Strong business results and visitor flow, following on from recent editions, once again proved the fair’s leading position in the industry as an effective sourcing platform. In total, around 78,000 trade buyers1 from some 110 countries and regions visited the fair, (2017: 77,883, 102 countries and regions), sourcing from 4,480 exhibitors from 33 countries and regions (2017: 4,538, 32 countries and regions).

Diversity and internationality

Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, commented at the conclusion of the fair: “The diversity and internationality of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics once again came to the fore, as exhibitors and buyers were widely satisfied in meeting their participation objectives. This was aided by the earlier date which more closely aligned the fair with the industry’s earlier autumn / winter sourcing season, and was appreciated by both exhibitors and buyers. There were many exhibitor success stories this edition throughout all the fair’s product categories, while those focusing either on meeting their existing customers or new buyers were able to find their targets. Those focused on China reported the continued strength of this market, while exhibitors targeting international markets were pleased with the buyer diversity and international brands in attendance. For buyers, the unrivalled range of quality products covering the entire apparel fabrics and accessories industry stood out the most for many of them.”

Strong groth in the Functional Lab

On the international exhibitors side this edition, strong growth was registered in the Functional Lab with the number of exhibitors increasing by 92%, while participation in Premium Wool Zone grew by 30%. In Accessories Vision, the number of overseas exhibitors increased by 25%. Meanwhile, nearly all of the fair’s Group Pavilions, from the likes of Hyosung, Invista, DuPont and Oeko-Tex, were larger this edition, while new pavilions from Birla, Ecocert and Gots, the Indian Chamber of Commerce and the Korea Outdoor & Sports Industry Association expanded the sourcing options for buyers.

Trend Areas

While there was much business interaction occurring in these areas, many buyers also found the time to gain inspiration for the next season in the fair’s many trend areas for A/W 19-20, including the Intertextile Directions Trend Forum, four Chinese trend forums, as well as trend areas in the Japan, Taiwan and Korea Pavilions. Adding more inspiration to the fringe programme this edition was the new video display ‘FutureCast: The State of the Consumer’. Developed by The Doneger Group, this presentation helped the apparel industry to gain a wider perspective of the consumer market by delving into the main sociocultural and innovation developments taking place today and their repercussions on business, design, creative and marketing opportunities.