From the Sector

• HIGHER, FASTER, FURTHER ! During the first physical Frankfurt Fashion Week in January 2022, PREMIUM GROUP will show more novelties than ever.

The anticipation is rising! With the actual move to Frankfurt in January 2022, Anita Tillmann, Jörg Arntz and the teams will not only present further developed versions of the PREMIUM and SEEK fashion fairs, but will also celebrate a major B2C festival for the first time with THE GROUND.

More than ever, the Berliners‘ passion for people and fashion, but also for business and trading, is at the heart of all their events. And where better to combine all this than in the power metropolis of Frankfurt am Main.

„No city in Germany - no city in Europe - stands for business relevance and trading power as much as Frankfurt am Main,“ explains Tillmann. „We now have a unique opportunity to actively shape the future together. PREMIUM GROUP provides the industry with the platform, the brands with the creative content. In addition, we do what we do best, introduce the right players to each other and connect them. We bring together the movers and shakers who have the same drive as we do. With this new mix of location, entertainment, creative industry and trading focus, we are creating a unique momentum after the pandemic - January is when the big deals are made and the c ourse is set for the future.“

To achieve this goal, the PREMIUM GROUP teams have also given the proven successful formats PREMIUM and SEEK a new coat of paint. More space, new areas and shorter distances provide visitors with a completely new trade event experience. Trends, brands and events can be discovered together with new and well-known partners - for the first time all in one place!

And PREMIUM, which is already entering its 19th year in January, is also showing a new side in Frankfurt. Instead of being spread out like in Station-Berlin, in Frankfurt all brands show their collections in one big hall. „We are so excited to finally unite all exhibitors in one hall. This way we create a universe with many different worlds - colorful and exciting,“ says Wiebus. „We are in close exchange with all the protagonists throughout the year and continue to develop the concepts together. The entire industry is positive about coming together in Frankfurt. Everyone is keen to experience and create something completely new! We offer the framework for this - that is our strength.“

And the Berliners have another surprise in store for the Frankfurt debut: With THE GROUND, they are organizing a large fashion festival for young end consumers for the first time. Responsible for the event concept, in addition to Tillmann, Arntz and the PREMIUM GROUP- team, is B2C expert Kai Zollhöfer, who already made the Bread & Butter by Zalando a crowd puller. “THE GROUND is a B2C festival aimed at a young, purpose-driven generation. This new generation has a strong stance on current social and environmental challenges and expects brands to reflect them. The overriding themes at THE GROUND are therefore sustainability, diversity and equality”, said Zollhöfer.

The 3-day event offers brands the opportunity to interactively exhibit purpose-driven stories and products. In addition to the thematic focus on fashion, brands from the fields of wellbeing, beauty, mobility and technology will also present innovative products and solutions.

More and more brands are actively speaking up against the use of PFAS chemicals in products and supply chains. ChemSec’s corporate initiative the PFAS Movement was started in 2020, with the aim of creating a network of companies that would like to see PFAS chemicals regulated more efficiently. As of September 2021, 50 companies have joined the movement.

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a chemical family consisting of almost 5,000 industrially produced chemicals. In manufacturing, PFAS are favored for their durability and well-functioning properties. They provide features such as non-stick, water repellency and anti-grease to many types of everyday products, including cosmetics, food packaging, frying pans and clothes, just to name a few.

Lately, more and more reports have been suggesting that PFAS are a serious problem. Human epidemiological studies have found associations between PFAS exposure and a number of health disorders.

One of the biggest challenges connected to PFAS is that, with very few exceptions, they are perfectly legal to use. This means that the brands and retailers who want to stop them from being used as ingredients in their products have very limited ways of communicating this in the global supply chain. As long as there is not a restriction in place, suppliers will continue to use these very effective chemicals in manufacturing. That’s why companies act together with a unified voice, like in the case of ChemSec’s PFAS Movement.

Kornit Digital announced that the London-based LOVE HERO fashion label uses Kornit’s sustainable, digitized, on-demand production capabilities to deliver its complete line of nature-themed apparel.

All fabrics are traceable and certified via their blockchain platform, Retraced, to minimize their eco footprint. Cut-and-sew operations take place in Portugal.

LOVE HERO is currently engaged with Kornit on the mechanics of imprinting silk, biodegradable nylon, and other diverse materials. One such application involves two-sided fabrics—nylon on top, with cotton on the reverse.

“Kornit is committed to becoming the operating system for sustainable fashion fulfillment, on demand,” says Chris Govier, KDEU Managing Director. “With visionary creators like Joshua and LOVE HERO ready to test the bounds of our design and color capabilities, and our growing network of digitized producers ready to make those visions tangible with speed, economy, and quality from all corners of the globe, we’re changing the public percetion of what digital can do—meeting the global sustainability imperative, without demanding compromise from any actor in that value chain.”

• Kornit Digital and threeASFOUR Give Shape to the Future of Fashion and Technology with the KUNDALINI Collection at New York Fashion Week
• Event will showcase how fashion technology transforms creativity and expression, and eliminates wasteful overproduction prominent in the fashion industry

Kornit Digital Ltd. (NASDAQ: KRNT), a worldwide market leader in digital textile production technologies, announced today a collaboration with fashion designers threeASFOUR. The new collection, KUNDALINI, premiered today during New York Fashion Week, demonstrating exceptional capabilities for designers in the fashion industry to express brilliance, creativity, and extraordinary quality by using Kornit’s sustainable, on-demand fashion production technologies.

Founded in 2005, threeASFOUR has built a legacy of fusing cutting-edge technology with traditional craftsmanship to create pieces that are both fashion and art. The intricate designs in the KUNDALINI collection unlock the full value of Kornit’s innovative and cutting-edge technology and showcase the power of the digital-first approach for fashion. The entire collection was produced using Kornit’s revolutionary MAX technology, which offers never-before-seen digital decoration and design capabilities.

Working closely with Kornit, threeASFOUR was able to maintain complete design freedom in accordance with their vision, while producing quickly and significantly eliminating waste. Using Kornit technologies enabled their designers to shrink design cycles to mere days—or even hours in some cases—which is inconceivable in the traditional ways of producing fashion.

“Collaborating with top global designers like threeASFOUR demonstrates that fashion production can be cleaner and more sustainable, while also being efficient and more responsive to inspiration and creativity,” said Ronen Samuel, Kornit Digital Chief Executive Officer. “Following the massive success of Tel Aviv Fashion Week, we are now creating exhibits and partnerships in New York, Los Angeles, London—and other global fashion hubs that need to adopt eco-conscious digital means of production. This collaboration with threeASFOUR is another step on our journey to become the operating system for on-demand sustainable, proximity fashion.”

“We’ve built our brand on pushing boundaries, advancing social progress, and uniting fashion with nature and with self, while experimenting with technological innovations,” said Adi Gil, Creative Director at threeASFOUR. “Our vision for more sustainable and meaningful fashion unites us with Kornit Digital, whose technologies seem to have been designed from the ground up to help us achieve our goals. We’re excited about the infinite design freedom that Kornit on-demand production solutions offer the fashion industry, and how it could help grow our brand and raise our profile and accessibility in the marketplace.”
Kornit Digital’s on-demand production ecosystem uses considerably less water and energy and generates far less greenhouse gas emissions relative to traditional analog production processes. As the cornerstone of an efficient micro-factory production model, Kornit’s technology uses safe and sustainable consumables to enable proximity production, eliminating the logistical waste, vulnerability, and time to market associated with multinational supply chains.

The Swiss group presents three creative inspirations to explore new shapes, colors, materials and define a new offer featuring a variety of solutions and ideas.
A tribute to health and to balance with nature, to the advanced goldsmith craftsmanship and to the effortless sophistication of industrial luxury: the FW 2022-23 collection by Riri Group is a true kaleidoscope of shapes, colors and materials, where three different creative inspirations meet – Biophilic, Stones&Gold and Industrial Luxe – for a high-end line of accessories.

All three paths are the result of state-of-the-art techniques, of an R&D effort and of the renowned expertise of the Swiss group. Part of the offer is also a selection of pieces by Cobrax Metal Hub, among which stand out buckles and locks with peculiar shapes and finishing.

Looking to the new season with a positive and enthusiastic attitude, the Group continues to work towards an increasing sustainability when it comes to products and processes. The collection, in fact, is a further step toward Riri’s path of green responsibility that the company has taken to bring actual improvement in its sustainable performance. This year, Riri Group published its first Sustainability Report, calculated in compliance with Global Reporting Initiative Standard (GRI), and adopted recycled polyester as production standard for zips’ tapes.

Biophilic
A way to honor love for life, this line emphasizes the importance of physical and mental wellbeing, answering the questions raised during the challenges faced in the last year. Balance with nature becomes a concrete product circularity operation resorting to manufacturing processes with a low environmental impact and to organic and biodegradable materials. Among them stands out recycled polyester for zips which is Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified, Global Organic Textile Standard certified organic cotton and other alternative fibers, such as nettle, a natural resource that is a great alternative to synthetic fibers. Rivets, zips, buttons and metal components are made of stainless steel, which guarantees durability and resistance, 100% recycled copper and aluminum – light, ductile and resistant to oxidation. Among the most interesting solutions are rice peel powder – used on buttons’ overseals – and eco-sustainable thermoplastic polyurethane, obtained from renewable raw sources.

Stones & Gold
Sophistication and advanced craftsmanship mark the pieces of this creative path which, inspired by goldsmith and glyptic craft tradition, reveals a delicate sense of positivity and richness. Gems, lapis lazuli, marble, and mother-of-pearl are protagonists of a refined selection of accessories designed to amaze and catch the eye, resembling actual jewels. Essential the use of gold, especially in its liquid form: dominating zips and buttons’ finishes, this precious and versatile metal becomes a decorative feature on printed tape.

Industrial luxe
The third proposal embodies the unique style and timeless elegance that have always defined Riri’s products, embellishing them with new engineering details which makes them very relevant. The accessories come with golden and black finishes, both glossy and matt, and explore shapes developed to bring life to a range of luxury accessories with a sophisticated industrial aesthetics. A dominating role goes to stainless steel, along with a selection of impactful and elegant tapes which includes jacquard options, for a retro-futuristic look that is revealed also through the use of mechanical elements, such as screws and etched metal sheets, and in the clean and boxy shapes of pullers and buttons.

• Strengthening leather-finishing offering

Stahl announces plans to fully integrate its leather-finishing subsidiary, PielColor, into its core business by the end of 2021. The move will see PielColor’s products and expertise brought entirely in house, strengthening Stahl’s offering to its customers while improving the visibility and reach of the PielColor brand.

Stahl acquired PielColor, a company specializing in the manufacture and marketing of chemical products for leather finishing, in 2004. The subsidiary focuses on specific customer segments within the leather market, such as high-fashion brands, and is known by customers for its support-driven and solutions-oriented approach. PielColor also offers several innovative product lines, including a range of low-impact water-based topcoats, which it is able to tailor to its customers’ requirements.

In late 2020, the decision was taken to fully integrate PielColor, positioning it alongside Stahl as a core brand within the Stahl group. Full integration will strengthen Stahl’s position in the leather-finishing market by leveraging PielColor’s well-established reputation and extensive range of innovative responsible chemistry solutions. Marketing PielColor as a Stahl group brand will also drive the visibility and market reach of PielColor products, including in regions where they are less well established.

The integration program will continue to take place over the remainder of 2021, with all parts of the PielColor business expected to be fully operational under the new structure by the end of the year.

Instead of taking place from August 25-27 as originally planned, Asia's leading trade fair for fashion and lifestyle will now be held from October 9-11, 2021 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. The fair has been taking place physically again since July 2020, always in compliance with strict safety and hygiene regulations. Various digital platforms are being set up in parallel.

The around 500 brands registered for CHIC (August) will now present themselves to the trade visitors in autumn on 62,000 sqm, including important industry players such as JINTIANSHI (menswear), VINI Bespoke (menswear), Zaijiu (womenswear), Jiebeidi (womenswear), COFNA (childrenswear), Laura Vita (shoes), Hattershub (headwear), MANNYLONQ (CHIC-Young Blood) and Dragon Heart (CHIC-Young Blood) and exciting up-and-coming designers such as KIMUSSO, Yujiantian and Wuma.

The expected 60,000 visitors are also able to attend seminars and workshops on current topics such as Recognition and new opportunities of new retail in AI Fashion or 2021 Maker of Silk Road & Innovation of Design Infinity -- The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition of China Textile & Apparel SME.

Next events:
CHIC Shenzhen | 3rd-5th November 2021 | Shenzhen
CHIC March 22 | 9-11 March 2022 | Shanghai

In light of recent Covid-19 cases in China, the Autumn Editions of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles and Yarn Expo will be rescheduled to 9 – 11 October 2021. The fairs were originally due to take place at the end of August at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd explained: “To comply with the government guidelines for pandemic containment and following discussions with our stakeholders, we have made the decision to postpone the fairs from their original August timing. To allow our exhibitors and buyers as much time as possible to plan ahead, we have already confirmed new dates with the fairground for the three concurrent fairs: 9 – 11 October.”

“I would like to thank the participants of all three fairs for their understanding and ongoing support as we continue to operate in uncertain times. We remain dedicated to providing a quality international trading platform for three sectors for the autumn / winter sourcing season, and our overseas suppliers will still be able to participate through our hybrid exhibition scheme if they are unable to be in Shanghai in-person.”

Exhibitors or visitors with any queries about these fairs should email textile@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com, or visit the fairs’ respective websites:
•    Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics: https://intertextileapparel.hk.messefrankfurt.com/
•    Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles: https://intertextilehome.hk.messefrankfurt.com/
•    Yarn Expo: www.yarnexpochina.com

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. The co-organisers of Yarn Expo are Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT. Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Home Textile Association (CHTA).

• ecorepel® Dry Cleaning Resistant – ecological water repellency that is PFC-free and dry cleaning resistant

In recent years, the textile industry has developed significantly in terms of environmentally-friendly water repellency. Many manufacturers have already successfully replaced textile finishes containing fluorocarbons with fluorocarbon-free (PFC-free) finishes.

Nevertheless, many textiles equipped with alternative finishes are reaching their limits in performance. Especially when it comes to materials that are subject to heavy wear or require a special type of care.

The PFC-free, water-repellent ecorepel® technology launched by schoeller® in 2012 has now been further developed to allow for successful application on textiles and apparel that are “dry clean only.”
ecorepel® DCR achieves impressive water-repellency results, even after several home launderings and professional dry cleaning cycles. The resistance to professional dry cleaning refers to the F-cleaning symbol, which stands for a recommended cleaning process for sensitive fabrics using hydrocarbon solvents. In addition, tests show that materials finished with ecorepel® DCR are highly resistant to abrasion and scuffing.

ecorepel® DCR technology is now available for licensing and can be used in a variety of applications, such as outdoor, sport and fashion apparel, as well as upholstery fabrics.

Avery Dennison, a global leader in innovation, materials science, branding and manufacturing, and Shenzhou International Holdings Ltd., one of the world’s largest vertically-integrated knitwear manufacturers, hosted a grand opening event for the launch of ADX Lab Ningbo, an experience hub co-created by the two innovators, located in Ningbo, China.

Themed “Newness is the Name of Your Game,” the opening event brought together leading global apparel and footwear brands. Offering a bespoke lab experience, an insightful seminar, and a plant tour, Avery Dennison shared the cutting-edge fashion trends for seasons ahead and launched new design concepts and solutions. Industry stakeholders saw how ADX Lab Ningbo empowers global apparel and footwear brands with Avery Dennison’s end-to-end solutions, bringing their innovative ideas to life, telling their brands’ story, and helping them create cutting-edge, diverse products.

ADX, which stands for “Avery Dennison Experience,” offers a future-focused platform for apparel industry stakeholders to see innovative technology, materials and solutions, and explore how these breakthrough technologies can be put into development. At ADX Labs, Avery Dennison engages apparel and footwear brands around the globe, co-creating the next breakthrough solutions. ADX Labs will launch new collections and solutions biannually across digital production techniques, external embellishments, packaging, automation and more. The newly-launched ADX Lab Ningbo is Avery Dennison’s fourth ADX Lab across the globe, joining the innovation and experience hubs in Norway, Italy, and Panyu, China. Avery Dennison will expand its hub in the USA in January next year.

During the ADX Lab Ningbo launch event, Avery Dennison’s revealed its newest portfolio for external embellishments. The collection was inspired by seasonal trends and featured sustainable production techniques, materials and designs. From larger graphics to small details, different materials and technology were juxtaposed and brought to life in novel ways. The results are over 90 bespoke graphic technique combinations – covering heat transfer labels, woven, embroideries and more, spanning performance, lifestyle and team sports.

“Avery Dennison joined forces with Shenzhou International to introduce a broader vision for innovation to our global customers to help apparel and footwear brands stay ahead of industry trends and, ultimately, achieve their business goals,” said Michael Barton, vice president and general manager, global commercial, apparel solutions, Avery Dennison. “We believe that inspiration and innovation should never be limited by geographic location. Therefore, virtual experiences will be available at the ADX Lab Ningbo starting July 30. Our customers can be inspired by this immersive experience from the comfort of their own homes.”

“The partnership between Avery Dennison and Shenzhou International can be traced back to 2005. Over the past 16 years, the innovation driven by this important partnership has allowed both corporations to expand the scope of services in our businesses. By incorporating innovation throughout the process to product offerings, our customers are empowered to scale their businesses in more creative, diverse and personalized ways,” said Ally Feng, vice president and general manager, Greater China, Avery Dennison RBIS. “The launch of the ADX Lab Ningbo is another momentous step forward in our joint pursuit to drive innovation for the industry. Moving forward, we will continue to work together closely to serve the needs of apparel and footwear brands around the world, accelerating innovation and shaping the future of the industry at large.”