Textination Newsline

• Spanish entrepreneur Carmen Hijosa is nominated for European Patent Office (EPO) prize European Inventor Award 2021 for her sustainable alternative to leather
• Development of a process for turning pineapple leaves into a soft, durable and versatile natural material
• Environmentally-friendly alternative supports local farming communities and is sought after by major international fashion brands

The European Patent Office (EPO) announces that Spanish entrepreneur Carmen Hijosa has been nominated in the "SMEs" category of the European Inventor Award 2021 for developing a leather alternative made from pineapple leaf fibres. Her innovative textile uses a waste resource and can be produced with less impact on the environment compared with making cow leather. Hijosa has been commercialising her invention through her London-based SME since 2013, and today her natural leather alternative supports farming communities and cooperatives in the Philippines and is sought after by major international fashion brands.
 
The winners of the 2021 edition of the EPO's annual innovation prize will be announced at a ceremony starting at 19:00 CEST on 17 June which has this year been reimagined as a digital event for a global audience.

Inventing a natural textile from waste pineapple leaf fibre  
Conventional leather production is controversial, given the vast resources needed to raise cattle for slaughter, the risk of pollution posed by the chemical-heavy tanning process, and the often dire working conditions in tanneries. Hijosa experienced the reality of global leather production first-hand while working as a World Bank textile design consultant in the Philippines in 1993.

Moved by the negative environmental and social impacts of the local leather production process, she decided to develop a sustainable textile that was suitable for export and made better use of Filipino skills and raw materials. “Pineapple leaf fibres are very strong, fine and flexible, and have been used in the Philippines for 300 years in traditionally hand-woven textiles,” explains Hijosa. “I began to think: ‘What if I make a mesh with these pineapple leaf fibres, which is not unlike leather – a mesh of fibres?’.”
She set out to replicate leather’s mesh of collagen fibres, diving into a 12-year research and development process that involved completing several textile degrees, setting up a company and refinancing her house to keep researching and complete her PhD, before successfully creating the textile called Piñatex and perfecting its production. This involves stripping the cellulose fibres from leaves and first manufacturing textile grade fibres. These are then processed into a non-woven mesh textile, which is further enhanced and softened into a leather alternative.

The raw material that forms the base of Hijosa’s textile is a by-product of pineapple harvesting in the Philippines, offering an additional income to farmers and using an otherwise discarded resource. This waste source is significant with the world’s top ten pineapple producing countries creating enough leaves to potentially replace more than 50% of the world’s leather output with Hijosa’s material. Piñatex also requires much less water than textiles such as cotton, which consumes over 20 000 litres of water per kilogram. What is more, it is produced using fewer chemicals and less CO2 compared with leather production, further enhancing the sustainability credentials of Hijosa’s textile.

Innovation offering consumers more sustainable choices
In 2011, Hijosa filed a patent application for the textile and its production, before founding Ananas Anam as a start-up in 2013 to launch Piñatex commercially. For her, this part of the process was essential: “The IP was a pivotal part for securing funds, securing the product’s future and its market potential.” Today, she remains Chief Creative & Innovation Officer and is at the forefront of new developments in plant-based, waste-based textiles. Her pioneering work has positioned the company as a market leader at a time where consumers are starting to push for more sustainable choices.

Since 2013 the turnover of Hijosa’s company has roughly doubled every year through to 2019 and grown by 40% in 2020. It employs around 10 staff in its London site and works with factories in the Philippines and Spain, as well as the biggest Filipino pineapple-growing collective, which comprises 700 families who benefit from an additional income by supplying waste leaves. Piñatex is currently used by almost 3.000 brands in 80 countries. It can be found in a growing range of products – from trainers to jackets, car interiors, handbags and even in the world’s first all-vegan hotel suite.

A range of other plant-based alternatives to leather exist or are in development – based on anything from apple cores to mushrooms – highlighting the trend towards plant and waste-based textiles. The combined global leather (animal and synthetic) market was valued at EUR 374 billion in 2017, and although real leather is becoming scarce and therefore expensive, the overall market is predicted to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 5.40% until 2025. Although recent volcanic eruptions near their factories in the Philippines and pandemic-related restrictions have temporarily slowed production, Hijosa says the company’s outlook remains strong as consumers are starting to push for more sustainable choices.

Dr. Carmen Hijosa
… was born in Salas, Asturias, Spain, on 17 March 1952. After moving to Ireland at the age of 19, Hijosa co-founded the luxury leather manufacturing company Chesneau Leather Goods in 1977. There, she also served as director of design and sold to high-end clients such as Harrods. After running the company for 15 years, she began working as a textile consultant for the World Bank, as well as at research institutes in Germany and Ireland on EU-funded projects in the 1990s, bringing her textile design expertise to developing markets. In 1993, the World Bank asked her to consult on the Philippine leather industry. Seeing the industry’s negative environmental and social impact, she was driven to develop a sustainable alternative (a leather replacement derived from pineapple leaves). From 2009 to 2014, Hijosa completed a PhD in textiles at the Royal College of Art in London, further developing her prototype textile. In 2013, she founded the company Ananas Anam Ltd. to commercialise the leather alternative. Carmen Hijosa holds one European patent, EP2576881, granted in 2018.

About the European Inventor Award
The European Inventor Award is one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes. Launched by the EPO in 2006, it honours individual inventors and teams of inventors whose pioneering inventions provide answers to some of the biggest challenges of our times. The finalists and winners are selected by an independent jury consisting of international authorities from the fields of business, politics, science, academia and research who examine the proposals for their contribution towards technical progress, social development, economic prosperity and job creation in Europe. The Award is conferred in five categories (Industry, Research, SMEs, Non-EPO countries and Lifetime achievement). In addition, the public selects the winner of the Popular Prize from among the 15 finalists through online voting.

THE 50TH EDITION OF THE WORLD-LEADING TRADE FAIR WITH MAJOR FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY

Half a century shaped by textile design: for the 50th time, Heimtextil will bring together the international home textiles industry. From 7-10 January 2020, 2952 companies from 65 countries will present their innovations at the world’s largest trade fair for home and contract textiles.*

‘There is hardly any other trade fair in the world that can look back on such an eventful and successful history. Ever since the first event in January 1971 with 679 exhibitors, we have invested massively over the decades in the quality of the fair as well as in the range of information and inspiration we offer the industry. We are looking forward to a very special edition of Heimtextil, which is in very good shape as it approaches its 50th anniversary’, says Detlef Braun, CEO of Messe Frankfurt.

The textile furnishing sector faces major challenges in the anniversary year of Heimtextil: the digital revolution – key word ‘Industry 4.0’ – is currently leading to fundamental changes in the manufacture and processing of home textiles. Not all companies can keep up, meaning that the past year has been dominated by business closures and insolvencies. Digitisation opens up many opportunities on the production side – on the retail side, however, it leads to a significant shift in purchasing flows, making specialist bricks-and-mortar shops dependent on new concepts in the medium term. Here, too, there has been strong consolidation and a decline in the number of specialist shops.

Sales in the retail sector continue to decline
The latest industry report by the IFH Cologne shows that spending on home and household textiles continues to slide. Although the years 2015 to 2017 were still top notch, sales have fallen by almost €1 billion within two years and are now back to the levels seen in the tough financial years of 2008/09. The reasons for this sales trend can primarily be ascribed to the sluggish economy. As a result, German industry is pinning its hopes on foreign markets and the high proportion of Heimtextil trade visitors from abroad (75 percent).

Varied measures for greater sustainability
Sustainability is the major overarching theme of the industry. At Heimtextil 2020, green aspects will be at the top of the fair’s agenda for the tenth time. With its range of measures, Heimtextil is promoting the industry's commitment to sustainability and giving green pioneers a platform. The tenth edition of the Green Directory, the exhibitor directory for sustainable producers, includes more pioneers and newcomers than ever before with 259 companies. The ‘Green Village’ is also enjoying growth. In the sustainability area in hall 12.0, which acts as a first port of call for all questions relating to green issues, recognised certifiers and seal awarders will present themselves. New to this area is the German government's ‘Grüner Knopf’ textile seal, launched in September, and the United Nations Office for Partnerships, which will present the global Sustainable Development Goals at Heimtextil. For example, Lucie Brigham, Chief of Office at the United Nations Office for Partnerships, will report on the Sustainable Development Goals and cooperation with Heimtextil at the opening press conference of Heimtextil. Two showcases will illustrate which sustainable approaches the industry is pursuing and how they are already being applied in practice: the Portuguese textile industry will present the ‘iTechStyle Green Circle’ in hall 12.0 and Pakistani manufacturers will present pioneering projects under the ‘Sustainable Pakistan’ umbrella in the foyer of hall 10.2.

Trend Space focuses on sustainable concept
Sustainable aspects were also at the forefront of the concept for this year’s ‘Trend Spaces’. ‘Together with our designers, we have set ourselves the goal of creating a sustainable show and have adopted a material manifesto for this purpose. The aim was to minimise the environmental impact by selecting materials in an intelligent way. This means: wherever possible, alternative, sustainable materials were used’, explains Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies of Messe Frankfurt. ‘Heimtextil thus invites you to a design show that not only talks about sustainability but also embraces it in practical terms and, thanks to this approach and its reputation, is unrivalled worldwide. With the motto WHERE I BELONG, visitors interested in design will experience around 1000 exhibits by international exhibitors in the “Trend Space” in hall 3.0 – integrated into a spectacular design concept by Stijlinstituut Amsterdam under the direction of Anne Marie Commandeur. The approach of the new Future Materials Library, part of the Trend Space, is also progressive and sustainable. Here, visitors can explore the nature and production method of innovative materials. The focus is on recycled fabrics and cultivated – so-called living – textiles, among other things.

Hotels etc.: contract furnishing in the spotlight
As another top theme, Heimtextil is focusing on the furnishing of hotels and public buildings under the title ‘Interior.Architecture.Hospitality’. The new highlight here is the ‘Interior.Architecture.Hospitality Library’, a textile materials library with 64 selected, high-quality products categorised according to functional properties especially for contract furnishing. With this library, Heimtextil clearly demonstrates the many and varied uses of functional textiles, in particular providing interior designers with a first-rate work tool. Every product on display is labelled with the name of the manufacturer, booth number and its functional properties. All information on this can also be accessed online throughout the year at www.textile-library.com. Furthermore, the fair offers interior designers, architects and hospitality experts an extremely attractive programme in hall 4.2 – with superb product presentations in the ‘Interior.Architecture.Hospitality Expo’, a four-day lecture programme, guided tours and a special exhibitor directory, the
‘Interior.Architecture.Hospitality Directory’.

For better sleep: professional tips and product innovations
The topic of ‘sleep’ is of huge power and importance for both personal well-being and for the home textiles industry. Heimtextil will be dedicating itself to this much-discussed lifestyle theme for the second time. in “Sleep! The Future Forum' in the foyer of hall 11.0, a four-day programme of talks with a wider range of topics and numerous experienced sleep experts awaits interested listeners. These sleep experts include professional athletes such as Olympic luge champion Susi Erdmann and scientists from Berlin’s Charité, the Fraunhofer Institute and the German Sleep Research Society. Heimtextil has also been able to attract speakers from Ikea, Hästens and Auping to talk about progressive sleep topics. Numerous products aimed at greater sleep comfort will celebrate their première in the context of the ‘Sleep’ programme at the world's leading trade fair.

50th Heimtextil: design classics from the past five decades
To mark the 50th edition of Heimtextil, the trade fair will be presenting design classics from the past 50 trade fair editions in a showcase area in hall 9.0. Under the motto ‘Heimtextil Journey through Time – Celebrating 50 Years of Interior Design’, the fair invites visitors to take a tour through five decades of Heimtextil history. Four specially designed rooms incorporate colours, shapes, furniture and design objects from past decades. The showcase is complemented by a café that will be realised in cooperation with Schöner Wohnen, Europe's largest living magazine.

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*For comparison: In 2019, 3,012 exhibitors from 65 countries took part (FKM figures, Gesellschaft zur Freiwilligen Kontrolle von Messe- und Ausstellungszahlen, Berlin)

• Israeli Manufacturers with increasing Presence on the World Market

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Hundreds of new projects planned, especially until 2020

Tokyo (GTAI) - More and more tourists are visiting Japan. The demand for accommodation is increasing accordingly, as is investment in hotel capacities. A number of industries is benefitting from this.
Japan has become a tourist magnet. Arrivals of foreign visitors have been increasing for several years. Tokyo will also attract many curious visitors as the venue for the Summer Olympics 2020. The Land of the Rising Sun is preparing for this. Investments in new accommodations have exploded and existing hotels are being modernized.
According to the trade magazine "HOTERES", which regularly reports on the development of the hotel and catering industry, up to 750 new hotels of various categories will be built between 2018 and 2022 according to currently known plans. This should increase the number of rooms by 109,000 units. This includes 600 hotels and more than 90,000 rooms until the Olympic Games 2020.

The Capital needs many new hotel rooms
Tokyo is certainly a focal point, but a number of hotels are also being built in Osaka and Kyoto. The three largest cities of the country form the so-called "golden route" of the tourist flow. They are also important economic centers where business people need accommodation. Not to forget the domestic tourism as a source of income too.
This results in a multitude kind of business opportunities. Apart from the construction industry, hotel operators are looking for new furnishings for hotel rooms and restaurants as well as for entertainment and activity areas. According to Japan Tourism Agency, about three-quarters of the travelers' accommodation used in Japan is western style, followed by about 19 percent in Japanese style.
According to a sector report by the real estate service provider CBRE, a total of around 80,000 new rooms will be built in the country's eight largest cities by the end of 2020. This is 30 percent more than at the end of 2016. Despite the boom in new construction, a shortage of hotel rooms is still expected for Tokyo in 2020.

Extensive investments to be expected
According to statistics from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), investment costs in hotel buildings have already increased eightfold in 2017 compared to 2012, and the newly built area has increased fivefold. The new building area for hotels reached around 3 million sqm in 2017. With investment costs of around USD 940 billion in 2017, this was more than 50 percent higher than in 2016.

Investments will continue to rise with the many hotel construction projects in the pipeline. Japanese hotel groups, such as Route Inn Hotels and APA Hotels & Resorts, are at the forefront as investors. In addition, Japanese property developers are diversifying into the hotel sector, as the office property portfolio is already showing signs of oversupply.
Another real estate developer, Sumitomo Fudosan, is planning two major hotel construction projects, both scheduled for completion in 2020. These include a hotel at Haneda Airport with approximately 1,700 rooms and a hotel in Tokyo's Ariake area with 800 rooms. The company has not disclosed the investment costs for this.

Source: HOTERES (as of June, 1 2018)

International chains want to establish themselves more strongly
In addition, some international operators are also interested in hotel openings in Japan. These include, for example, the Best Western Hotel Group. According to an interview in the Nikkei business newspaper of April 30, 2018, it plans to increase its inventory in Japan from 13 hotels at present to around 30 by 2020. The American hotel chain Hyatt is planning to expand its portfolio to ten locations in Japan by 2020.

Marriott International is also already on the market and plans to open its first W-brand hotel in Japan in 2021. This luxury hotel with 337 rooms is to be built by the Japanese construction company Sekisui House. With a luxury hotel of 98 rooms Bulgari wants to expand its presence in Tokyo in 2022. This will be located on the upper floors of a new mixed-use building planned by Mitsui Fudosan in the Yaesu district.

While the international hotel operators focus more on luxury, Japanese hotel investments are more focused on facilities with limited services, such as business hotels. However, in the view of the large flow of visitors this is likely to change somewhat. The experience value and the length of stay are to be increased in order to increase the occupancy and the yield per overnight stay.

Foreign tourists are important guests
After all, the fastest-growing category of guests are foreign tourists, rather than business travelers or domestic tourists. The government expects about 40 million foreign tourists to visit the country in 2020. According to an estimation of the governor the capital Tokyo will be visited by 25 million tourists alone.

At the end of 2017, the Japan National Tourist Organization registered 28.7 million foreign visitors. Over 7 million tourists each from China and South Korea as well as almost 4.6 million tourists from Taiwan came to Japan. With 13.1 million foreign visitors, less than half of the international tourists visited Tokyo exclusively.

After five action-packed days the world’s leading trade fair of the consumer goods industry finished in an upbeat mood today. Trade visitors from more countries than ever before spent their time networking and ordering the latest products from all over the world for their companies. They also obtained worthwhile stimuli for a digital future.

Occupying an exhibition space of 308,000 square metres (gross), [1] 4,441 exhibitors from 89 countries [2] revealed the trends of this coming business year. 81 per cent [3] of all exhibitors came from outside Germany, making Ambiente the most international consumer goods trade fair of all times. The proportion of senior international decision-makers across all trade sectors had gone up by six per cent compared with last year, making up 60 per cent of visitors. It was the highest share ever recorded. This led to good export transactions and an excellent mood in the halls. In total, 134,600 buyers from 168 countries [4] visited Frankfurt am Main to attend Ambiente. As expected, there were fewer German visitors in Frankfurt. This was partly due to changes in the German retail landscape, and partly because the event coincided with Carnival as well as school holidays in Germany’s southern states, while being dependent on the international trade fair calendar.

“Consumerism is fashionable! Ambiente hosts the entire world. Every February, the international consumer goods industry receives direction here for the entire year. This is impressively borne out by the number of orders and the quality of German and international buyers,” says Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt GmbH. A similarly positive conclusion is reached by Thomas Grothkopp, Managing Director of the German Trade Association for Residential Accommodation and Offices (HWB): “Ambiente has shown us once again that nothing can replace personal contact with new and existing suppliers and their innovative products. This trade fair in Frankfurt has totally met the expectations of the retail trade.”
The top ten visitor nations after Germany were Italy, China, France, the United States, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, Korea and Switzerland. Satisfaction ratings among visitors remained stable at an extremely high level of 96 per cent. Above-average growth in visitors’ numbers was recorded from China, Korea, Russia, the North African countries, South Africa, all of South America, Turkey, Lebanon and Cyprus.

Exhibitors’ voices

Despite a slight dip in Ambiente’s visitor numbers, the quality and number of visitors were just right. On this point all exhibitors at Ambiente were unanimous.

Dining

Birgit Dubberke, Marketing Director at BHS Tabletop, says:
“We keep being impressed by the internationalism of Ambiente – not just in terms of exhibitors, but also visitors. It’s the meeting point of the industry. It’s a place for making valuable contacts with countries we’d normally never get to. As I see it, the HoReCa market is very much up and coming. The visitors are different, requiring a more emotive appeal – as private individuals – and this is reflected in the restaurants, hotels and the food. And we can also see it at Ambiente. The demand is there.“
Maren Lehmann, Director of Internal Sales at the porcelain company Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen, says:
“Ambiente 2018 went very well for us. We reached our targets, and so we can be pleased with the results. Meissen presented itself in a new way. We wanted to show that we can do far more than be traditional – and we’ve succeeded. The trade fair provided us with an excellent platform. And the organisation was first class, too.”

Living

Alexander Haas, Sales Manager at Scholtissek, says:
“Whether it’s architects, hotels or restaurants and cafés, Ambiente attracts the B2B visitors we want to appeal to. Contract business went extremely well again this year: Both the quality and the number of visitors were just right. We achieved our sales targets, and we are pleased.”
Michael Rossmann, Managing Director at PAD Home, says:
“Ambiente has an international audience and a very good venue. Our stand had a great atmosphere, lovely products and committed staff. This is why things went so amazingly well for us at Ambiente 2018. When it comes to internationalism, then the trade fair was in an even better position this year: Our stand was visited by an unusual number of Italians, as well as Argentinians and other South Americans, which was quite new to us.”

Giving

Rebecca Staton, Sales Manager for France and Germany at Jellycat, says:
“The trade fair went pretty well for us. This was already the case last year, and so we are very pleased. Although there were lots of people just having a look, we also received a good number of orders. The quality of visitors was good, and so was the level of internationalism. France was there, lots of visitors from Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland, and a few Asian countries. Another figure that met our expectations was the number of new customers we gained.”
Ralf Vogt, owner of Noi:
“We are pleased with the result. Ambiente went well for us, our collection was well received, and there is a general demand for it. Also, I can’t complain about the quality of visitors or their willingness to place orders: those who come to Ambiente are also authorised to place orders.”

Vaarwel Netherlands, Namaskar India!

The world’s leading trade fair ran very much under the Dutch banner in 2018. The traditional partner country presentation had been staged by the Dutch industrial designer Robert Bronwasser. DO DUTCH put consumer goods from the Netherlands into a new and unusual context. Also, numerous activities and events were held on the partner country day – all masterminded by Dutch organisers. The guest of honour attracting everyone’s attention at Ambiente yesterday was Sylvie Meis. The well-known TV presenter and entrepreneur, who is also from the Netherlands, went on a tour round the exhibition halls exploring modern design from the Netherlands and Germany. Next year’s Ambiente will be held from 8 to 12 February 2019 and will be focused very much on the Indian subcontinent.

• CADEAUX Leipzig: fabrics capture the room

New cloths the country needs: home textiles revive the modern interior design and are the focus of the professional forum for home textiles COMFORTEX at the CADEAUX Leipzig. From September 3rd - 5th  2016 interior designers, property experts, interior designers and craftsmen learn about the "new materiality" in its whole diversity and receive a comprehensive insight into the color and design trends in fabrics and curtains. In addition, the 49th CADEAUX supplies pulses for attractive decorations and innovative glass art and a variety of inspirations around the current lifestyle and culinary enjoyment.

"In September Leipzig presents the theme living for retailers in a great variety," project director Andreas Zachlod says. "A total of 350 exhibitors and brands show on the CADEAUX and on the integrated expert forum for home textiles COMFORTEX their attractive collections and current editions of a modern lifestyle."

Modern materials for room and window

Prestigious brands dominate the exhibition program in the field of cloth and curtain. Among others, the following companies show their innovations: Brändl Textile, Dr. W. Hufnagl, Edi Michel, Florentina embroidery company, Heinz Weckbrodt, Hossner Heimtex, Jürgen Schleiß Confection, Klippan Yllefabrik, Lutex Fabrication, MB Textilmanufaktur, Otto Dotzauer, Raebel, Rovitex, Stickperle, StiVoTex, Verdi Collection, Vogtländische Home Textiles, Voigtmann & Kruschwitz, W. Reuter & Sohn and Wölfel & Co. and also the EuroCom GmbH with quality pressing irons.

About the most important interior trends in terms of cloth the trend forum "New materiality in the room and at the window" will give detailed information. A café with a lecture area invites to stay in an inspiring lounge atmosphere. Bernhard Zimmermann from the sector agency BZ- BBI (Leipzig) and his creative team provide a comprehensive trend update and draw the essential material milieus in four scenarios. In that the products of all exhibitors of home textiles are positioned in the center. Twice a day professional input about the revived enthusiasm of fabrics and of ideas for modern marketing methods will be given in lectures.

Curtains on a triumphal march

"We want to give the visitors the pleasure of selling home textiles, and illuminate advantages and potentials” Bernhard Zimmermann explains. "The creative power of cloths is just rediscovered." Pioneer was the contract business: Here innovative, easy-care fabrics would be appreciated as an excellent light and sun protection and the aesthetic, acoustic and energetic functions of the textile materials would be used. "But also in the living area we are now on the threshold of a trend reversal. The living styles are changing, curtains and drapes are coming back!"

The new "Generation Cloth"

Through cloth livable, pleasant rooms in the work environment, in healthcare, hotels and in private life would arise, so Zimmermann. "They reflect what the modern human being yearn: a cozy retreat that provides livability a new way and in modern colors and raises family warmth."

Suggestions for today's "Generation Cloth" were provided inter alia by the interpretation of advanced architecture, furniture design and creative textile drape of the 50s and 60s. "The market offers the colorations and patterns for every taste - whether comfortably-natural, progressive-young, factually-geometric or classically elegant," Zimmermann says. Not least products such as pillows, blankets or curtains offer an ideal opportunity for seasonal or mood changes in the room.

Inspirational - the lifestyle trends for fall and winter

Living, furnishing and enjoying: Many inspirations and promotional information about modern lifestyle can be experienced in other exhibition areas. Ralf Meuser demonstrates in the forum "Enjoy Meat" premium kitchen accessories in action. With matching accessories from sharp knives and sharp cutting boards, selected roasters and pans to spice mills the chef prepares high quality meat dishes. With practical tips Meuser gives the retailers important sales arguments at hand and points to the potential which lays in the theme "Enjoy Meat".

A traditional material in a stylish garb is staged in the special show GLASklar with emphasis on enjoyment, home accessories and Christmas. On display are glass products from renowned exhibitors - under the label of "Enjoyment" for example, drinking glasses, carafes, dessert bowls, bottles or étagères. Under the heading "Home Accessories" for example lamps, mirrors, pictures and decoration products will be presented. Christmas tree ornaments and figures determine the theme "Christmas". Furthermore, the forum provides a fascinating insight into the art of glass processing and refinement.

Service: opening times and admission prices

CADEAUX with the special forum for home textiles COMFORTEX is opened on Saturday / Sunday (September 3rd and 4th 2016) from 9:30 AM to 06.00 PM and on Monday (September 5th 2016) from 9:30 AM to 05.00 PM. Trade visitors who register online will receive free admission. At the box office the ticket price is EUR 17.00, for regular visitors EUR 8.00. A legitimation as trade visitor is required. The ticket includes also the admission to the open dowry-area of the parallel occurring watch and jewelry fair MIDORA Leipzig.

The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) organizes from April 07th - 10th a new textile exhibition, the TEXPO in Karachi. This exhibition has been conceived as a whole sector comprehensive trade fair and should help to promote the export business of Pakistani textile and clothing companies. A month before the opening Textination got the opportunity to speak with the person in charge in Germany, the trade expert Mr. Rizwan Tariq from the Pakistani Consulate General in Frankfurt.

Thank you very much for the interview, we wish the entire TEXPO team a succesful premiere.

For further information please contact:

1. Mr. Rizwan Tariq
Commercial Counsellor
Consulate General of Pakistan, Frankfurt am Main
Tel: +49 69-6976970
Mobil: +49 176-31363223
Email: pakcom.frk@tdap.gov.pk

2. Mr. Matthias Theis
Honorary Consul of Pakistan for the state of NRW, Düssseldorf
Tel.: +49 211 4407227
Email: office@pakistan-nrw.de

3. Mr. Rainer Borch
Trade Development Officer
Embassy of Pakistan Berlin
Tel.: +49 30-21244145
Mobil: +49 163-3736036
E-Mail: tdo@pakemb.de oder rainer.borch@aol.de

The significant growth in exhibitor numbers is a clear indication that Heimtextil remains the most important platform in its sector in 2016 and that the themes are very much in line with the sector's current preoccupations. From 12 to 15 January 2016, Heimtextil will assemble more than 2,700 exhibitors at the world's largest trade fair for home and contract textiles. The range of products covers the world's largest international selection of contract textiles for the hotel trade, architectural use and interior design. More than 350 of the Heimtextil exhibitors, who come from all over the world, will be presenting their portfolios under the 'Contract Creations' seal.

The range of contract products and services not only covers a multitude of materials and suppliers of all qualities and all pricing levels; visitors can also expect an exciting mix of new stimuli as well as experienced partners to help with their ideas and projects. Guided tours of the fair and a lecture programme specially dedicated to hoteliers and architects will provide valuable input. Moreover, in its uniquely inspiring showcase for trends, the 'Theme Park' in Hall 6.0, Heimtextil offers an excellent overview of current and future trends, something that is unique in interior design anywhere in the world. The 'Theme Park' also risks a glance into the future of 'Hospitality' and showcases some stimulating and visionary ideas.

As a first port of call and a meeting place for architects and hoteliers, the 'Salon Interior. Architecture. Hospitality' in Foyer 4.0 provides an inviting venue. It not only offers a comfortable atmosphere in which to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the trade fair. It is also the meeting point for trend scouts, as well as for the guided tours for architects and hoteliers and it is where attendees of the lecture programme can find out about the subjects to be covered, the speakers and where they can sign up for the lectures.

The enormous range of products at Heimtextil is subdivided into clearly identifiable sections. 'Contract' logos on the stands indicate that the exhibitor carries a range of contract textiles and/or solutions for furnishing hotels, restaurants and other commercial or public spaces. The Contract Guide offers lots of help in finding your way around and contains an overview of all the suppliers of contract textiles exhibiting at Heimtextil. This index is directed at architects, hoteliers, planners and interior designers. The Contract Guide will be available for people to take away at various points throughout the Exhibition Centre and is a service that Messe Frankfurt offers free of charge to both exhibitors and visitors.

Furthermore Heimtextil presents the results of a recent study about the importance of textiles for the high-quality hotel sector in form of a Management Report which will be published at the beginning of the fair. The Management Report will be available on the Heimtextil website.

Lecture programme: Interior.Architecture.Hospitality

In collaboration with the architecture magazine AIT and the IHA Hotel Association, Heimtextil offers a varied programme of lectures for architects, interior architects, designers and hoteliers. All lectures will take place in the Europa Room in the Foyer of Hall 4.0 on 13 and 14 January 2016.

The trade journal AIT offers an exciting programme of lectures and panel discussions, each lasting approximately half an hour and involving internationally renowned architecture firms. On the afternoon of 13 January, all sessions will come under the banner of “compact.good.exclusive – the new luxury in residential construction”. On Thursday 14 January, from 1:00 p.m. onwards, the theme will be: 'Travel yesterday and today – Hotel architecture as a retreat in a foreign environment'.

On the morning of 14 January 2016, the German Hotel Association (IHA) will report on trends and developments as they relate to sustainability in the hotel industry. Specialist speakers such as Martina Baumgärtner (ALEGRIA), Christoph Haub (REMONDIS), Frank Martin (Cofely Deutschland) and Florian Zeitler (Electrolux Professional) will give details of sustainable hygiene solutions and technologies in the hotel trade. They will deal, in their lectures, with the following subjects amongst others: “Outsource or do the cleaning yourself?” and “What challenges does a modern environmental management system bring?” Individual topics range from housekeeping to economical energy provision. The event will be rounded off in the morning by the distinguished tourism expert Olaf Schlieper from the German Tourist Office. He will give a concentrated overview of the challenges of sustainable travel.

Architects and designers select Heimtextil products

Some 30 architects and interior architects will be looking for a new generation of innovative products from the sections on contract textiles, textile room dividers and sunshade systems, wall coverings, wallpapers and furniture that are on display at Heimtextil. The results of AIT's trendscouting activities will be available in the 'Salon Interior. Architecture. Hospitality' in Foyer 4.0. For those with a particular interest in innovation, the trend scouts will be offering a guided tour of the award-winning exhibitors.

In addition, the architecture journals AIT and xia will, in cooperation with Heimtextil, once again be organising the 'Innovation Award Architecture and Textile Contract'. This award underscores the importance of architectural quality in textile products and interior-design solutions. The competition is aimed at architects, interior architects and designers, as well as industrial companies and companies that process textile products, contract textiles and interior-design solutions.

The Award Ceremony for 'Architecture and Textile Contract' competition and the 'AIT Trend Scouting Display' will be held in the Europa Room, Hall 4.0, on 13 January 2016 at 5:00 p.m. The exhibition to accompany the innovation awards can be seen on the AIT stand throughout the trade fair. The nominated products from the AIT's trend scouting exercise will be displayed in Foyers 5.1 / 6.1 and will also be identified on the exhibitors' stands.

Finest Interior Award 2015

Heimtextil is a partner in this year's 'Finest Interior Awards' and, with them, seeks to honour the creative work of interior architects, interior designers, interior decorators and furnishings consultants. The 'Finest Interior Awards' were presented in November 2015 as part of a formal evening event in the Dutch Embassy in Berlin, and were given for particularly individual and professional contract furnishing projects. The Netherlands are the official partner country for this year's 'Finest Interior Awards'. The winning exhibits are there to be discovered at Heimtextil 2016 in a special display in Hall 11.0.

Guided tours for architects and hoteliers

In cooperation with the trade journals AIT and Hotel Design/AHGZ, Heimtextil will be offering guided tours tailored to the needs and interests of architects and hoteliers. The meeting point for all tours is the 'Salon Interior.Architecture.Hospitality' in Foyer 4.0.

From 11:00 a.m. onwards on both Wednesday 13 January and Friday 15 January, the trade journal AIT will present the product innovations for contract furnishings on offer from well-known manufacturers, which they, in conjunction with leading international interior architects, have identified. On the Wednesday, the tour will be led by Ushi Tamborriello (ushitamborriello Innenarchitektur_Szenenbild). On the Friday it is the turn of Sabine Krumrey (bki brandherm + krumrey) to take those with a special interest in this area through the halls. Each tour lasts approximately two hours. On 14 January 2016, also at 11:00 a.m.,
the AIT trend scouts will offer a tour which takes in the 15 products selected by architects and interior designers.

In conjunction with the trade magazine HotelDesign/AHGZ, Heimtextil will be inviting decisionmakers in the hotel industry to a conducted tour of the trade fair. In the company of Corinna Kretschmar-Joehnk from Hamburg architects JOI Design and Ms. Denise Boxler, Head of Design at Pentahotels, participants will get an overview of furnishing trends in the hotel and contract industries. The tours start at 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on 14 January 2016.

Further informationen about Contract Creations on Heimtextil: www.heimtextil.de/contract