From the Sector

Ted Baker, the global lifestyle brand, announces that on October 4th 2018 it entered into a Global product licensing agreement with Timex Group (“Timex”). The new agreement will allow Ted Baker to underpin its own global plans with a unique product offering in watches that fully compliments its apparel and accessory collections.

Commenting, Ray Kelvin CBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Ted Baker, said:
“This is an exciting opportunity for Ted Baker to drive accelerated growth in our watch business by leveraging the Timex Group global footprint and infrastructure, in line with our strategy to further develop Ted Baker as a global lifestyle brand.”

Commenting, Tobias Reiss Schmidt, President and Chief Executive Officer of Timex Group, said:
“We are delighted to bring Timex Groups expertise and long history as an authentic watchmaker to Ted Baker and look forward to producing exciting and innovative timepieces for their consumers”. Timex Group will launch the collections Internationally through premium retail partners and its global distributor network in summer 2019.

As the countdown to the 2018 edition of Cinte Techtextil China enters its last two months, the final exhibitor line-up is starting to take shape. A number of leading international and Chinese brands across the fair’s 12 product application areas will feature at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre from 4 – 6 September, with an expected 500-plus total exhibitors from around 20 countries & regions set to feature.

Nonwovens exhibitor highlights

As the fair’s largest product category, buyers have a wide range of domestic and overseas brands to source from, including:

• Johns Manville (US): who will showcase their polyester spunbond, PP & PBT meltblown, glass fibre nonwoven, micro glass fibre nonwoven, hybrid nonwoven, glass fibre needle mat and glass microfibre product lines among others at the fair.
•  J.H. Ziegler (Germany): with over 150 years’ expertise and their own production plant in China, they offer products for acoustic absorption in automotive interiors and exteriors, nonwoven foam composites for leather lamination, needle-punched nonwovens, foam nonwoven composites, laminated nonwovens and natural-fibre nonwovens.
• KOBE-cz (Czech Republic): a new exhibitor to the fair, their nonwoven fabrics, mainly made from glass fibre with temperature resistance up to 800°C, are used for high-temperature isolation in the automotive, marine, energy and building industries. They also have isolation materials made from natural fibres including hemp, wool, cotton and flax.
• TDF Nonwovens (China): one of the leading domestic brands, their specialties are polyester spunbond geotextiles, polyester filament roofing carriers, filter nonwovens, high-strength coarse denier polypropylene spunbond geotextiles and medical & health nonwovens.
• Kingsafe (China): they specialise in the production of fusible interlining and nonwoven fabrics for high-end garments.

Yarn & fibre exhibitor highlights

• Perlon (Germany): has developed a PET based monofilament, HighGrip, which guarantees long-lasting efficiency of conveyor belts, and is available in various types with different tribological characteristics, which they will feature at the fair.
• Sateri (China): is a global leader in viscose rayon made from 100% dissolving wood pulp, and the largest maker of viscose fibre in China. Their natural and high-quality fibre, made from trees grown on renewable plantations, can be found in textiles and skin-friendly hygiene products.
• Cordenka (Germany): producers of industrial rayon, their product range covers rayon tire cord, yarn, single-end dipped cord, short-cut fibre and more.
• EMS-Griltech (Switzerland): will showcase a range of technical fibres & yarns and thermoplastic adhesives at the fair.
• Barnet (Germany): several finished products (nonwovens, spun yarns and fabrics) made with their specialty fibre will be on display at the fair, including OPAN, para-aramid and carbon filament fibres. The application of their specialty fibre in flame retardant and anti-cut gloves and felts will be shown at their booth for the first time.

Coated textiles & solutions exhibitor highlights

• Stahl (the Netherlands): the Dutch company will present new products from their water repellent and flame retardant ranges at this year’s fair. According to the company, as the Chinese government continues its efforts to clean up the environment, eco-friendly chemicals remain in strong demand in the country.
• Sioen (Belgium): will showcase sign materials, truck tarpaulins, tents, membrane fabrics, apparel products, chemicals and specialty products such as inflatable boat fabrics, pool liners and more at Cinte 2018.
• ROWA Lack (Germany): a new exhibitor at this year’s fair, they will present their special lacquer systems and top coatings.
• Trelleborg (Sweden): also a new exhibitor, they will display engineered textiles, especially in the fields of outdoor, medical, protective and automotive.
• FPC Technical Textile (Saudi Arabia): another first-time participant at the fair, they will showcase a range of high-end specialty fabrics including PVC coated fabrics and fibre glass PTFE fabrics.
• Zhejiang Jinda New Materials (China): this supplier is known for its coated textiles for industrial, transportation and building uses, as well as warp knitted geo-synthetic materials and printable coated materials for advertisements.

Lenzing to showcase its new VEOCEL nonwovens specialty brand at the fair

First announced in June this year, and featuring at Cinte Techtextil, Lenzing’s new VEOCEL brand is billed as a premium range of nonwovens fibres for daily care, which “provides the nonwovens industry with fibres that are certified clean and safe, biodegradable, from botanic origin and produced in an environmentally responsible production process.” Products in this range can be applied to a multitude of uses including baby care, beauty and body care, intimate care and surface cleaning, under the VEOCEL Beauty, VEOCEL Body, VEOCEL Intimate and VEOCEL Surface brands.

•     Explore a whole new world of trims

This summer, join Texworld USA and Apparel Sourcing USA as we highlight The Art of Customization: Findings, Trims & Accessories in our SPOTLIGHT area located in Apparel Sourcing USA. Featured exhibitors will showcase a wide variety of ornamental fabrics, edgings and more.

In addition, the show will offer multiple make–and–take classes. Meet Jana Platina Phipps, New York City's embellishment expert known as the "Trim Queen", who will host a workshop reviewing the origins of passementerie and a how–to on creating your own tassels, pom–poms and decorative knots. NYC's CraftJam will also make their debut participating in Resource Row, offering attendees hands–on lessons in learning how to make embroidery wall art and patches.

OutDoor2018: Schoeller’s coldblack® technology has been specifically optimized for use on knitted and woven fabrics so brands can now expand their product application uses. Under the blazing sun, textiles with coldblack® heat up less and stay cool to the touch. Südwolle Group, a leading manufacturer of high quality yarns, has also recognized the ideal combination of merino and coldblack®. With this, the wear comfort of wool apparel can be tangibly improved.

Wool is well known for its various property benefits, including insulation, natural antibacterial protection, odor control, light weight and nearly wrinkle free composition. Not only in the winter time, but also in summer particularly merino wool, a special high-quality type of wool, regulates moisture balance and thus the body temperature. The fibers can absorb a great deal of moisture or sweat and transport it away from the body. Warm ambient air quickly dries the material and causes a cooling evaporation, which makes it very comfortable to wear merino apparel in the summer time.

coldblack® technology from Schoeller supports the natural properties of wool because it reliably reduces heat build-up when exposed to the sun. Together with the help of Südwolle Group, the finish has been optimized specifically for the use in merino apparel. The yarn manufacturer chooses coldblack® for a variety of uses, especially for knitting and weaving yarns for sports and outdoor apparel and develops such products individually according to its customers’ requirements.

Stéphane Thouvay, Managing Director Product Management & Innovation at Südwolle Group, summarizes the use of the technology as follows: “coldblack® is part of our product range for the summer time, which we will be presenting at OutDoor show in Friedrichshafen. The technology reduces not only heat build-up, but also enhances the natural UV protection of wool without affecting the look and feel of the fabric. Therefore coldblack® perfectly fits into our yarn selection for sports and outdoor apparel, for example in our collection ʻYarn in Motion’. For end consumers garments made of coldblack® yarns can optionally be labeled with hangtags.”

When used in high-quality woolen fabrics, coldblack® has already proven its performance and is being used by renowned brands in various collections of men’s suits. Since 2008, the technology has been licensed by more than 200 brands, in sports particularly in the field of cycling, triathlon and golf. All components of the finish are bluesign® approved.

• Archroma joins hands with Lahore University of Engineering & Technology to foster innovative research in textiles

Reinach, Switzerland - Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Engineering & Technology (UET), Lahore, Pakistan. The MoU will pave way for cooperation initially for a five-year period.

The partnership will explore innovations in textile research with futuristic visualization for Pakistan to help the Pakistan textile industry to keep in line with the fast pace of global apparel requirements and evolutions. Both partners will jointly hold sessions to prepare students for the challenges of the textile industry through in-house training sessions, developmental projects, research in textile applications and process innovative methodologies by pioneering value additions. The students of UET will also be able to join internship placement programs at Archroma Center of Excellence at Karachi.

The MoU was officially signed at a ceremony recently held in Faisalabad by Prof. Dr. Fazal Ahmed Khalid, Vice Chancellor of UET and Mujtaba Rahim of CEO Archroma Pakistan Limited.

Speaking at the occasion, Mujtaba Rahim said: “We, at Archroma, believe in continuous improvement and challenging the status quo leading to enhance sustainable growth especially in our product lines creating value for our stakeholders. Through this initiative of mutual cooperation, we will be able to share latest knowledge and technical developments and to work together with the faculty and research team of UET. We also wish to share the innovative textile solutions of Archroma with the students enabling them to enhance their academic performance. Our MoU will go a long way in adding value in the fast growing textile segment, from education to R&D development.”

“This partnership is going to have far-reaching impact in textile research which will bear highly positive results for UET and Archroma. Our academic team has already collaborated with Archroma on projects that will have a far reaching impact on the textile industry. We are very enthusiastic about formalizing our mutual relationship and look forward to interesting research outcomes. Industrial liaison of students will create confidence and the training, internships and working sessions will benefit them in their career development,” Prof. Dr. Fazal Ahmed Khalid commented.

Reinach, Switzerland - Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, announced the further integration of M. Dohmen, an international group specializing in the production of textile dyes and chemicals for the automotive, carpet and apparel sectors. This went into effect on May 1, 2018 and follows Archroma expanding its stake in M. Dohmen from 49% to 75% in September 2017.

The increased integration will be implemented in North America and Korea. In North America, 20 employees from M. Dohmen USA, Inc joined Archroma when the company merged into Archroma U.S. Inc. operations in the US and into Archroma Canada, Corporation in Canada.

In Korea, Archroma recently acquired 100% of the shares of M. Dohmen Korea Ltd. The company’s name has been changed to Archroma Korea Ltd on April 30, 2018, and its 75 employees will now work under the Archroma brand.

“The further integration of M. Dohmen into Archroma will enable us to strengthen our offerings to textile markets worldwide” explains Marcos Furrer, President Brand & Performance Textile Specialties and Innovation, Archroma. “Regardless of their location, our customers will continue to benefit from our broad and complementary product portfolios, our dedication to providing outstanding global customer service and our strong commitment to innovation and sustainability.”

Archroma recently acquired 100% of the shares of M. Dohmen Korea Ltd. The company’s name has been changed to Archroma Korea Ltd on April 30, 2018.
(Photo: Archroma)
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Archroma recently acquired 100% of the shares of M. Dohmen Korea Ltd. The company’s name has been changed to Archroma Korea Ltd on April 30, 2018. (Photo: Archroma)
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On May 1, 2018, M. Dohmen USA, Inc merged into Archroma U.S. Inc. operations in the US and into Archroma Canada, Corporation in Canada.
(Photo: Archroma)
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• “Fashion Goes Digital” takes the Lead in Fashion Technology
• Customers get Industry 4.0-ready as Lectra unveiled latest product offerings and shared insights at annual fashion VIP event

Lectra, the technological partner for companies using fabrics and leather, put theory into practice at its recent fashion event by unveiling their latest 4.0 Cutting Room to more than 100 privileged industry professionals.

“Fashion Goes Digital” drew industry stakeholders and market experts from 20 countries, who gathered at Lectra’s International Advanced Technology Center (IATC) in Bordeaux-Cestas, France, to examine the real-life application of digitalization in fashion.

While the topic of digitalization served as a backdrop for the event, there was a recurring theme at the forefront: fashion companies need Industry 4.0 technology and support in order to be more precise in meeting the evolving needs of their digitally savvy consumers.
Nick Chiarelli, Client Partner of Foresight Factory, shed light on new business opportunities for fashion, Nora Kühner, founder of Nora Kühner Fashion Design Consulting, used her designer perspective to decode the digital future of product development, and Fabrizio Fantini, founder of Evo Pricing, showed participants how machine learning could help fashion companies predict consumer demand and avoid waste.

“While speaking about the future challenges and trends in fashion and luxury, the trend now is to use analytics to drive the entire production process,” highlighted Stephen Taylor, Principal Director of Kurt Salmon.

Waruna Tennakoon, General Manager of Group Cutting, Brandix, and Ajith Perera General Manager of Mathliya Plant, MAS Kreeda, also shared their Lectra customer experience. Based in Sri Lanka, both companies have established themselves as the country’s largest apparel exporters, with Brandix specializing in producing intimate and activewear, and MAS Kreeda in sportswear.

“Thanks to the digital revolution, consumers are now more specific in their demands. This will cause a shift in mass manufacturing where there will be smaller-volume orders coming in at a faster rate. As a result, manufacturing models have to be more agile in the immediate future,” explained Ajith Perera, “I am happy to see that Lectra is already spearheading this change by providing us with the necessary technology to help us meet market demand.”

There was no better time to put digitalization into context than during “Fashion Goes Digital”.
VIP guests got a sneak preview of the brand new, fully automated cutting room solution for fashion and apparel. Lectra’s Cutting Room 4.0 is an embodiment of Lectra’s commitment to empowering its customers with the best solutions to thrive in this new digital era. This avant-garde technology leverages industry 4.0 principles to provide greater agility, throughput, cost efficiency and in particular scalability in order to respond seamlessly to small batches orders and shorter lead times.

Jean-Yves Collet, CEO of Treize Roches Couture, a high-end French womenswear manufacturer, provided a testimonial on why his company chose to be one of the first to adopt this new solution. He explained how Lectra’s latest technology would help Treize Roches speed up their artisanal production process to bring products faster to market.

“When we discussed the possibility of a made-to-order production project, we could really foresee the benefits both in terms of quality and productivity. Industry 4.0 solutions do not yet exist in garment manufacturing. This is why we have decided to develop an Industry 4.0 cutting room. This will allow us, in the preparatory stages to automate the processes as much as possible and improve quality, productivity and training time.”

“We have unveiled our strategy last year where we have identified Industry 4.0 and digitalization as our key drivers. Our goal for this event is to show that we are, indeed, living and breathing Industry 4.0 and we do have what it takes to help our customers succeed in this era. Our latest cutting room 4.0 shows that we are not just talking about the future of fashion anymore, we are living in it right now as we speak,” concluded Céline Choussy Bedouet, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Lectra.

Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, and Montega S.r.l., Italy, (Montega) announce a collaboration aimed at supporting the fast-growing garment and apparel industry in Pakistan, particularly in the denim segment. The joint efforts will focus on fostering excellence in the finishing of textile garments.

Montega has decades of rich experience in developing the latest fashion trends with its high standard chemical treatments. For garments and fabrics, they offer solutions in finishing effects, enzymatic products, bio-polishing, bio-finishing and specialty products for indigo dyes, proteinaceous fibers such as wool and silk, and garment washing and/ laundry. All applications are geared toward environmental sustainability.

Archroma offers a wide range of brand and textile specialty chemicals that caters to the local industry in Pakistan for both its internal and export markets. The company’s expert team provides innovative solutions to its customers, tailored to their individual requirements.

Archroma will now represent Montega in marketing their products in Pakistan. The collaboration between the two firms will provide a unique synergy of combined expertise, reliability and commitment to environmental sustainability, especially toward the reduction of water usage and the emission of greenhouse gases during textile finishing processes. The design studio at the Archroma Center of Excellence in Pakistan will work extensively with Montega’s M-Lab Garment University in Riccione, Italy, to deliver solutions based on the latest trends and fashion effects, backed by world-class technical support.

Mujtaba Rahim, CEO of Archroma Pakistan, comments: “We, at Archroma, believe in continuous improvement and challenging the status quo to make our industry sustainable. We have dedicated ourselves to bringing innovation in our product lines and to closely partnering with like-minded organizations to build industrial rapport. Through this initiative of joining hands with Montega, we will be able to share latest R&D developments with the textile industry in Pakistan, and help grow Pakistan’s contribution in the global textile arena.”

• 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

For buyers that prioritise having the widest range of sourcing options in one place, their best bet is March’s Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics. Boasting pavilions from Japan, Korea, Pakistan and Taiwan, individual exhibitors from Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, not to mention 2,800-plus Chinese exhibitors, the fair is the largest gathering of Asian suppliers under one roof for the spring / summer sourcing season. To ensure convenience for buyers, international exhibitors are grouped by country or region, while Chinese exhibitors are located in product halls including fabrics for casualwear, functional wear / sportswear, ladieswear, lingerie & swimwear, shirting and suiting, as well as for accessories and denim.

In total, around 3,300 exhibitors will showcase their apparel fabrics and accessories at the fair, with the SalonEurope zone hosting premium suppliers from Europe – including pavilions and zones from France, Germany, Italy and Turkey – while the International Hall also houses other overseas exhibitors from the likes of Argentina, Australia, Peru the US and elsewhere.

Japan Pavilion keeps ‘Banshu-Ori’ tradition alive
Organised by the Japan Fashion Week Organization (JFW), the Japan Pavilion will house 22 exhibitors and also feature a Japan Trend Corner. After the immense popularity of this pavilion with buyers in previous editions, the organisers are in a good position to comment on the trends in the local market. “The now mature Chinese market tends to seek out very different types of products and purchase in smaller batches, which is a world away from the mass-production focus of the past,” JFW commented.

Included in this edition’s Japan Pavilion are three companies from the Nishiwaki region, which is famous for its ‘Banshu-Ori’, or Banshu weave. Banshu-Ori is a yarn-dyed fabric, woven into various patterns, such as checks and stripes, with yarns that are dyed before being woven by weaving machines. This tradition dates back to 1792, and will be showcased by Bon Co Ltd, Ueyama Orimono Corp and Kuwamura Co Ltd at the fair. Bon will showcase a range of new products using this traditional technique, including organic cotton fabrics, paper yarn fabrics and indigo items. Ueyama Orimono, which boasts Japan’s largest dyeing factory in Nishiwaki, designs its own fabrics in Tokyo, and will present cotton, cotton / linen and medium-thin yarn-dyed fabrics at the fair. Kuwamura will showcase fabrics based on 100% yarn-dyed cotton, as well as cotton and cotton-blend materials.

Taiwan Pavilion the place to find innovation
The Taiwan Pavilion, with over 40 participating companies, is a guaranteed source of innovation at the fair, with a number of exhibitors also offering eco-friendly options. Some of the highlights include:

• Keen Ching Industrial: they will have a number of their patented KCC-branded zippers at the fair including a durable double-coil zipper, an invisible zipper with a movable retainer box, a track type water-repellent zipper, a curved metal zipper and more.
• Handseltex Industrial: will showcase a wide range of products including lace, jacquard and mesh, made with the likes of organic cotton and recycled polyester with an eco-friendly production process.
• Paltex: the company’s ‘From Waste to Yarn’ regeneration system involves turning waste fishing nets and plastic bottles from the ocean into polyester and nylon fabrics, membranes and trimmings.
• Superwill: their unique gradient fabric combines specialty yarns and a special knitting process, and features a thickness that decreases from top to bottom. This design allows the fabric to be tailored to different garments.
• Tri Ocean Textile: will feature its own DreamFel® high-performance filament polypropylene yarn which is lightweight, durable and environmentally friendly, and used in sports & outdoor apparel and outdoor furniture.

The Taiwan Pavilion will be full of innovative textile solutions again this edition
The Korea and Pakistan Pavilions round out the Asian offerings. Nearly 60 Korean exhibitors will showcase predominantly manmade, fancy, knitted, acetate woven, tricot, jacquard, faux leather and printed fabrics, as well as lace and embroidery, for ladieswear, while other members will feature fabrics for sportswear and outdoor wear. Those from Pakistan, meanwhile, will feature in the Beyond Denim hall and offer a wide range of denim products.  

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.