From the Sector

From 16 – 18 August 2023, 1,022 exhibitors from 13 countries and regions will occupy four halls and 100,000 sqm gross at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). This Autumn Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles will return to its regular format, as a comprehensive platform held separately from Messe Frankfurt’s other autumn textile fairs. Complementing the strong lineup of exhibitors over all three days, a varied selection of fringe events will communicate key insights, offer industry specific inspiration, and facilitate cross-sector exchanges for fairgoers.

Buyers from 66 countries and regions have already pre-registered for the show, while a range of international brands are preparing to showcase their latest innovations. Multiple exhibitors will gather according to origin, with three country and region pavilions a must-see for fairgoers seeking exotic home textiles:

• Belgium Pavilion: products on show include bedding fabrics and sets, curtains and curtain fabrics, sofa covers, upholstery, and much more. With the pavilion set to feature a number of Belgian brands, its highlighted exhibitors are Libeco and Love Home Fabrics.
• Taiwan (China) Pavilion: multiple Taiwanese exhibitors, including JWL Fabrics Co Ltd, Maxland Home Textile Industrial Co Ltd, and Vanttex International Co Ltd, will demonstrate specific examples of the varied applications of their home textiles.
• Türkiye Pavilion: organised by Uludag Textile Exporters’ Association (UTIB), the pavilion will showcase a range of curtains, upholstery fabrics, and other home textiles, from suppliers such as Aleran Tekstil Inşaat Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Ltd Şti, Küçükçalik Tekstil San Ve Tic A Ş and Weavers Tekstil San Ve Tic A Ş.

Beyond the pavilions, buyers can easily locate their desired home and contract textiles via conveniently placed product zones, covering categories such as curtain and curtain fabrics; sun protection and window shades; upholstery and sofa fabrics; furniture leather; bedding and editors; loungewear and bath; and rugs. Wide-ranging suppliers from China and beyond will showcase their various products, featuring international exhibitors such as Elastron – Leather & Fabrics, Morgan and PT Sinar Continental; and well-known domestic manufacturers including Hangzhou Aico Home Textile Co Ltd, Huatex International (Hangzhou) Co Ltd and Zhe Jiang Maya Fabric Co Ltd.

Fringe programme: keeping fairgoers up-to-date with range of industry developments
Business exchange at Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles will once again be supplemented by multiple concurrent events, for home textile players to learn more about the latest industry innovations, as well as upcoming design trends. These include:

• International Intertextile Trend Forum 2023–2024: held in the afternoon of day one, the event will be hosted by a prominent member of the ‘2023 – 2024 Intertextile International Lifestyle Trend’ trend committee, Mr Shen Lei, joined on the panel by multiple designers. They will discuss various impacts on designs, such as sustainability’s effect, the influence of emerging technologies, and international integration and localised expression.
• IKASAS Japanese Home Design Gallery and themed seminar: the leading Japanese furniture brand IKASAS will utilise a display area to illustrate its unique design philosophy, by showcasing innovative furniture products that predominantly align with contemporary trends. The company’s founder, Mr Akiyuki Sasaki, will delve deeper into his design views in a seminar held on the morning of day one.
• The New Power of Healthy Home Decoration Environment: a first-time collaboration with CRECC Full Decoration Council, the cross-sector conference in Hall 5.1 on day two will welcome keynote speakers from the real estate industry, to discuss topical insights at the intersection of realty and home textiles. The audience will come away with a widened scope of the different applications and demands of home textiles, and an ability to more accurately identify business opportunities within the property market.

Nach drei Tagen voller Programm, Networking, Inspiration und Fashionbusiness ist die 52. Ausgabe der internationalen Trade Show MUNICH FABRIC START zu Ende gegangen. Die Jubiläumsausgabe der Denim Trade Show BLUEZONE, die diesen Sommer ihren 20. Geburtstag feierte, die One-Stop-Sourcing-Plattform THE SOURCE und der Innovationshub KEYHOUSE haben wie geplant bereits am Mittwochabend ihre Türen für diese Saison geschlossen.

Trends: Das kommt Autumn.Winter 24/25
Aufgrund ihres in diesem Jahr erstmalig wesentlich früheren Sommertermins vergrößerte die MUNICH FABRIC START ihre Relevanz als Ort für frühen Trendresearch noch einmal. Die fünf entwickelten, zentralen ästhetischen Trends für die Herbst-/Wintersaison 2024/2025 unter dem Leitthema „each other“ waren in den Foyers des MOC flächig inszeniert: Highland Hybrids: ein Patchwork aus Natur, Tradition und Performance; Mystic Beings: die Fantasiewelt der Elfen, Helden, Monster und Roboter; System Cringe: eine Bewegung, die zum Handeln aufruft; Kinky Classics: provokativ extrovertiert mit Style und Past forward, ein retrofuturistischer Blickwinkel.

Edutainment – zukunftsweisende und nachhaltige Anwendungsszenarien
Neben den umfangreichen Trendinformationen für Autumn.Winter 2024/25 bot die Messe ein vielfältiges Vortragsprogramm mit Paneldiskussionen, inspirierenden Keynotes und Lectures. Rund 35 Programmpunkte und über 50 Speaker:innen sorgten für ein umfangreiches Edutainment-Erlebnis.

One-Stop-Innovation & One-Stop-Sourcing
Im KEYHOUSE – dem Innovations- und Nachhaltigkeitshub der MUNICH FABRIC START – drehte sich einmal mehr alles um technologischen und ökologischen Fortschritt. Die Sustainable Innovations als Sonderpräsentationsfläche für herausragende Neuentwicklungen an der Grenze zwischen Start-up und Skalierbarkeit waren dabei erneut einer der absoluten Besucher:innenmagneten der Messe. Ebenfalls drehte sich in der Halle 2 des MOC in der Re:Source Area alles um Nachhaltigkeit. Die Metaplattform für zertifiziert ökologisch und sozial produzierte Stoffe und Accessoires zeigt die grünen Lösungen der Messeaussteller seit über zehn Jahren gebündelt an einem Ort und ermöglicht Besucher:innen so ein gezieltes nachhaltiges Sourcing.

Zum zweiten Mal fand am 18. und 19. Juli die Show in Show THE SOURCE als integrierte Area der MUNICH FABRIC START statt und rundete das MFS-Ecosystem in Richtung des Apparel Manufacturings ab. Rund 60 ausgewählte Bekleidungshersteller zeigten in der Halle 8 des Dampfdoms in der Motorworld und damit unmittelbar angrenzend an das MOC und die Zenith-Area ihre Produkt- und Serviceleistungen.

Ausblick
In die nähere Zukunft blickend richtet die MUNICH FABRIC START ihren Fokus nun auf drei wichtige, bereits festgelegte Termine: Zunächst findet die reVIEW Autumn.Winter 24/25 am 13. und 14. September 2023 – und bespielt damit den bisherigen Zeitraum von MFS und BLUEZONE – erstmals in der Motorworld statt und bietet der Branche damit wie gewohnt einen späten Ordertermin in München. Nur zehn Wochen später wird am 28. und 29. November 2023 bereits die preVIEW stattfinden und damit eine erste Ordermöglichkeit für die Spring/Summer Kollektionen für 2025 anbieten. Anschließend versammelt sich die Branche erneut für die MUNICH FABRIC START und BLUEZONE vom 23. bis 25. Januar 2024.

Finishing machinery specialist Monforts has secured a number of major orders from textile manufacturers in Central and South America recently, and was pleased to welcome a high number of visitors from the region to its stand at ITMA 2023 in Milan from June 8-14.

Among new orders are those for three Montex stenters delivered to the AustralTex Group in Argentina and a further Montex range to denim manufacturer CIT in Brazil. Guatemala’s Global Textiles placed an order for its second Montex stenter, while Mexico’s Zentrix ordered its third and Avante, also in Mexico, has opted for its sixth.

Elsewhere, orders have also been placed for the delivery of three new Montex stenters to one of Pakistan’s major corporations, as well as a new Thermex dyeing range to nonwovens manaufacturer Orsa in Italy. Further orders – both for new machines and retrofit modules – are now anticipated following ITMA 2023, which attracted over 111,000 visitors to Milan.

“Visitor footfall at ITMA 2023 was well beyond the company’s expectations, and we were especially pleased at the constant number of visitors from South American companies, as well as from Asia and Europe,” said Monforts Marketing Manager Nicole Croonenbroek. “We were able to provide them with detailed information about our portfolio of machines and technologies digitally and fielded an unprecedented number of serious enquiries, many of which promise to turn into new business.”

Monforts Montex stenters for processes such as drying, stretching, heat-setting and coating, she added, are already the industry standard for the fabric finishing industry, providing a number of advantages in terms of production throughput and especially in energy efficiency and resource savings. Other key technologies in the Monforts portfolio include relaxation dryers, Thermex dyeing ranges and Monfortex compressive shrinking ranges.

Montex®Coat
“We were also very pleased with the interest in the Montex®Coat, the latest addition to our range of technologies, which we displayed in Milan,” Croonenbroek said.

The Montex®Coat can serve a very diverse number of markets and enables full PVC coatings, pigment dyeing or minimal application surface and low penetration treatments, as well as solvent coatings. Knife coating, roller coating or screen printing can also all be accommodated with this system. It provides the ultimate in flexibility and the ability to switch quickly from one fabric run to the next, without compromising on the economical use of energy or raw materials.

Many refinements have been made to the Montex®Coat in the past few years, resulting in higher coating accuracy and the resulting quality of the treated fabrics. A number of advanced new improvements were introduced in Milan, including automatic edge limiters for immediately adapting to new coating widths and a new and simplified hand-held control device. These save considerable time in setting up the machine and ensuring consistent production.

The Montex®Coat unit displayed in Milan was sold to Vietnamese company Thai Tuan during the show.

The theme for the 13th edition of RISE® (Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics) is “A New Era in Manufacturing for Sustainability.” Technology scouts, product managers, senior scientists, development engineers, and business developers will convene September 26-27 at North Carolina State University and The Nonwovens Institute in Raleigh, NC to discover the latest nonwoven innovations.

The RISE conference program features industry leaders from these companies: American Truetzschler, Berry Global, Dilo Incorporated, Evonik Corporation, Indorama Ventures USA, MANN+HUMMEL, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NatureWorks, The Nonwovens Institute, Owens Corning, PCI Wood Mackenzie, PolyQuest, Reifenhäuser REICOFIL GmbH, and Simplifyber. These industry experts will discuss the future of nonwoven manufacturing, advances in filter media, rPolymer developments, and sustainable applications.

Innovations that advance the nonwovens industry will be recognized with the 2023 RISE® Innovation Award. Three finalists will present their innovative products or technologies to RISE participants, Tuesday, September 26th. The 2022 award winner was DiaperRecycle, cat litter made from recycled diapers.

RISE participants have the option of touring The Nonwovens Institute’s $65 million-plus, 60,000 square-foot facilities featuring state-of-the-art equipment, pilot lines, and analytical laboratories, as well as attending an evening reception at the Lonnie Pool Golf Course Clubhouse. During the evening reception, graduate students and faculty from North Carolina State University will feature their research and technical advances with poster presentations. The tour and reception will take place Tuesday, September 26th and the tour is limited to 40 attendees.

On the side-lines of the three-day fair, Techtextil India’s 2023 edition scheduled from 12th –14th September, will be hosting SITRA’s Expo on Medical Textiles called MEDITEX^TM2023 - an exclusive pavilion that focuses on medical textiles with live demonstrations and high-growth application areas offering a global platform for business opportunities.

Medical textiles are fabrics that are used in the healthcare industry for a variety of purposes ranging from maintenance of hygiene, prevention/control of infection to saving the life of critically ill patients. In recent years, the demand for medical textiles has been growing in India due to rise in geriatric population, accidents and life style diseases. Besides, various initiatives of Governments, increased awareness about hygiene, medical tourism and advancements in textile technology are driving the growth of medical textile industry in India. According to a report published by Ministry of Textiles on the Indian Technical Textiles market, the market potential of medical textiles market at 5% is valued approximately at USD 1.125 billion in the year 2021-22.
 
SITRA is a Textile Research Association, sponsored by the industry and supported by the Ministry of Textiles (MoT), with the contribution to the textile industry for more than 65 years. Its Centre of Excellence for Medical Textiles, established by MoT in 2008, has been organising MEDITEX - an International Medical Textile Expo cum Conference in 2014 and 2018 respectively. This exclusive fair for medical textiles has been offering a global platform for business opportunities in the varied application of medical textiles which has witnessed a good participation from the industry. For 2023, the expo will be held as a part of Messe Frankfurt India’s Techtextil India 2023.

Target topics based seminars, supported by Ministry of Textiles, Government of India would also be held concurrently along with the exhibition wherein the speakers would be discussing about current and evolving technologies in medical textiles. Stakeholders and visitors to the conference as well as the exhibition would get to witness and benefit from world class, state-of-the-art medical textiles products/machineries and technologies.

With combined regional, global, and industry specific expertise, the Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) will make its debut from 28 February – 1 March 2024. Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in late March, Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) announced the new international fair for the entire textile value chain. The three-day platform will be staged at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City.

Commenting on the new event, Ms Wendy Wen, Managing Director of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, said: “With Intertextile Apparel in Shanghai a prime example, our Texpertise Network provides the ideal global framework from which to launch this diverse, comprehensive platform for the integrated textile supply chain. VIATT itself will capture the essence of Texpertise in one platform – a diverse, one-stop sourcing event for buyers across all categories, from garments, fabrics, yarns and fibres, to textile machinery, technical textiles and nonwovens, and everything in between.”

Discussing the event’s potential, Mr Le Hoang Tai, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE), said: “Vietnam is one of the world’s leading textile producers and exporters, and going from strength to strength as one of Southeast Asia’s manufacturing hubs. Our establishment has many years of experience organising trade fairs throughout Vietnam, and together with Messe Frankfurt we are excited to help international fairgoers unlock the potential of the country’s fast-growing textile market. In addition, Ho Chi Minh City’s accessibility, and Vietnam’s proximity to other leading textile-producing nations such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, China and India, make it the logical venue to host an event of this nature.”

Many international textile manufacturers have been expanding operations into Vietnam, augmenting an already strong domestic industry. According to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), the country’s textile and garment industry achieved staggering annual growth of 20 – 26% from 2018 – 2022. Participation in international trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)[2], bodes well for future growth.

As one of the world’s biggest importers of textile machinery, and a consistent importer of fabrics, yarns and fibres, garment production is the cornerstone of Vietnam’s industry. The country utilises cotton and functional materials to produce casualwear, childrenswear, swimwear, workwear, and much more, with sportswear an especially fast-growing category, and high-utility garments expected to achieve high exports.

By linking textile players from across Asia, Europe and beyond with this market, VIATT 2024 is willing to play an important part in shaping the future of Vietnam’s industry. Next year’s fair will host an extensive mix of international and domestic exhibitors covering multiple textile sub-sectors, including garments, apparel fabrics and accessories, yarns and fibres, digital printing, home textiles, technical textiles and nonwovens, textile processing, textile machinery, and more.

Exhibitors and buyers can utilise the fair’s global business matchmaking service, where connections are made based on the specific needs of each party. In addition to the fair’s main function as an international trading platform, its fringe programme will facilitate participants’ networking with industry leaders and offer diverse market insights via various seminars, forums, and panel discussions.

The Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE). Covering the entire textile industry value chain, the inaugural edition will be held from 28 February – 1 March 2024 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City.

Kornit Digital LTD., a leader in sustainable, on-demand digital fashionx and textile production technologies, announced the Company is taking the power of digital fashion to new heights with enhancements to the Kornit Presto MAX system for digital fabric decoration on demand.

Designed with the fashion and home décor industry in mind, the enhanced solution presents innovative capabilities for transforming virtual concepts into custom fabrics, supplementing digital efficiency and quality with white printing on colored fabrics. The new NeoPigmentTM Vivido ink achieves darker, deeper blacks and colors and establish new fashion standards with a pigment-based process. Kornit’s patented solution offers a streamlined and completely dry process for the a sustainable fabric decoration.

At ITMA 2023, Kornit will also be displaying an end-to-end partner ecosystem – underscoring how integrated solutions ensure a smooth transition towards a digital infrastructure and enable long-term business growth. Highlighting the power of partnership alongside Kornit is Greentex.co, a supplier of textiles and apparel leveraging digitally enabled, eco-friendly waterless printing. The company will be showing Presto MAX with fabrics highlighting the depth of black inks. Working alongside Kornit, Zünd will demonstrate how its modular cutting systems is the foundation for an end-to-end “eco factory,” completing fashion decorated by Presto MAX with their digital cutting solutions. Pentek Textile Machinery joins to display the possibilities for inline, sustainable softening of fabrics for unique and demanding applications.

With four months until the technical textiles and nonwovens show opens its doors, floor space booked by international suppliers is already more than double the area of the previous edition, which attracted 366 exhibitors from eight countries and regions. Taking place from 19 – 21 September 2023 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, this year’s fair will see the European Zone return to the fairground. The high-traffic zone is set to welcome a number of new and returning exhibitors eager to showcase their products to a business-hungry domestic market.

Speaking at the fair’s previous edition in 2021, Mr Roberto Galante, Plant Manager of FMMG Technical Textiles (Suzhou) Co Ltd, said: “The Chinese market is a big opportunity for everybody, because every day the market is demanding more. The potential here is incredible, and there is more demand for overseas brands. These brands are known for their very high quality, and while China’s industry has developed very well in the past few years, it still needs support from overseas brands with high quality products. This fair is good for us, and we exhibit here every year.”

Multiple domestic and international exhibitors have confirmed their participation at Cinte Techtextil China 2023, with the European Zone playing host to FMMG and other key industry players, such as:

• Bekaert, Belgium
• Fil Man Made Group, Italy
• SANITIZED, Switzerland
• SCANTECH, France

Outside the European Zone, additional international suppliers will showcase their diverse product applications at the fairground, with categories including Coating & Bondtec (Stahl); Fibre & Yarn (Barnet); Nonwovens Equipment (Dilo); Technology & Machinery (Picanol); and Testing Equipment & Certification (TESTEX). Other European exhibitors in these categories include Autefa Solutions, Reifenhauser Heinsberg, Reifenhauser Reicofil, and SICAM.

Chinese suppliers set to complement international contingent
A comprehensive range of domestic exhibitors are eager to meet new buyers and renew old business connections at this year’s fair, including:

• Shanghai Shenda Kebao New Materials
• SIJIA New Material (Shanghai)
• Zhejiang Jinda New Materials
• Zhejiang Hailide New Material

The fair’s product categories cover 12 application areas, which comprehensively span a full range of potential uses in modern technical textiles and nonwovens. These categories also cover the entire industry, from upstream technology and raw materials providers to finished fabrics, chemicals and other solutions. This scope of product groups and application areas ensures that the fair is an effective business platform for the entire industry.

HeiQ will display its biobased textile solutions for allergen reduction, odor control, and dynamic cooling at ITMA Milano 2023. The event will take place from the 8th to the 14th of June at Fiera Milano in Italy, where HeiQ will also showcase HeiQ AeoniQ™, its cellulosic fiber and flagship advancement in biobased textile technologies.

The focal point of the HeiQ exhibition at ITMA Milano 2023 will be the company’s biobased textile technologies. These innovations address one of the major challenges faced by the textile industry, making fabrics more functional while contributing to a sustainable future.

The ready-to-use HeiQ technologies on display are HeiQ Allergen* Tech, providing synbiotic protection in home textiles and unmatched defense against inanimate allergens, HeiQ Cool, the dual-action cooling that keeps one cool and comfortable, even in the most demanding conditions, HeiQ Mint, the botanical odor control that provides plant-based and effective odor management, and HeiQ Fresh, for sustainable odor control.

Additionally, HeiQ will present a glimpse into the future with HeiQ’s groundbreaking carbon-positive continuous filament yarn, HeiQ AeoniQ™, that turned from an idea into a breakthrough piece of garment in just 15 months.

This cellulosic fiber has the objective to render polyester and nylon obsolete until 2030 and has attracted the support and active engagement of global partners who saw HeiQ AeoniQ™ as the solution to change the future of the textile industry.

Am 18. und 19. Juli 2023 feiert die ausgebuchte, internationale Denim Trade Show BLUEZONE runden Geburtstag. Über 100 Denim- und Sportswear-Spezialisten verwandeln an dem neu positionierten, frühen Juli-Termin die Münchener Zenith- Area in einen blauen Hotspot. Parallel zu MUNICH FABRIC START und THE SOURCE und mit einem umfangreichen Rahmenprogramm wird das Gelände an der Münchener Lilienthalallee zum Treffpunkt der internationalen Fashion Community.

2023 ist nicht nur das Jubiläumsjahr der BLUEZONE: Die Patentierung der Jeans jährt sich zum 150. Mal, Orta feiert 2023 seinen 70. Geburtstag und Denim-Ikone Ruedi Karrer begeht den 50. seines The Jeans Museum in Zürich. Vicunha feiert den 55. Geburtstag. Die BLUEZONE würdigt deshalb Denim in allen Facetten. CONNEXXION lautet deshalb das Leitmotiv der kommenden Veranstaltung.

„Wir haben ein Line-Up, das die zwei Tage fast sprengt: Neben international relevanten und namenhaften Ausstellern wie Calik, Denim Authority, Isko, Kurabo, Naveena Denim, NDL, Orta, Royo, Saitex und Sharabati werden wir in der komplett ausgebuchten Zenith-Area einen 360° Grad Denim-Erlebnispark haben,“ so Frank Junker, Creative Director & Partner, Munich Fabric Start Exhibitions GmbH. Was die Besucher hier unter anderem erwartet: zwei Seminarsessions der Transformers Foundation sowie Panels und Talks mit Women in Denim, Mohsin Sajid und The 5 Denim Senses der AMD Düsseldorf, zusätzlich Installationen wie die Fotoausstellung „The World‘s best Denim Fades“ von Bryan Szabo, Gründer der Indigo Invitational, die Ausstellung der Designerin Ksenia Schnaider und eine Sonderpräsentation des „The Jeans Museum“ Zürich, durch die Ruedi Karrer Führungen geben wird.

Erstmals wird die BLUEZONE in diesem Sommer zu einem früheren Daten am 18. und 19. Juli stattfinden und nicht wie in der Vergangenheit Ende August / Anfang September. Mit diesem terminlichen Schritt reagieren MUNICH FABRIC START und BLUEZONE auf veränderte Order- und Kollektionsrhythmen und positionieren sich zukünftig zu Beginn der Einkaufs- und Sourcingphase.

Dafür rückt die ebenfalls von der Munich Fabric Start Exhibitions GmbH veranstaltete, exklusive VIEW Premium Selection auf den bisherigen MFS-Termin und wird am 13. und 14. September – dann erstmals ebenfalls auf dem Zenith-Gelände – dem Markt als RE:VIEW eine zusätzliche, spätere Ordermöglichkeit anbieten.