From the Sector

Biella Yarn’s new Fall/Winter 24/25 collection presents two collaborations. Both collaborations start with one common inspiration: with the clash of different cultures and the distant exotic markets. Rug making, fur-crafts and artisan hand work inspire patterns and textures which are translated into knitted fabrications and 3D designs.

MRC Knitwear Research Lab created these textures and patterns by using a small selection of very classic yarns and working them in special techniques to create rich textural fabrications. Each garment focuses on a special technique and combination of yarns and colours and show how versatile a single yarn can be.

The garments were knitted mainly with Victoria Nm 2/30 (100% Merino wool extrafine, 19.5 μ, anti-shrinkage). Victoria Nm 2/30 was used in an array of different techniques and on different gauges - from 14gg ribs, that have a beautiful drape to more tactile fabrics such as 3-dimensional stitches on 12gg and heavily patterned inlay jacquards on the 14gg Shima Seiki SRY. Within these inlay jacquard’s BaltoroPro Nm 2/28 (70% Merino wool extrafine, 19.5 μ, anti-shrinkage 30% Polyester GRS High Bulk) was selected as an inlay yarn - a special wool blend which helps create bulky 3-dimensional fabrications that remain lightweight. The classic Brisbane Nm 2/60 (100% Merino wool Superfine, 17.5 μ, anti-shrinkage) and new boucle yarn Fluffy Nm 14 000 (81% Merino wool extrafine, 19.5 μ, anti-shrinkage, 19% Polyamide) were worked together in fine plush jacquards to give an effect of shaved patchwork furs.

The structures and patterns were transitioned into the world of 3D designs by Shima Seiki Italia. The design software APEXFiz®, developed by Shima Seiki, not only allows for shaping but also converts them into knitted patterns. By replacing physical samples, virtual samples reduce time costs, and materials that would otherwise be wasted. Yarnbank®, Shima Seiki's platform for yarn and spinning research, has been the primary source of Suedwolle Group's digitized yarns used in the 3D models.

Following a strong start at the Spring Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles early this year, global industry players have turned their sights to the next international event in August. As the first Autumn Edition to be held in the wake of China lifting many of its pandemic-related border restrictions, the three-day fair will gather around 1,000 international and domestic exhibitors. Traders looking to meet market demand will be able to source from an extensive range of trending and specialised home and contract textile products from 16 – 18 August 2023.

According to a recent market report, the global home textile market is expected to show a CAGR of 5.6% from 2023 – 2028 to reach USD 174.1 billion by the end of the forecast period. Asia-Pacific has dominated the global market in recent years, with China one of its most significant contributors.^[1]

As a manufacturing hub for home textiles, China is gradually recovering from social and business disruptions caused by the pandemic. Speaking at the recent Spring Edition, Ms Rosemary Li, Domestic Sales Manager of Zhangjiagang Coolist Life Technology Co Ltd, a long-time exhibitor specialised in bio-based and functional bedding products, said: “Since China relaxed its pandemic-related control and prevention measures, after Chinese New Year we have been flooded with orders. With both domestic and export orders increasing, it has been almost impossible for the production line to fulfil the order demand.”

While the spring show’s promising visitor flow was a positive start to the Chinese home textile industry’s post-pandemic era, a higher participation of overseas exhibitors and buyers is expected at the upcoming Autumn Edition

The return of special zones and international pavilions
Later this year in Shanghai, exhibitors will showcase their most up-to-date home and contract textile products, ranging from bedding & towelling, rugs, table & kitchen linen, upholstery & curtain fabrics, editors, home textile technologies and textile design. With a wealth of choices for buyers, several show highlights are listed below:

• Editor & Designer Zone: located in hall 5.1, the zone will feature international, high-end editor and designer brands brought by leading exhibitors J&C, Julai, Qianbaihui, Prestigious, Shanghai Lotus, SohoCut, Yada, and more.
• Country and region pavilions: premium suppliers from Belgium, Türkiye and Taiwan (China) will exhibit quality products in their designated pavilions in hall 6.1.
• Textile Designs: textile design studios from Japan, Portugal and Taiwan (China), namely Amilia Design Studio, Fine Art Inc and Tela's Design Lda, will also showcase their seasonal designs in hall 6.1.

Adding to buyers’ sourcing options, a multitude of domestic players from different categories will also showcase their respective products. Highlighted exhibitors include top curtain and curtain fabric suppliers Fu-Tex, Hangzhou Aico, Hexin and Xiaoxuanchuang; bedding suppliers Coolist, Huizhou Wah Shing and Yantai North Home; as well as Hightex, Huatex, Maya and Suzhou Roufang from the upholstery and sofa fabric sector.

Fairgoers can also learn more about the upcoming global trends and designs by visiting the ‘2023 – 2024 Intertextile International Lifestyle Trend’ area. In aid of this, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles has joined forces with NellyRodi™, the renowned French forecasting agency, to present the design theme for 2023 – 2024: ‘ALIVE’. HUMAN CAPITAL, ROUSING COMMITMENT and UNREAL REALITIES are the theme’s three main trends.

^[1] Globe Newswire: Global Home Textile Market Report 2023-2028: Increase in Consumer Spending on Home Renovation and Decoration Bodes Well for the Sector. https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2023/03/08/2622718/28124/en/Global-Home-Textile-Market-Report-2023-2028-Increase-in-Consumer-Spending-on-Home-Renovation-and-Decoration-Bodes-Well-for-the-Sector.html

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.

To ensure that our four-legged pets are looked after in terms of product safety, quality and durability of their cuddly blankets, cushions or favorite toys, the testing service provider Hohenstein has established its quality label Tested Pet Supplies. In May 2023, Markus Tiemann, Hohenstein Global Head of Retail, had the pleasure of handing over the first quality certificate of its kind to Bernd Brunssen, Head of Quality Assurance at Carstensen Import Export Handelsgesellschaft mbH, located near Hamburg.

The bar for quality products is set high at the globally networked importer and distributor, and the company accordingly commissioned product-testing with Hohenstein testing laboratory from its existing range of dog cushions, toys for dogs and cats, pet transport boxes and food balls for dogs and cats.

The label is designed for the entire range in pet supplies, from chew toys to pet beds, with special attention to the high requirements for textiles. It provides consumers with clear product information on product safety, quality and durability, and also offers pets and their owners security against unwanted residues of chemical substances. Markus Tiemann adds, "To ensure that our four-legged darlings feel completely at ease, we can, depending on the intended use also include additional tests for example chew resistance, scratch resistance, outdoor suitability, water repellency, waterproofness or air permeability and include these in the claim, alongside standard tests."

B.I.G. Yarns unveils its new “SustainableYarns” platform, with Clerkenwell Design Week visitors the first to be invited to get on board and focus on what matters most for the design and manufacture of sustainable soft floorings.

The expert in polyamide (PA) 1 step 3 ply yarns offers a range of options for manufacturers to introduce sustainable yarns into carpet solutions and reach sustainability targets faster and more efficiently.

The Sustainable Yarns range creates opportunities to design with recycled content yarn (EqoCycle), to work with renewable resources (EqoBalance), and, following the launch of new polyamide 6 (PA6) EqoYarn at Clerkenwell Design Week, to also leverage the low-impact value chain.

New addition EqoYarn is a new low-impact PA6 carpet yarn based on the most recent innovations in polymer production, which enable yarn manufacturers to lower their carbon footprint by nearly 50% and give carpet manufacturers more options to reduce their impact.

For its EqoYarn Bulk Continuous Filament (BCF) production process, B.I.G. Yarns has selected the few best-in-class partners that have made major steps forward in terms of sustainability, and reduced their greenhouse gas emissions thanks to continuous investments in process efficiency, green energy, heat optimization and waste reduction. The result is EqoYarn with a carbon footprint of 4 kg CO2 eq/kg yarns, which is a CO2 reduction of up to 50% compared to conventional PA yarns.

EqoBalance PA6 yarns enable customers to reach an even higher CO2 reduction of up to 75%. Manufactured with polymers made from renewable resources such as organic waste from cooking oil instead of virgin or fossil feedstock, these yarns have a carbon footprint of 1.98 kg CO2 eq./ kg yarns. They help carpet manufacturers to create products with an extremely low carbon footprint.

EqoCycle PA6 yarns are fully recyclable and incorporate 75% recycled content originating from recycled and regenerated PA6 granules. With a carbon footprint of 4.64 kg CO2 eq./ kg yarns, they deliver the same high-quality performance of virgin PA6 yarn with the benefit of 37% CO2 reduction. EqoCycle yarns offer carpet manufacturers a sustainable alternative to help reduce the ecological footprint of their products and move towards a circular economy without jeopardizing the end-product quality.

In addition to the different CO2-reducing options, B.I.G. Yarns’ customers can access an unlimited colour range to elevate their designs. Its BCF technology for polyamide yarns, twisted and heat-set yarns, one-colour to multi-colour, between 650 and 15000 dTex, along with its colour studio, are available to support their creation of customised collections.

International technology group ANDRITZ has successfully started up the new velour loom it delivered to Foss Floors, Rome, United States (GA). The loom produces flooring from recycled plastic for a wide range of applications. Start-up took place in early 2023.

ANDRITZ is one of the global market leaders for supply of nonwoven production technologies, with a full range of needling technologies, including velour equipment, which allows customers to address a variety of applications such as automotive, household, flooring, acoustics, geotextiles, filtration, and synthetic leather.

Foss Floors is a leader in needlepunched felt products in North America. Its facilities are located in Rome and Chatsworth, Georgia, and it distributes a vast array of flooring products worldwide. One of the company’s key strengths is its agility for product diversification to satisfy customer needs. Foss Floors also strongly expresses its unwavering commitment to environmentally sustainable manufacturing.´

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition is set for a renewal. After last year’s brief pause, 283 exhibitors from 5 countries and regions will showcase their latest innovations at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) during this traditional peak sourcing period. The fair will be held concurrently with Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition, Yarn Expo Spring, CHIC and PH Value from 28 – 30 March 2023.

Comprehensive range of products zoned for easy sourcing
The 27,000 sqm gross exhibition space in hall 5.2 will host suppliers in multiple product categories, such as bedding, towelling, table and kitchen linen, home textile technologies, and textile designs. Several product pavilions and zones will be formed to encourage efficient sourcing, with areas designated for quality bedding, towelling, feather and down duvet fillings, quilt fillings, intelligent equipment and upholstery fabric products. Buyers looking for sustainable fibres, yarns and fabrics may be interested in sourcing at the Lenzing Group’s brand new centralised Lenzing Home Textile Satellite Pavilion. With Lenzing joined by eight of its Chinese downstream manufacturers, the pavilion will showcase the various home textile applications for the Austrian company’s wood-based TENCEL™ fibres.

Other well-known international and domestic exhibitors include Cotton Council International (CCI), Zhangjiagang Coolist Life Technology, Guangdong Kulida Down, Wujiang City Yunjie Textiles, Yantai Pacific Home Fashion, Sunvim Group, and Jiangsu Goostars Hometextiles. These suppliers, and many more, will present their up-to-date products to meet the sourcing demands of buyers from different channels.

Programme
At every edition, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textile’s fringe events keep fairgoers informed on a variety of topics, allowing exhibitors and visitors alike to stay up to date with the latest market trends and make informed business decisions.

Aligning with the fair’s general direction on promoting sustainability, and to satisfy the industry’s needs, representatives from Lenzing will be holding an exclusive seminar about the e-commerce opportunities surrounding eco-friendly TENCEL™ products’ sleep enhancing qualities. Other presentations and discussions that touch on sustainability will also be available under the fair’s Textile & Technology event theme.

With consumers globally paying more attention to health issues and increasing their spending on health products, the home and contract textile industry is also a party to this rising trend. To this end, seminars discussing traditional Chinese medicine and how it relates to different health issues will be held on day one. Their crossover topics include how aromatherapy can encourage high-quality sleep, as well as an introduction on the innovation of traditional medicinal textiles.

Moreover, the well-known Chinese retailer JD.com will co-host an event that promotes home textile products made with Chinese cotton. Several talks will focus on different aspects, such as the products’ quality and the overall potential of this industry aided by government policies.

After China’s relaxation of border restrictions and other pandemic control measures, it is now easier for domestic and overseas buyers to visit their Chinese suppliers at the fairground, for the chance to touch and feel their desired products.

• Longer parking times for greater efficiency

Since 2018, Oerlikon Barmag has been offering the market’s only currently available concept for high-end home textile applications using the POY and DTY process. The spinning concept with the WINGS HD winding unit in conjunction with an automatic eAFK Big V Multispindle texturing machine manufactures high-titer yarns with maximum machine efficiency.
 
“We have correspondingly modified WINGS HD in order to once again better align the increased requirements of these special yarns to the spinning process and make everyday production even simpler for our customers”, comments Stephan Faulstich, POY Process Technology Manager. The parking times are extremely short when winding high titers. We have increased the parking times by up to three times in the case of the new WINGS HD models. To this end, the parking time for a 300d/384f yarn, for example, has been increased from a standard 6.5 min. to 15.7 min. – and, in the case of a 400d/192f yarn, from 4.3 min. to 10.3 min. This makes the doffing process more even, hence increasing doffing reliability.

At the same time, the draw unit now has a more flexible design, meaning that two-godet operation is also possible in the case of products with low overall titers. This has a positive impact on the winding unit’s energy consumption.

12 POY packages of up to 600d/576f (final) are produced in the spinning process using WINGS HD 1800. This is made possible as a result of an additional godet, which ensures that the high yarn tensions developing in the process are reduced to the yarn tensions common in the case of the winding process to date. At the same time, the newly-developed suction unit with the accompanying yarn cut-ting device (yarn collecting system) ensures – both during string-up and in the event of a yarn break – reliable handling of the yarn with an overall titer of 7,200 den (final).

Whereas DTY yarns up to 1,200 den and with up to 784 filaments have in the past, as standard, been plied from four POY 300d/192f bobbins using DTY machines, high titers can also be manufactured directly using the WINGS HD take-up machine. Combining the WINGS HD and the eAFK Big V allows all available winding positions to be utilized during texturing.

Das STFI bietet unter dem Namen „STFI Akademie“ Module und Kurse zur Fachkräftequalifizierung und -weiterbildung an. Einige der Kurse sind in Grund- und Intensivkurse unterteilt.

Geleitet wird die Akademie von den langjährigen Instituts-Mitarbeiter Jens Stopp und Denise Braun. Die Akademiedozenten sind ausgebildete Fachleute in den verschiedenen technologischen Gebieten.

Die Verbundausbildung, die sich Unternehmen zum Teil durch die Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB) fördern lassen können, richtet sich an Firmen, die Teile des Rahmenlehrplanes nicht allein abdecken können und so fachliche Unterstützung benötigen. Die Weiterbildung und Qualifizierung richten sich an Facharbeiter, die in ihrem Bereich eine Vertiefung ihres fachlichen Wissens anstreben bzw. ihren beruflichen Horizont erweitern möchten. Darüber hinaus sollen auch Berufs- und Quereinsteiger angesprochen werden, Fachwissen zu erlangen.

In view of the easing of pandemic restriction policies in China, the Spring Editions of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, Yarn Expo and Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles have been moved to the new timeslot of 28 – 30 March 2023. This will allow both local and international fairgoers more time to prepare for their participation, with a higher industry turnout now expected at the three fairs. The fairs will still be located at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai where they were originally due to be held from 8 – 10 March.

Discussing the change of dates, Ms Wilmet Shea, Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd explained: “After talking to our stakeholders, we believe adjusting the spring show dates to the end of March is the right move. It provides enough time for exhibitors and visitors from local and abroad to plan for the fairs and capitalise on the ample international business opportunities brought by the reopening of China’s border.”