From the Sector

Cinte Techtextil China opens its doors next week, with around 480 exhibitors from 22 countries and regions preparing for another successful showcase of the world’s leading textile innovations. Leading international and domestic brands will feature in halls N1 – N3 at Shanghai New International Expo Centre from 4 – 6 September, making Cinte Techtextil the ideal place to make connections and gain insight into Chinese and Asian market trends.

The technical textile industry in the Asia region, and China in particular, has been growing steadily and is predicted to continue doing so. China’s total output of technical textiles and nonwoven products is estimated to account for 30% of global production by 2020, and double that of 2013. This high potential for growth, achieved through investments worth billions of dollars, has drawn attention from European exhibitors, who are set to travel to the region for Cinte Techtextil.

This year’s European Zone will feature around 30 exhibitors from countries including Austria, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, while further exhibitors can be found in national pavilions from Belgium, Germany and Italy. In addition to this, the Czech Republic will present its debut pavilion, showcasing exhibitors with solutions for technical yarn, fabric processing and nonwoven fabrics.

In addition to this, exhibitors from 12 more countries and regions will present their latest innovations to the market. These include domestic and international exhibitors from China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the US.

Belt and Road: a success story for Buildtech
Following higher regulations and quality standards that aim to exceed Western levels, demand is high in China for production machinery. What’s more, with the national nonwovens market displaying particularly fast growth, Cinte Techtextil has attracted some of the world’s leading nonwoven and weaving machinery brands.

The fair will showcase leading global exhibitors across 12 application areas. Two areas to watch out for include Buildtech and Mobiltech, which are both performing well in Asia and specifically in China. The Belt and Road initiative brings Buildtech a great deal of benefits through China’s enormous investments in global infrastructure. Adding to this, China’s automobile production has been increasing 3% year-on-year, with particularly high growth seen in new-energy vehicles, SUVs and commercial vehicles. China has become the world’s largest auto producer, and this has been boosting progress in the Mobiltech category.

Cinte Techtextil fringe programme a hub of industry insight
A comprehensive fringe programme will keep Cinte Techtextil fairgoers up to date with industry news, with standout events including the 7th China International Nonwovens Conference. Focusing on the global nonwovens industry, topic highlights include the latest innovations in China’s nonwovens industry, an insight into the North American nonwovens market, future trends in the global hygiene product market, and more. The conference will also discuss innovations and developments in filter materials and the wipe industry.

The first day of the fringe programme will see a panel discussion in hall N1, moderated by the Taiwan Technical Textiles Association (TTTA), with confirmed panellists including DuPont, IBENA Textilwerke and SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Services. The panel will focus on current trends, developments and standards in the protective textile industry.

Other fringe programme events will include seminars and product presentations led by industry leaders on the latest global technologies and market trends, and an Innovation Showcase Area in a variety of application categories. 

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles 2018 cooperates with the international trendsetter NellyRodiTM Agency again in offering the latest trend forecast to the home textile industry. Integrating different knowledge, inspirations and visions of trend evolution among the experts in the trend committee, three themes namely Caring Future, Crazy Future and Emo Future are established.
As the leading home textile trade fair in Asia, participants can always expect to see the latest items and discover the forthcoming market direction. To fulfil this, more than 1,000 suppliers from China and across the world will showcase a wide variety of products covering the whole spectrum of home furnishing, while the trend forecast, which is introduced during the show, provides both exhibitors and buyers with insight and guidance to stay ahead of the market.

This year, the show works together with the experienced international forecasting firm the NellyRodiTM Agency to form a trend committee consisting of different fields of expertise in order to gain the latest comprehension of international lifestyle forecasts. They have picked ‘FUTURE’ as the keyword of the season and three themes have been developed to illustrate this keyword.

• Caring Future: Now greener, more moral and socially oriented, creation draws from alternative imaginations to protect natural and cultural resources. It pulls inspiration from new eco-gestures and good altruist sense with a new credo – take care of nature and man
• Crazy Future: It plays on whimsical surrealism and petulance, the master of light-hearted insouciance. It plants a seed of madness in creation. Gaiety and fantasy amuse rational souls and titillate a taste for risk
• Emo Future: The need to console our cherished earth revives the emotion its immemorial beauty inspires. New nostalgia for the origin of things reconnects us to the essential. Neo-mysticism consecrates the elements and celebrates spiritual, benevolent nature. It inspires the perpetuation of the Traditions and rituals our ancestors practiced, in all their wisdom and humanism, to glorify nature 

These three themes will be demonstrated and discussed throughout the four-day fair in a series of events, while exhibitors’ products that resonate with the themes will be displayed in the Trend Area. Trend Forum tours will also take place, allowing show attendants to learn and discuss with designers and trend experts about the lifestyle trends.

Committee members with distinct specialties
The committee has contributed their expertise on retail experience, contract markets and new technologies, together with the sociological insights from an international consumer study in developing the themes. The following is an overview of the committee members.

• Mr Vincent Grégoire (France): Creative Director of NellyRodiTM Agency. Studied both interior and industrial design at the École Camondo in Paris, has been the artistic director and designer of exclusive products for the decorator Agnès Comar
• Mr Sun Yun (China): Partner and Design Director of Hangzhou Interior Architecture Design, founder of fashion brand HYSSOP Cornerstone
• Mrs Béatrice Brandt (France): Graduated from the Aix-en-Provence Graduate School of Management in Management Sciences with a major in marketing, 20 years of experience in marketing and innovation, now works as the CEO at Le Jacquard Français
• Mrs Hélène Pasteur (France): Purchasing Manager of Homeware/Leisure, Les Galeries Lafayette/BHV. Graduated from business school, entered Galeries Lafayette’s buying office in 1986 for the beauty, children’s wear, menswear, and accessory markets, managed the project that transformed BHV into BHV MARAIS from 2011 to 2014, now returns to the homeware department

More details of the trend programme will be released closer to the fair. The show will be held from 27 – 30 August at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai

• CHIC Shanghai, March 14-16, 2018
• CHIC March 2018 closes successfully with rise in attendance
• CHIC´s new design: Discovering the young consumer world
• Successful business in all fair segments
• Service point CHIC as international platform for the international fashion trade
• New autumn date for CHIC: September 27-29, 2018

The spring edition of CHIC, taking place from March 14-16, 2018, finished successfully with yet another increase in visitor figures. 1,210 exhibitors from 21 countries and regions presented themselves on 117,200 m² at the National Exhibition & Convention Center in Shanghai. 112,666 visitors of all business channels were registered at the fair, among them leading department stores, shopping malls, multibrand stores, agents, distributors.

Chen Dapeng, President of CHIC and Executive Vice President of China National Garment Association: "The consumers in China develop rapidly, `consumer upgrade´ is the keyword, the Chinese market is consumer oriented, in demand is an individual young style. The offer has to adapt to the needs of this target group, the industry has to become even more innovative and face the technological challenges."

CHIC Shanghai shows that the Chinese market follows the current trends which is also mirrored by its fresh young design and a full visual concept that was developed in cooperation with WGSN. Addressees are the young trendsetting consumers, China´s driving force for the strong growth in retail sales, which increased by 10.2% in 2017 to about 5.7 trillion US$. According to a study by BCG this target group accounts for 65% of consumption increase in China with a predicted growth rate of 11% per year until 2021. The total domestic consumption contributed nearly 60% to the economic expansion of the country in the last year.

Intensive contacts and ordering in all areas of CHIC

The exhibitors of the designer area IMPULSES, one of the core segments at CHIC and occupying the entire North Hall, among them Hua Mu Shen, Shan Zi, Mood for Mode, were very satisfied. In addition to numerous concrete cooperation agreements high value orders were placed as well.

The international exhibitors in the FASHION JOURNEY area came from Brazil, Denmark, Germany, France, China Hong Kong, India, Italy - with 40 exhibitors again the biggest European participation - , Japan, Korea, Peru, Poland, Sweden, Spain, China Taiwan, UK. They expressed their satisfaction with their participations and recognize the potential of the Chinese market. The trade fair objective are contacts, numerous promising cooperation talks took place that need intensive follow-up after the fair. Nevertheless there were also orders placed at the fair. The Polish Investment and Trade Agency participated for the first time in CHIC with its national export program “go-to-brand”. Polish jewellery and kidswear designer brands participated in the program and exhibited at CHIC.

Showing at the leather and fur area HERITAGE the International Fur Federation (IFF) presented itself for the first time with international producers such as the auction houses NAFA and SAGA. Turkey was again represented under the roof of IDMIB / ITKIB by ten companies. For the national participants, grouped in pavilions of the respective Chinese provinces, CHIC is an essential business platform, here they regularly meet their buyers and this time once again registered orders of high sums.

Young brands in the CHIC YOUNG BLOOD area like Monkey King (after the monkey king in the classic Chinese novel The Journey to the West) with manga style shirts or JPE, a trendy street style brand with a traditional Chinese dragon being its mascot, made more than 300 contacts with concrete cooperation intentions at CHIC.

Companies in the segment URBAN VIEW, the menswear area, e.g. RUYI group with more than 30 international fashion brands such as Aquascutum or Sandro; GSON, a menswear line of SEMIR group or ManCode, a new exhibitor at CHIC, reported hundreds of cooperation inquiries and direct deals at the fair.

A sensation in the accessories segment SECRET STARS was created amongst others by the German brand LEONARDO. Large groups of visitors interested in the jewellery collection gathered at the booth. The fair participation beat the company´s expectations by far.

The young generation is the engine for fashion consumption in China, a fact also recognized by the management of the SEMIR group that presented product novelties and its service offer with its kidswear brand BALABALA in the KID´S PARADISE at CHIC. New technologies were shown on more than 500 m² by the HODO group and its "unstaffed shops", "smart fitting rooms", "magic dressing mirrors". Further innovations were "cloud shelves" and "big screen data".

Service platform CHIC

The intensively expanded visitor management, online and offline, was a central aspect of the fair. Online via WeChat and the official CHIC APP more than 200,000 visitor request for specific product groups were made, exhibitors uploaded more than 700,000 pieces of product information. Active exchange was initiated by the Buyer´s Talk on the second fair day, dealing with the development of the buying systems of department stores and shopping malls, trend information was given at CHIC Buyer´s Theme Salon also taking place on day 2. The VIP Buyer´s Meeting brought international brands and interested agents and distributors together - a service that the organizer will expand in the future. “We visit CHIC Shanghai every time, for us it´s a very important platform for trend information and also to find European brands that we can introduce to the Chinese market”, says Wen Liu, CEO Jesery from Wuhan, representative of Canadian designer brand JAC. The management of Mallstyle Investment (Shanghai), with e.g. Italian luxury brands in its portfolio, directly got in touch with German and Italian brands at CHIC after the meeting.

The event schedule of CHIC offers a broad seminar and workshop programme with its CHIC TALK, from trend information to retail solutions to buyer meetings, the show programme CHIC SHOWS staged fashion presentations, of which especially the IMPULSES and OVERSEAS´ JOINT FASHION SHOWS attracted the visitors´ attention. CHIC Shanghai is designed as a global platform for the fashion industry and fashion trade and integrates all resources that are relevant to a successful development of the fashion business in China.

CHIC Shanghai changes autumn date to September

CHIC Shanghai changes together with Intertextile Shanghai, PH Value and Yarn Expo the date for its autumn edition to September. The next fair will be held from September 27-29, 2018 at the National Exhibition & Convention Center in Shanghai.

• New collaboration of sustainable viscose suppliers formed in China

Digital Printing Zone debuts at Spring Edition
Despite the economic ups and downs in China over the last few years, demand for premium European textiles remains high.
Whether it be premium wool for the flourishing suiting market, ladieswear fabrics, lace & embroidery for high-end domestic brands each with hundreds of stores across the country, innovative yarns & fabrics for the booming sports and activewear sectors, or original pattern designs for the thousands of new online fashion brands, European suppliers remain the go-to option for Chinese buyers looking for quality and style.

As one of the undisputed leaders in the European textile scene, Italy is always a good bellwether of the trends between Europe and China. After a less than stellar 2016, Italy’s fabric exports to the Mainland China and Hong Kong markets grew by 12.4% in the first 10 months of 2017[1]. The expected demand for European brands at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics will be most evident in the SalonEurope zone, which features exhibitors from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK, as well as country pavilions & zones from France, Germany, Italy and Turkey.

There is also continuing demand for overseas expertise when it comes to more technical areas such as sustainability and digital printing, solutions to which can be found in the fair’s All About Sustainability area and Digital Printing Zone.

SalonEurope showcases the continent’s full textile expertise
The best of the best from Europe will be on display in this edition’s SalonEurope, with a range of products across the whole textile spectrum on offer. Some of the highlights this edition include:

• Alumo (Switzerland): celebrating its 100-year anniversary this July, Alumo has undertaken a complete refresh of their brand, highlighting the character of their mill in Appenzell, Switzerland that has deep roots in the local textile industry. This edition, they will showcase a renewed collection of luxury shirting fabrics with intricate designs and added functions such as natural stretch and wrinkle-free, and a newly enlarged, never-out-of-stock ‘Sartorial’ collection.
• Hatfil Tekstil Isletmeleri (Turkey): a Turkish-Italian joint venture, they offer a huge range of yarns including eco-friendly options such as organic, BCI and fair trade yarns, as well as cotton, Tencel, Amicor, bamboo, cashmere, modal and other varieties.
• Hohenstein Textile Testing (Germany): offering testing services, OEKO-TEX® services and certifications, the Hohenstein Quality Label and more.
• Ricamificio Paolo Italy SpA (Italy): an embroidery manufacturer, they have developed a new technique using very thin embroideries to produce a lace-like effect, which can also be customised to the customer’s requirements in no more than four weeks. They have also produced a quilt-like fabric suitable for spring / summer garments which is made from materials such as silk organdie, cotton yarn or lurex to produce a shiny effect.
• Teseo Tessitura Serica Di Olmeda SpA (Italy): for their summer 2019 collection, Teseo is inspired by the natural elements with increased attention to sustainability with GOTS-certified bio silk and eco-friendly yarns. New articles are lighter and enriched with yarn-dyes, include jacquard stripes and checks, gauze and devoré bands to add transparency, and more.

New collaboration of sustainable viscose suppliers formed in China
While the textile industry in China still has a long way to go in terms of sustainability, genuine progress is being made at both a government and company level. January of this year saw the implementation of a new environment protection tax, with companies charged for noise, air & water pollution and generating solid waste[2]. Replacing a pollutant discharge fee that had been in place for 40 years, the new tax is set by local governments – with some of the regions suffering from worse pollution setting higher rates – and also incentivises companies with lower emissions.

In another encouraging move, 10 leading global viscose producers in China have come together to form the Collaboration for Sustainable Development of Viscose (CV) to promote the sustainable sourcing and responsible production of viscose. These 10 producers collectively account for over 50% of the world’s viscose staple fibre production, and have partnered with two trade associations to adopt a sustainability roadmap for the viscose industry. Built around credible international sustainability standards and programmes, the CV Roadmap aims to provide guidance to viscose producers on sustainable sourcing and production practices.

The CV collaboration will make its debut appearance in the fair’s All About Sustainability zone, where visitors can learn more about this initiative, as well as sustainable developments in the Chinese textile industry. Apart from an educational programme and garment display area, the zone will also feature a number of exhibitors other than CV.

Digital Printing Zone debuts at Spring Edition
While digital printing is rapidly gaining traction in the global textile industry, this is especially so in China due to its potential to reduce pollution during the production process. Amongst the exhibitors looking to take advantage of this in the fair’s new Digital Printing Zone is MS Italy, a market leader in the design, development and distribution of innovative digital ink-jet printing systems and associated consumables, which serves the high-end, roll-to-roll textile printing and specialty material markets. Also exhibiting is DIGITEX which will introduce the latest digital- and inkjet-printed natural and manmade fabrics.

Apart from digital printing exhibitors, a day-long forum will inform fairgoers on the exciting possibilities of digital printing. Held on day 2 of the fair, the Fast Fashion and Digital Printing Application Forum features sessions on fast fashion technology & trends and digital printing applications. These are followed by a series of discussions on topics such as flexible supply chains, business opportunities created by digital printing and IP protection. The forum also includes a presentation on the findings of a six-month study conducted by Fashion Print, a Chinese publication, for which they visited hundreds of textile companies, printing and dyeing enterprises, as well as their suppliers to produce a research paper on the digital textile printing market and technology.

In addition to Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, four other textile fairs also take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center: Yarn Expo Spring, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition, fashion garment fair CHIC and knitting fair PH Value.

• Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition 2018 is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre. For more details on this fair, please visit: www.intertextileapparel.com. To find out more about all Messe Frankfurt textile fairs worldwide, please visit: www.texpertise-network.com.

[1] http://hk.fashionnetwork.com/news/Italian-textile-industry-back-on-growth-track-in-2017,944760.html
[2] http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/china-imposes-environment-protection-tax-beginning-jan-1-239965-newsdetails.html

On March 6-8, 2018, Paris will host the largest international trade show for advanced materials: JEC World, which is organized by JEC Group. For three days, more than 43,000 professional visits from some 100+ countries will gather at the world’s most innovative platform for the materials and products that are revolutionizing our century. “One field where France is a global leader is the field of composites!” says JEC Group President and CEO Frédérique MUTEL.

COMPOSITES ARE GOING STRONG
The share of composites in the global economy is growing. The market for these products is worth 83 billion euros, for a volume of 11.23 million metric tons of volume (2017 statistics). Analysts are predicting a steady 5% growth by 2021. From the industrial viewpoint, composites are developing rapidly, with new automated processes for high-volume production.

INNOVATION IN COMPOSITES
“Innovation is there with the raw materials, such as better-formulated resins (and even recyclable ones like thermoplastics) and higher-performance fibers like carbon, glass and aramid. Moreover, natural materials like starch for matrices and flax, hemp, sisal and bamboo for fibers are being introduced. There is also innovation in the ways composites are being used, and with the creation of completely new things like drones, electronic devices, hydrofoils and flying taxis. Composites are currently making progress everywhere there is a need for low weight and performance. They offer nearly infinite possibilities. These are truly the materials of the century. Designers are adopting them in a broad range of fields like smart cities, infrastructure, networks, transportation, medical devices, sports & leisure and design. Composites materials expand the field of possibilities.” explains Ms. MUTEL.

“MAKE IT REAL” AT THE 2018 JEC WORLD TRADE SHOW
To present the latest trends and innovations, the 2018 JEC World has even more surface area, with 68,000 square meters. The 1,350 exhibitors (from carbon fiber producer to auto builder, from designer to decorator, from research fellow to aircraft manufacturer) will display their latest advances. All stakeholders will be present at the show. JEC World received more than 40,000 professional visits last year, and is expecting 43,000 this year!

THE NEW “MUST” THINGS TO SEE
This year, JEC World will have four planets. Besides the aerospace, automotive and construction planets, there will be a new “Make it real” planet, which gives a preview of designer creations to be exhibited at the Ghent museum starting in October 2018. “We will show the many aspects of composites, and how these materials are being gradually incorporated into everyday objects,” adds Ms. MUTEL.
This year’s JEC World will feature a new “Composite Challenge” program that gives the floor to ten PhD students, who will be given five minutes to pitch their research projects with the help of a single slide. “True to its mission, the JEC Group has set up this new program to share the latest research on composites. But it is not just a way to share the most advanced knowledge, it also helps to bridge the gap between academics and the industry and to identify the industry’s next generation of leaders,” she says.
JEC World will also be the occasion to launch Flax & Hemp Fiber Composites, A Market Reality: The Biobased Solution for the Industry, a new book published by JEC Group on the use of plant-based materials.

KNOWLEDGE & NETWORKING PROGRAMS SUPPORTED BY JEC GROUP
The trade show will host well-known speakers, including Dirk AHLBORN, the CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, a company that is reinventing transportation with high-speed travel (up to 1,300 km/h, or 808 mph), and Yves ROSSY, aircraft pilot and inventor of the first jet-powered wingpack, with which he is able to reach speeds of up to 300 km/h, or 186 mph. The Startup Booster program will pay tribute to startups, and the JEC Innovation Awards program, to innovations. For the first time, the public will be invited to vote on these two programs!
Six new conferences will also address the latest technical advances that are moving the sector forward, and a Composites in Action program will present live demonstrations throughout the show, in three different places.

Buyers looking for premium wool fabrics will be spoilt for choice at next month’s Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics. The epicentre for those with this product on their sourcing checklist is the Premium Wool Zone, with mills from the UK, Italy, France, Peru and elsewhere located here, while the Italy Pavilion also includes a number of quality wool suppliers. Rounding out the sourcing options, and adding further quality and price variety, are the 180-plus domestic wool suppliers in hall 6.1.

Some of the notable overseas brands participating this edition include Abraham Moon & Sons, Aris Industrial, Dechamps, Dormeuil, Dugdale Bros & Co, Ferla, Fratelli Piacenza, Holland & Sherry, Huddersfield Fine Worsteds, Lanificio F.lli Cerruti DAL 1881 and Scabal. The Spring Edition of the industry’s most comprehensive sourcing platform for the spring / summer season, Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, will feature some 3,300 exhibitors from around 20 countries covering all apparel fabrics and accessories product groups.

Growing affluence in China drives demand for premium wool fabrics

While a true global marketplace for the industry’s order writers with buyers from around 100 countries expected at Intertextile Shanghai next month, much of the demand for high-end wool at the fair comes from Chinese buyers thanks to growing affluence in the country. This is evidenced by the fact that Australian wool prices are at record highs this season, with China accounting for over 70% of Australian wool exports[1]. What’s more, whereas 15 to 20 years ago most wool imported by China was re-exported, nowadays around 60% is used to produce garments for the domestic market.

Intertextile’s number one position in China ensures that high-end domestic buyers are in abundance. “The buyer professionalism here is surprisingly high,” Mr Bob McAuley, Huddersfield Fine Worsteds’ President, explained last October. “We’re looking specifically for tailors and menswear specialty stores, and these type of buyers are definitely present.” Speaking about domestic market trends, he continued: “Retailers are not able to put all fashion in stores, so the made-tomeasure market is growing, especially in China. I’m surprised each edition how many new high-end Chinese brands we meet at this fair. There’s more menswear specialty stores opening here, whereas in the US, for example, the move is more towards going direct-to-consumer and online.”

Innovation and new-season styles added to heritage brands’ collections  

Precious metals such as gold and silver are known to have been worked into garments as long as 3,000 years ago, when they were hammered into extremely thin sheets then cut into ribbons. Modern technology has made this process much more straightforward, as well as opening up new opportunities. One of these is combining wool and silver, which Holland & Sherry will exhibit at Intertextile Shanghai. Their Argento collection of Super 200's wool fabrics applies a state of the art silver ion technology finish to superfine 13.5µ merino wool. This combination provides effective antibacterial protection, counteracting bacterial odour formation and keeping the fabrics hygienic and fresh. And because the conductive properties of silver prevent the build-up of static charge, the fabrics also benefit from anti-static properties.

While most collections in the Premium Wool Zone emphasise the brands’ heritage and tradition, like Holland & Sherry, some will be introducing new or updated collections. Dugdale Bros & Co refreshed its Royal Classic superfine Australian merino wool collection last year for the first time since 1987, adding around 30 patterns drawn directly from its original archive. Abraham Moon & Sons will showcase new fabrics at the fair for spring / summer ‘19 designed by Creative Director Martin Aveyard, which take in categories of classic, casual and contemporary, with a unique use of worsted, linen and cashmere combinations.

In addition to Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, four other textile fairs also take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center: Yarn Expo Spring, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition, fashion garment fair CHIC and knitting fair PH Value.

Intertextile Shanghai concluded its 2017 Autumn Edition on 13 October as the strong business results and praise from the worldwide participants once again affirmed its reputation as the world’s most effective apparel fabrics and accessories trade event in terms of boosting sales and product sourcing. Knowing the fair covered an all-encompassing range of products that cater to all sourcing needs, 77,883 buyers travelled from 102 countries and regions (2016: 73,927, 90 countries and regions) to Shanghai to source. This year, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, Taiwan, the UK and the US were the top 10 visitor countries and regions after Mainland China.

Meanwhile, a total of 4,538 exhibitors from 32 countries and regions (2016: 4,553, 29 countries and regions) also enjoyed the surge of business potential brought by this large number of high-quality trade buyers. The strong line-up of exhibitors, including 10 country and region pavilions – France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Milano Unica (Italy), Pakistan, Taiwan and Thailand – as well as 10 Group Pavilions organised by foremost industry leaders like DuPont, Hyosung, INVISTA and Lenzing, presented a full-spectrum of innovative and fashion offerings in 11 halls across 276,000 sqm (gross) exhibition area, an increase of nearly 6% compared to 2016.

While the nature of textile trade fairs has evolved over recent years, exhibitors’ successful results at this year’s Intertextile Shanghai shows that it is still the industry’s most effective order-writing and business development trade show because it remains the event where the global industry gathers to make purchasing decisions. As a result, many exhibitors see the fair as their business growth engine, and reported positive outlooks for sales after the fair.

Exhibitor opinions
 Ms Erika Jimenez, Development and Purchasing Department, Luca Cuccolini, Spain (SalonEurope)
“A few years ago we decided to explore the Chinese market. Knowing that Intertextile Shanghai is the most comprehensive fair of its kind in Asia, there was no doubt that this would be the fair to expose our brand. Throughout the years we have been satisfied with the visitor flow and business opportunities, especially this year. There has been a good flow of a diverse range of buyers visiting our booth, and we’ve already met with abundant potential buyers on the first day. Our objective is still to get our brand known to local buyers, and by looking at the progress in the first two days, we are even expecting to get orders later on.”

Mr Jean Denerolle, General Manager, Dormeuil, France (Premium Wool Zone)
“There has been lots of visitors coming to our booth on the first two days. Joining Intertextile Shanghai is an effective ways for us to develop the Chinese market. We are happy that the organiser referred a VIP buyer to us. Overall, we succeeded in receiving orders and promoting our brands, so I am pleased with the result this year.”
Mr Max Deery, Global Director, Print Stories Ltd, (for Amanda Kelly Ltd), UK (Verve for Design)
“We are satisfied with the results this year. The Verve for Design zone is well organised, and it’s a busier year compared to last. After day one, we’ve already found more than 10 potential buyers, both old and new customers. We’ve participated in other fairs in Europe as well, and I would say Intertextile Shanghai is in line with these shows, and busier than we expected.”

Mr Luca Maderna, New Age srl, Italy (Verve for Design)
“It’s our 10th year exhibiting in Intertextile. Given the large scale, we can always find new contacts here, and it’s also a great opportunity for us to present our new collection to our regular customers.”
Mr Ederhard Ganns, Managing Director, Union Knopf (HK) Ltd, Germany
“Our target clients are mainly brand owners and resellers. I have successfully met with them and have some promising contacts. We have also developed some new connections with both domestic and overseas customers. Intertextile Shanghai is no doubt the world’s number one show.”

Ms Kang Nan Hee, Assistant Manager, R&D Textile Co Ltd, Korea (Korea Pavilion)
“This is our 10th year at Intertextile Shanghai. Every year, we participate in both the spring and autumn fairs and they have never let us down. Not only can we meet numerous new buyers in each edition, we can also keep pace with the ever-changing market trends in the fabric industry. Besides that, in terms of visitor flow, this fair has always been the strongest. Take this year’s fair as an example. In our estimation, we have already received enquiries from almost 300 buyers and agents on the first two days, which has exceeded our expectations. Therefore, we are expecting some 400 orders in total by end of the fair.”

Mr Taku Ito, Manager, Sojitz Vancet (Shanghai) Trading Co Ltd, Japan (Japan Pavilion)
“We exhibit at this show to find new customers and sales channels in China. We’ve been joining the show for a while now, and we continued this edition as we can always meet new customers – I mean, really ‘new’. This year, there were about 400 companies that visited our booth. It’s also interesting that we are getting more online apparel shops visiting us lately.”

Ms Susan Hon, B2B Marketing Communication Director, North Asia, INVISTA Co Ltd, Hong Kong (Functional Lab & Group Pavilion organiser)
“With the help of Intertextile Shanghai – the most well-known platform in the industry – we can promote our newly launched products more efficiently and enhance the influence of our brand. Our booths were packed with visitors over the three days, with many of them high-quality buyers. Intertextile has always been one of the most important trade fairs for us because of its strength in attracting a wide range of buyers, including an unrivalled number of market-leading brands that no other fairs can offer.”

Mr Martin Yang, Marketing Manager, Nilit Nylon Technologies (Suzhou) Co Ltd, Israel (Functional Lab)
“Our management is satisfied with the results as this is where we can boost our business and sales. On the first day, we’ve already met with nearly 20 potential buyers that are very likely to develop into new orders after the fair. The most attractive trait of Intertextile Shanghai is its ability in gathering large numbers of trade buyers. More importantly, the majority of them are quality buyers who aren’t only our target customers but also keen to place orders. This fair is seen by the industry as the major platform to source as it includes more industry leading suppliers, raw material providers, fabric mills and garment manufacturers compared to other similar fairs, and this is why we are here.”

Mr Syed Kamran Shah, Marketing Manager, Soorty Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd, Pakistan (Beyond Denim)
“Our objectives are to establish connections with Chinese brands and manufacturers, as well as to learn buyers’ expectations in this market. We are happy with the visitor numbers, and Intertextile Shanghai is where buyers really come to make purchasing decisions. Buyers came to talk to us and run tests on our fabrics afterwards, and usually within 2-3 months’ time, we will receive orders. We also like the idea of the Beyond Denim hall as it ensures the effectiveness of gathering and getting in touch with our target buyers.”

Mr Štěpán Kučera, Managing Director, Preciosa Components, China (Accessories Vision)
“This has been Preciosa’s third consecutive appearance at the autumn edition of Intertextile Shanghai, where we continue to see an increase in attendance by our target customers, namely high-end fashion brands from both the Chinese and international markets. Among the 200-plus buyers we met on the first two days of the fair were domestic fashion brands, sourcing managers of overseas brands, garment producers, as well as OEMs & ODMs, and we are more than satisfied with the results. Compared to similar fairs in which we have participated, Intertextile has a stronger focus on sourcing and manufacturing. International brands tend to send their sourcing teams, while local manufacturers and vendors also source here.”

Ms Shanshan Lu, Client Manger, Beijing Ecocert Certification Centre Co Ltd, China (All About Sustainability)
“As Intertextile Shanghai is the largest fair of its kind, we can always find our target customers here which are manufacturers from the Greater China area and the Asia Pacific region. The All About Sustainability zone has enhanced the exhibiting effectiveness as it creates a strong theme that attracts the right visitors to our booth. I think the visitor flow is stronger than last year. On day 1 alone, we received enquiries from over 10 potential customers which included old and new accounts. Moreover, by sharing our certifications in the seminar, our brand got further promoted in the fair. All in all, we are very pleased with this year’s outcome and very likely will return again next year.”
Worldwide buyers impressed with the unparalleled range of sourcing options on offer
While the exhibitors highly valued the fair’s ability in attracting quality, genuine buyers from around the world, these buyers were pleased to find all categories of apparel fabrics and accessories products from the entire industry under one roof.

Buyer opinions
Mr Johnny Lau, Head of Material Management, Quiksilver Asia Sourcing Ltd, Hong Kong
“The strongest trait of Intertextile Shanghai is its scale and aptitude in gathering the entire industry in one place. I believe no matter which sector of the industry or market you belong to – suiting, casual wear or ladieswear; high-end or fast fashion – you are ensured to find the right suppliers here. The fair houses a full-spectrum of suppliers which ease the sourcing process for purchasing departments like us. To maintain brand competitiveness, it is getting more important for us nowadays to know about suppliers and manufacturers from around the world, so we were also impressed with the fair’s internationalism and had unexpected returns from this trip.”

Mr Luis Alfonso Yepes Londono, Manager, Yetex SAS, Columbia
“Among all trade shows, Intertextile Shanghai is the most influential one for my business, even compared to the European shows. Not only can I find local suppliers, but the fair literally puts brands from around the globe under one roof. This morning I discussed with three local companies that match my interest. Their fabrics were of good quality and competitive pricing, so I will soon make a decision and place orders.”

Ms Zhou Jie, General Manager, Shenzhen New Look Fashion Co Ltd, China
“Intertextile Shanghai is a comprehensive trade fair, and what’s unique about this fair is its unparalleled ability in gathering both domestic and premium international apparel fabrics and accessories suppliers. Therefore, the sourcing options in this fair cater to all market demands. I can say Intertextile is a fair that all fashion brands can’t miss as one can definitely find all kids of materials here. We sent over 10 colleagues from the sourcing and design departments to this year’s fair and sourced around 80% of the fabrics we need for the next season’s collection from about eight exhibitors.”

The next Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is the Spring Edition, held from 14 – 16 March 2018.
Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre. For more details on this fair, please visit: www.intertextileapparel.com. To find out more about all Messe Frankfurt textile fairs worldwide, please visit: www.texpertise-network.com.