From the Sector

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, announced that it has become a The BHive® partner to help foster chemical compliance and management across the textile supply chain.

The BHive® is an innovative digital chemical management platform that provides at-a-glance information about chemical products to its users. It was developed by GoBlu International Ltd. to allow manufacturing facilities to easily create digital inventories of the chemical products used onsite using a smartphone. They can identify in a matter of seconds which products meet sustainability requirements of their brand and retail customers, who they can share this information with as well. This enables brands and retailers to achieve full transparency about the chemical use in their global supply chain. Now, over 30 international fashion brands and 500 factories are partnered with The BHive® to drive sustainable chemistry in the textile and fashion industry.

More than 2000 Archroma chemical products and dyes are now included in The BHive® database.
The company has been very active in the past few years in developing solution systems and innovations in line with the 3 pillars of 'The Archroma Way to a Sustainable World: Safe, efficient, enhanced. It’s our nature'.

Paul Cowell, Head of Archroma’s Competence Centers for Brand & Performance Textile Specialties, explains: "With the pandemic crisis, textile manufacturers are experiencing numerous logistic bottlenecks and challenges. With The BHive®, our partners have now an additional access path to the information about chemical usage and compliance for the Archroma products they keep at their facilities."

Kornit Digitala announced Valencia, Spain-based Rafa’s Textiles has acquired a third Kornit Avalanche HD6 system for single-step, on-demand direct-to-garment (DTG) digital production, spurred by business growth resulting from increased e-commerce engagement in the past year.

Rafa’s Textiles personalizes t-shirts and all kinds of clothing with screen printing, direct (digital) printing, silkscreen transfer, sublimation, and embroidery, serving European-based B2B clients who sell via web stores, both integrated with Amazon and independently. There are no colour limitations, and handfeel and durability are retail-quality. On a typical day, they will handle 200-300 print-on-demand orders, though those numbers spike with key holidays; this past Christmas, for example, saw a peak of 1,300 orders in a single day. Regardless of volume, with digital production capabilities in house, these orders are printed individually within 24 hours and shipped directly to all customers.

For Rafa’s Textiles, implementing Kornit’s digital production technology was simply the best means to meeting the challenges and capitalizing on new opportunities of the e-commerce age. Sergio attributes his business’s success despite recent market disruptions to their focus on e-commerce, which aligns with buyers’ increased preference for web-based purchasing.

Kornit Digital, a worldwide market leader in digital textile printing technology, announced Westerbroek, Groningen-based Reclameland has invested nearly €20 million in a second production hall and state-of-the-art machines, including the Kornit Atlas system for industrial direct-to-garment (DTG) production on demand, in the past year to further accelerate growth. The fastest-growing online printer in the Netherlands, Reclameland achieved a turnover of almost €23 million in 2019 and a profit of more than €1 million.

Now the second-largest business of its type in the Netherlands, Reclameland’s workforce grew by 20% in the past year, enabling them to handle most production operations internally. They attributed increased demand for printed pieces to a strong growth in online buying, for both consumers and businesses.

“2019 marked the definitive breakthrough of online printing, and we have established ourselves as a total print solutions provider for signage, banners, posters, flags, and other digitally printed textiles,” says Wouter Haan, CEO of Reclameland.  "By continuously innovating, we can serve every type of customer. Our investment in Kornit technology has empowered us to imprint more than a thousand garments per day with a single operator, meeting the retail quality, wash and light fastness, and sustainability standards of the world’s largest apparel brands.”

“Reclameland demonstrates the vast opportunities on-demand producers have when they diversify their product offerings and align their operations for a marketplace that increasingly relies on e-commerce,” says Chris Govier, KDEU Managing Director. “Kornit technology offers the perfect foundation for making that business model a success, eliminating slow and costly steps between buyers seeing a brilliantly-designed piece virtually and having it in their hands. We are proud to support Reclameland as they grow to fulfill the promise of digital commerce.”

• Looking to the future – Frankfurt Fashion Week is positioning itself with a consistently sustainable agenda and propelling the transformation of a modern, resource-efficient fashion industry.

The Conscious Fashion Campaign (CFC), working in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP), will be the presenting partner and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be a prerequisite for all exhibitors by 2023. And the Frankfurt Fashion SDG Summit by CFC is set to become the leading international conference for sustainability in the fashion world. The future of fashion has begun – and its key players will be coming together in Frankfurt am Main from 5-9 July 2021.
 
Frankfurt am Main, 2 December 2020. Joining forces to improve the fashion industry: Frankfurt Fashion Week is positioning itself as the host of the future of fashion and actively driving forward the transformation towards a future-oriented, more sustainable fashion and textile industry. All decision-makers looking to instigate this change will be coming together in Frankfurt am Main from 5-9 July 2021. The initiators of Frankfurt Fashion Week – Messe Frankfurt and the Premium Group – have achieved a real coup: Conscious Fashion Campaign, working in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, will be the presenting partner. Messe Frankfurt will build on its collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and establish Frankfurt Fashion week as the platform on which to advance the Sustainable Development Goals and help guide the fashion industry into the 'Decade of Action'.
 
“Frankfurt will play host to the whole world. We are seeing a very positive response indeed,” confirmed Peter Feldmann, Senior Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main, at today’s digital press conference, before going on to say: “The fact that the initiators are able to rethink the concept of a Fashion Week in such a way is extremely impressive and proves that the fashion industry is correctly interpreting the signs of the present and future. The time has come for value creation and values to be reconciled. Consistent alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals is an important step in this direction.”
 
“Frankfurt Fashion Week aims to play a crucial role in finding solutions for macrosocial challenges and supporting the goals of international politics such as the European Green Deal. The fashion and textile industries are also expected to be climate-neutral by 2050. If we want to achieve this, we all need to pull together. Frankfurt Fashion Week is inviting all initiators and supporters of sustainable concepts and congresses or shows dedicated to sustainability to meet in Frankfurt, partake in discussions and make tangible decisions for the greater good. We will connect the most relevant players and pave the way for a future-proof fashion and textile industry,” says Detlef Braun, CEO of Messe Frankfurt.
 
“Given its global reach, the fashion industry is uniquely positioned to collaborate and engage on the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular on climate action and responsible production and consumption,” said Annemarie Hou, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships. “Frankfurt Fashion Week and the Summit will serve as an important platform for education and engagement of the fashion and textile industry in the Decade of Action,” emphasised Ms Hou.
 
The aim of Frankfurt Fashion Week is for all exhibitors, participants and partners to align with the Sustainable Development Goals by 2023. The SDGs will also be incorporated into all formats of Frankfurt Fashion Week. This will help to make the UN’s sustainability goals visible and tangible for the Fashion Week audience, therefore bringing its claim, goals and specific proposals for implementation to an international opinion-forming fashion and lifestyle community. During a one-day Frankfurt Fashion SDG Summit presented by Conscious Fashion Campaign, topics like gender equality, clean water, climate protection, social justice and their significance for a forward-looking fashion industry will be examined in greater depth. Another point on the sustainability agenda: Frankfurt Fashion Week is launching a Sustainability Award for outstanding, innovative, sustainable design, alongside other categories with a global appeal for the fashion and textile industry.
 
"We are committed to setting the wheels of transformation in motion. Not only does the overall mindset have to fundamentally change; the entire industry also needs to have the courage to be transparent and honest. It’s important to see values and value creation as opportunities rather than contentious. We are doing what we do best: connecting the relevant players at all levels. With its ecosystem, Frankfurt Fashion Week will become the enabler. We are creating a platform that will orchestrate industry-wide change. With this as our inspiration, we are also developing our tradeshow formats from a ‘marketplace of products’ to a ‘marketplace of purpose and ideas’,” explains Anita Tillmann, Managing Partner of the Premium Group.
 
A new start in Frankfurt: In summer 2021 the entire fashion industry will be coming to the metropolis on the Main river to inform themselves, be inspired, discuss, negotiate and celebrate. “There’s a huge need to finally meet in person again, to exchange ideas and be inspired. At the same time, digital tools and formats have become an integral part of the fashion industry,” says Markus Frank, Head of the City of Frankfurt’s Department of Economic Affairs and therefore also responsible for its creative industry. “To implement such a future-oriented, all-encompassing overall concept, Frankfurt’s business and creative scenes offer an almost unique concentration of different expertise with its internationally networked agencies, universities and museums. The city’s multifaceted, high-end club, bar and restaurant scene, diverse hotel industry and internationally renowned retail landscape will become the stage for this. This network will be a key factor in the successful implementation of Frankfurt Fashion Week and the way in which it will expand into the public space as a cultural and social happening.”
 
A number of major publishing houses are also showing their commitment to the new Fashion Week in Frankfurt with conferences, events and awards: Textilwirtschaft, the leading professional fashion journal by the Deutscher Fachverlag publishing house, is moving its traditional meeting of the industry’s top decision-makers – the TW Forum, the presentation of the renowned Forum Award, as well as its subsequent conference – from Heidelberg to Frankfurt’s Palmengarten botanical gardens, and will therefore be kicking off Frankfurt Fashion Week on Sunday evening and Monday morning. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung will be hosting its traditional fashion party for the first time in Frankfurt and publishing a special edition of its FAZ Magazin on Frankfurt Fashion Week. And the ZEIT publishing group is holding its ‘UNLOCK Style by ZEITmagazin’ conference, which was established in 2014, and the ZEITmagazin Fashion Week party in Frankfurt for the first time and will dedicate the whole new issue of ZEITmagazin Frankfurt to Frankfurt Fashion Week. Condé Nast will also be involved in next summer’s Frankfurt Fashion Week with an exclusive event by GQ. And the Burda publishing house will also be represented with various event formats from its lifestyle and fashion brands.There will also be talks with SHINE  Conventions, the organiser of GLOW, about what a mutual collaboration could look like.
 
Frankfurt Fashion Week is also delighted to have the Fashion Council Germany (FCG) on board.  The FCG is theinstitution when it comes to German fashion design. It promotes designers, is committed to gaining more political relevance and strengthens the international visibility and awareness of German fashion. At Frankfurt Fashion Week, the FCG will contribute selected formats, such as its already established Fireside Chat, and a future-oriented accelerator format to support German designers.
 
“What really impresses me about Fashion Week is the whole networking aspect: the creative industries will meet the financial world and sustainability is the common denominator. The Green Finance Cluster is another project that we could link with Frankfurt Fashion Week in the future. This will provide new inspiration in the fashion industry, which will certainly extend way beyond its own horizon of Frankfurt and Hesse. After a very difficult year for the trade fair industry, the concept is an encouraging breath of fresh air,” sums up Tarek Al-Wazir, Hesse’s Minister of Economics, Energy, Transport and Regional Development and Deputy Minister-President of the state of Hessen.

• New level of transparency in the textile industry
• Building on several successful pilot projects with TextileGenesis™, the digital platform for the traceability across the textile supply chain has now been introduced.

The Lenzing Group, a leading company in the area of wood-based specialty fibers, celebrates another milestone on the way to making the textile and apparel industry more sustainable and transparent. Since 2019, Lenzing has been using the blockchain technology powered by the Hong Kong start-up TextileGenesis™ to ensure the traceability of textiles from fiber to production and distribution. After several successful pilot projects, the digital platform was launched on 5 November for TENCEL™ and LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded fibers. The platform provides customers and partners as well as consumers with an overview across the entire textile supply chain.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, more changes have been brought to the already transforming fashion and textile industries. To date, supply chain traceability has become a top priority for apparel and home brands. With the blockchain-enabled supply chain traceability platform powered by TextileGenesis™, Lenzing supports the entire supply chain in meeting the increasing demand for transparency and sustainability.

Phased onboarding and new digital certificates

A follow-up of a 12-month pilot program and field trials with four leading sustainable brands (H&M, ArmedAngels, Mara Hoffman and Chicks) and supply chain players from 10 countries in three regions, the global roll-out of Lenzing’s blockchain-enabled supply chain traceability platform will be conducted in phases. During the first phase, Lenzing’s supply chain partners based in South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) will complete the onboarding process within Q4 2020. An estimated 300+ supply chain partners in China and Turkey will also join the program in Q1 2021. It is estimated that by Q2 2021,  most eligible Lenzing supply chain partners will be onboarded into the platform, ensuring full supply chain traceability.

One of the core components of the platform powered by TextileGenesis™ is integration with the Lenzing EBranding fabric certification system, which allows brands and retailers not only to access the full supply chain traceability for TENCELTM and LENZINGTM ECOVEROTM branded fibers but also to view the results of forensic (physical) verification of fabric samples via the digitally signed Lenzing E-Branding fabric certificates. “

Over the past year, during the pilot program and field trials we have been receiving very positive feedback from brands and supply chain partners. Our brand partners have also been encouraging us to accelerate the global roll-out for traceability of Lenzing fibers. With this new system and the integration with Lenzing E-Branding fabric certificates, the entire Lenzing ecosystem will create an unprecedented level of transparency. This will provide consumers with the most sustainable and climate-friendly clothing and home textile products that are made of TENCEL™ or LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded fibers”, says Robert van de Kerkhof, Chief Commercial Officer and Member of the Board at Lenzing.

“With increasing compliance and reputational risks, CEOs and Boards of top 100 fashion brands have committed to using 100% sustainable and traceable fibers over the next 5 years, with transparency being a core part of business priorities. Sustainability and traceability are two sides of the same coin, and it’s great to see Lenzing paving the way for the entire fashion industry to follow. Our supply chain traceability platform will create digital accounting for Lenzing’s innovative and sustainable fibers across the entire supply chain using Fibercoins™ traceability technology”, says Amit Gautam, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of TextileGenesis™.

Fibercoin™ technology to ensure traceability across supply chain

Through using the innovative Fibercoin™ technology of the TextileGenesis™ platform, Lenzing and other brand
partners are now able to issue digital tokens (blockchain assets) in direct proportion to the physical shipments of TENCEL™ and LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded fibers. These digital tokens provide a unique “fingerprint” and authentication mechanism, preventing adulteration, providing a more secure, trustworthy, digital chain-of custody across the entire textile supply chain, and most importantly, ensuring the materials are sustainably produced.

• Anita Tillmann, managing partner, about Premium Group´s January 2021 Events

“These are challenging times – for all of us. On one hand, because we can't meet up in the same carefree way as usual. And, on the other hand, because decisions have to be made based on factors that are out of everyone’s control. Alongside all this, it’s essential that we look to the future with positivity, that we use the time effectively and continue to advance in the face of adversity. This not only affects the trade show and event organisers, but the whole industry.

We have carried out market research and surveyed exhibitors, partners and buyers on the current circumstances. The objective was to obtain a data-based assessment of the current economic situation, a summary of the success of the exclusively digital events, and insights into the requirements of our network with regard to the physical trade shows. Following analysis of the data gathered we have established that there is a personal wish for an event to happen – inclusive of the appropriate hygiene measures – however, this is unfortunately not currently possible from a professional perspective. As long as there are delays to production and constantly changing travel and contact restrictions in place, we cannot put on any trade shows, conferences or events that would meet our demands or the demands of our exhibitors.

We have therefore decided not to hold PREMIUM, SEEK or FASHIONTECH next January. This was an incredibly difficult decision to make. Especially because we didn't want to say goodbye to Berlin without a fitting farewell.

Now, though, it’s about looking forward and concentrating on what is certain: Frankfurt Fashion Week, which we will be staging in July 2021 together with Messe Frankfurt, the City of Frankfurt and the region of Hessen. We have big plans and are working on a new, fresh start – not only for us, but also for all stakeholders in the fashion industry, nationally and internationally.

Another press conference is planned for the end of November, when we shall be introducing new concepts, partners and event formats. Preparations are already in full swing: we are having numerous discussions, sitting in workshops, activating partners, designers, publishers, politics and society so as to get a unique, fully formed event successfully up and running. Expectations are huge – and we intend to satisfy them. We are putting all our energy into this future-focussed project.

With the aim of being able to share our enthusiasm, we are planning a FFW Preview to present the new locations in Frankfurt am Main and the concepts to journalists, brands and retailers at the beginning of next year.

Until then, all we can say is this: stay curious. Stay optimistic. Because even though there won't be any events this coming January, the show does go on. True to form, that means there will be more business opportunities than ever before, along with innovative formats, events and conferences and a fully formed city concept that has never been imagined before.”

Over 300 brands have spent three months showcasing their offerings at the world’s first digital trade show. PREMIUM+SEEK Passport, in collaboration with JOOR, provided the industry with a digital addition to the physical trade shows that were unable to take place at all this summer, due to the current situation. The virtual event concluded yesterday.

Summary
“The event was a success: it reached a network of 200,000 buyers, logged over 20,000 visits, and over 80,000 products were sold. The brands that achieved especially good results were those that engaged their own buyer contacts and networks and introduced them to the platform. Things are actually the same as always, the principle remains the same. Success doesn't just happen by itself,” says Anita Tillmann, Managing Partner of the PREMIUM GROUP. “There was a strong focus on communicative value at this digital event. We feel that creating visibility for new potential brands and customers is the best thing we can do to add value for our customers in the current situation. We have worked intensively on how we position ourselves in this crisis, which services we can deliver, and how we can offer our customers and partners support of lasting relevance.”

Outlook
It is not yet possible to announce a final, definitive decision on the PREMIUM GROUP’s January events. The market analysis carried out with exhibitors, partners and retailers is currently being evaluated. The current developments in the number of infections and forecasts by the Federal Government also have an influence on this. These provide reliable data that can serve as the basis for a well-informed and representative assessment of whether and how the trade shows and conferences will be able to take place. Further information on the PREMIUM GROUP events will follow at the end of October.
    
What is certain is that, for the first time, the PREMIUM GROUP and Messe Frankfurt will be putting on their SEEK, PREMIUM, FASHIONTECH, Neonyt and FashionSustain events – along with a host of other highlights – from 6-8 July 2021 as part of Frankfurt Fashion Week 2021. New business platforms, glamorous events, innovative formats and content hubs will be unveiled to the fashion industry – not just in a new setting, but in a totally new guise.

Online exhibit to feature complete portfolio of systems for sustainable production on demand, end-to-end workflow solutions, expert demonstration and consultation

Kornit Digital (Nasdaq: KRNT), a worldwide market leader in digital textile printing technology, is pleased to join the 2020 Innovate Textile & Apparel Virtual Trade Show, WTiN’s annual global exhibition highlighting the true innovators in technology, production, and value chain leadership for the textile and apparel industry.

For this year’s event, which is free to attend, Kornit will be exhibiting its latest capabilities for digital direct-to-garment and roll-to-roll production, including the only single-step process for delivering durable, retail-quality impressions on multiple fabrics within minutes. Visitors will find opportunities to learn more about:

• Kornit’s portfolio of industry-leading DTG systems, offering brands and fulfillers pushbutton efficiency in any quantity, to eliminate inventory risk and waste.
• Kornit Presto, foundation of any microfactory production concept, for consolidating operations and minimizing supply chain risk.
• Kornit’s new Softener solution, which enables photorealistic detail combined with handfeel meeting the most rigorous demands of high fashion and home décor.
• Kornit’s range of available pallets, empowering brands and fulfillers to expand their catalog and offer customers any applications they demand, including baby and children’s apparel, zipper hoodies, handbags, and the industry’s first DTG solution for custom neck tags.
• Kornit’s acquisition of Custom Gateway, which promises end-to-end production efficiency, for building or enhancing online stores, ensuring visibility and control across multiple production sites, optimizing the production floor, and getting products out the door quickly, meeting the speed and logistics challenges of the e-commerce age.

In addition to sharing diverse customer testimonials, Kornit will be hosting live consultations with system experts, to answer all questions and present Kornit’s value proposition for ongoing business needs. The company will also be leading a seminar presentation during the event.

“While we certainly miss the face-to-face engagement traditional trade shows offer, the upside of these web-based expositions is that there’s no limit to the systems, applications, and personnel Kornit can and will leverage to present its case for mastering the e-commerce age with efficient, sustainable digital capabilities,” said Chris Govier, Kornit Digital Managing Director—EMEA. “With our expanding suite of workflow and visibility software, Kornit gives manufacturers large and small the ability to scale their end-to-end business, while eliminating overproduction risks and establishing responsible production practices. These systems are critical to surviving the retail apocalypse and COVID-like disruptions, and event attendees will see why.”

Optimum wool dyeing solution aligned to ZDHC MRSL standards

Singapore – Huntsman Textile Effects’ LANASOL® CE dyes, provide the industry with the sustainable alternative to after-chrome dyes for wool. LANASOL® CE dyes offer a consistent, safe and reliable dyeing process that can effectively replace chrome dyes for wool. This helps mills conform to ZDHC MRSL standards and meet the stringent requirements of global brands and retailers.
The use of Chrome VI, including Dichromate, is banned in the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (ZDHC MRSL). Wool processors working for brands and retailers that have adopted ZDHC MRSL must therefore act quickly to finalize their chrome replacement developments.

Developed by Huntsman Textile Effects specifically to meet these challenges, LANASOL® CE is a state-of-the-art chrome-free dye range that allows mills to discontinue the use of after-chrome dyes. LANASOL® CE outperforms traditional after-chrome dyes across the board – at every level of dyeing and processing.

“LANASOL® CE dyes have always been recognized as the leading brand in the wool industry. Our innovative dyeing auxiliaries and successful dyeing systems with LANASOL® CE provide the highest technical performance, helping customers to protect the natural beauty of wool, achieve water, energy and time savings while rendering chrome dyes obsolete,” said Alessandro Larghi, Global Marketing Manager for Wool at Huntsman Textile Effects.

As a champion of a sustainable textile industry, Huntsman Textile Effects has long been a strong advocate for the shift away from after-chrome dyes. Huntsman Textile Effects first introduced LANASOL® CE in 1997, before the introduction of any regulation on the restricted use of dichromate.

Asia’s leading trade platform for the home and contract textile industry, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles, is ready to welcome over 600 exhibitors to China’s commercial hub from 24 – 26 August. As China’s economy continues its recovery, the upcoming fair will serve as a key platform for the industry to reconnect and prepare for the seasons ahead. Taking consideration of current international travel restrictions, Intertextile has launched a brand new online business matching platform, enabling participation for those who cannot travel to Shanghai.

Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd commented: “2020 has been a difficult and unpredictable year for every business and industry across the world, so we are pleased to be providing a platform for the home textile industry to connect and recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is the first physical trade event for the sector held by Messe Frankfurt since January, so we hope that the fair assists the sector to join forces and overcome this challenging year together.”

Ms Wen continued: “Our first priority is to create a clean and hygienic space for all participants to source and network. To achieve this goal, the fair will implement extra health care and hygiene precautions onsite. On the other hand, we are aware that a number of travel restrictions are still in place across the world. With this in mind, Intertextile will offer a series of online services for those who are unable to travel to Shanghai, allowing the fair to reach as wide an audience as possible.”

2020 fair highlights

To provide buyers with greater efficiency, the fair, which covers four halls, will be divided clearly by product categories: Household Hall (hall 3), International Brands / Upholstery Hall (hall 4.1), Brand Fabrics Hall (hall 5.1) and Sofa Fabrics Hall (hall 6.1).

In addition, the Contract Business 360° concept will return this year, with over 40 premier upholstery exhibitors presenting their latest textile products and furnishing solutions for contract use. Exhibitors include Guangzhou Yuanzhicheng Home Textile, Haining Julai Textile, JAB, Morgan Shanghai, Symphony Mills, Suzhou Roufang, Ter Molst International, Zhejiang Hexin and Zhejiang Maya Fabric. Furthermore, top brands such as Agmamito from Poland and Wollsdorf Leather from Austria will be exhibiting for the first time at Intertextile.

Online business matching platform offers new sourcing landscape

Although face-to-face interaction is irreplaceable, a virtual complement has become more important as a result of the worldwide pandemic. To support the industry during these unprecedented times, Intertextile has launched a brand new online business matching platform. With this free service, participants are able to source and network at their fingertips. The virtual platform will offer many new features including:

• Easy sourcing: exhibitors are categorised by product groups including Sofa / Decorative Fabrics, Curtains and Accessories, Bedding and Finished products, Shading and Accessories, and Editors
• Live-streamed product presentations of exhibitors
• Smart recommendations: pre-selected exhibitor lists will be provided to buyers based on their personal preferences and interests
• Convenience: participants are able to use the service through computers or portable devices without the need to download any software

High quality fringe programme covers comprehensive topics
 
The fair’s event programme will once again provide the industry with the latest trends and insights in four topics: Design Inspiration, Business O2O, Textile & Technology and Industry Empowerment. One of the highlights will be the 2021 Intertextile Trend Forum, led by Shen Lei, the Chinese representative of the Intertextile International Lifestyle Trend Committee. The forum will bring together five prominent Chinese designers including Ben Chen, Ben Wu, Meng Ye, Paul Pang and Xie Ke, who will delve into the theme of 2021 Intertextile Trends–“BOUND”, as well as the Chinese market conditions. The event will be held on day 1 of the fair, from 14:00 – 17:00 in hall 5.1 booth C18, and streamed live online.

Another not-to-be-missed event is the Ride the Storm – Home Textile Digital Printing Forum, which will include an array of educating seminars that cover the latest digital textile printing trends and technologies. The forum will be held on day 2 of the fair, from 13:20 – 17:20 in hall 3, booth M12.

Furthermore, joining forces with Tmall Global, the largest cross border B2C online retail platform in China, the fair will host a series of seminars delivering the solutions and strategies for industry digitalisation during the afternoon of day 1. In addition, the well-received Furniture & Home Textile Direct Negotiation Event will return to provide an excellent opportunity for furniture companies and fabric brands to collaborate.

Additional health care and hygiene precautions will be in place

As trade fair co-organisers, Messe Frankfurt’s number one priority always remains the health and safety of fairgoers. To maintain a clean and hygienic environment for visitors and exhibitors to meet in, extra measures will be in practice at the fair. These include: real-name registration, onsite temperature checks, frequent sterilisation of public areas and distancing measures for forum / seminar audiences, amongst others.