovative Summer Fabrics 2023

The digital Performance Days will kick off on May 17 through to May 21, providing online access to even more information, current trends, all the latest material innovations and enhanced tools while providing all within the industry the opportunity to interact with one another and with exhibitors.

The focus of the trend-setting PERFORMANCE FORUM in summer will highlight the winners of the two awards. This year, the jury will present a PERFORMANCE AWARD as well as an ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD.

The digital Performance Days will kick off on May 17 through to May 21, providing online access to even more information, current trends, all the latest material innovations and enhanced tools while providing all within the industry the opportunity to interact with one another and with exhibitors.

The focus of the trend-setting PERFORMANCE FORUM in summer will highlight the winners of the two awards. This year, the jury will present a PERFORMANCE AWARD as well as an ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD.

Function revisited: Outstanding fabric innovations for the Summer 2023 season
Plant-based fibers such as hemp, organic cotton, bamboo, wool, kapok or coconut shell remain in demand, with manufacturers increasingly refraining from the use of environmentally harmful chemicals, avoiding micro plastics, advocating natural dyeing processes and striving to either return fabrics back into the cycle, to recycle plastic and other waste or to produce fibers in such a way that they are biodegradable.

In the Marketplace, visitors have the opportunity to view more than 9.000 exhibitors’ products, including the fabric highlights of the individual PERFORMANCE FORUM categories. In order to present the fabrics to visitors in digital form as realistically as possible in terms of feel, design and structure, the PERFORMANCE FORUM has been equipped with state-of-the-art 3D technology, including innovative tools such as 3D images, video animations and U3M files for download.

Exceptional: PERFORMANCE AWARD & ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD Winners
For the Spring/Summer 2023 season, the jury also presented two awards for outstanding new developments – so in addition to the PERFORMANCE AWARD, presented to the winner Trenchant Textiles, there is also an ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD winner, in this year’s case, Utenos Trikotazas.

Sustainability at the highest level, wellbeing for body & soul:
With its fully biodegradable, brushed fleece material made of 11% hemp, 63% organic cotton and 26 % Tencel, Utenos Trikotazas fully convinced the jury and picked up the ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD for its sustainable comfort. The extremely comfy material is pleasant on the skin and impresses with an incredibly soft feel. Hemp is known for its natural anti-bacterial properties and natural UV protection. In combination with organic cotton and Tencel, this fabric guarantees ideal warmth and odour regulation.

Function redesigned, breaking down borders and creating space for the new: In keeping with the Focus Topic of the digital fair week “Still Physical – Your Success Story of 2020”, Trenchant Textiles combined functional features with fashionable design in its new fabric construction, fully deserving of the PERFORMANCE AWARD. The membrane on the outer side, SlickrB, is made of non-toxic, sustainable polypropylene membrane. By printing dot patterns on the surface of the membrane, the fabric provides greater abrasion resistance while maintaining its breathability properties. Absolutely revolutionary: patterns and colors can be altered individually according to preference. The inner liner made of N15DW (15D woven polyamide) also provides tear resistance as well as sufficient, adequate stretch.