The Heimtextil Trends focus on three approaches to textile transformation. The first deals with textiles made from plants and plant by-products. The fact that these are not produced synthetically but are of natural origin means that they are more likely to be returned to existing ecosystems. A distinction is made between the production of textiles from plant crops such as cactus, hemp, abaca, seaweed or rubber, which can grow despite climate changes and require fewer chemicals during development, and production from plant by-products left over from production, e.g. bananas, olives, persimmons and hemp. In the second trend, the development of technical solutions plays a central role. Technologies for recycling textile waste or textile upcycling increase the circular use of already produced textiles. Old textile construction techniques also create more sustainability. For example, the use of certain knitting techniques for furniture upholstery ensures less textile waste. The third trend bridges the gap between nature and technology: bio-engineered textiles merge plant-based and technical textiles. Strategies inspired by nature are used in their manufacture. For example, proteins and carbohydrates from corn, grass and cane sugar are used instead of growing plants to extract fibers from them. The advantage is that textiles obtained in this way can have some of the same functionalities as synthetically produced ones, but they are of natural origin and can be biodegraded.

The trends described will be on display at Heimtextil in Frankfurt from January 9 to 12, 2024, in the “Trend Space.” Then, among other things, there will also be workshops and lectures that will give visitors insights into the future of home and contract textiles.