"The verdict is out once more, Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics has become the undisputed leader in providing business outcomes for the global textile industry. The global sourcing summit, held from March 14to 16, 2018, wrapped up with a huge 15 per cent increase in buyer figure to 82,314 from 104 countries and regions. With close to 3,386 exhibitors from 22 countries and regions exhibited at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. Strong growth was registered in buyers from Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and India, this edition’s top four countries and regions, while Italy and Bangladesh entered the top 10 list this year, in eight and tenth places respectively, alongside the US, Taiwan, Russia and the UK."

The verdict is out once more, Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics has become the undisputed leader in providing business outcomes for the global textile industry. The global sourcing summit, held from March 14to 16, 2018, wrapped up with a huge 15 per cent increase in buyer figure to 82,314 from 104 countries and regions. With close to 3,386 exhibitors from 22 countries and regions exhibited at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. Strong growth was registered in buyers from Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and India, this edition’s top four countries and regions, while Italy and Bangladesh entered the top 10 list this year, in eight and tenth places respectively, alongside the US, Taiwan, Russia and the UK.

“After the strong increase in buyer figure in October edition and the generally favourable outlook of global textile industry in recent months, we were expecting a strong result this year. But the increased number of exhibitors and buyers placing their trust in this fair as their main business platform has completely exceeded our expectations,” said Wendy Wen, senior general manager, Messe Frankfurt (HK. “We put this exceptional result down to the fact that there is no other industry event that matches Intertextile Shanghai’s scale but most importantly that year after year, the fair delivers new contacts from around the world and actual orders and business results for exhibitors. With the quality & quantity of buyers this edition and the tangible outcomes reported to us by exhibitors, the fair has reached a new level as the kick-off event for the spring / summer season.”

Many exhibitors echoed a positive sentiment. Philippe Larrieu, Responsible Commercial Export said, “A lot of people have come to our booth, including from China, Australia, India, France, the US and more. On the first day, we had already received 60 sampling enquiries even our catalogue ran out! So, the result is beyond our expectation. At this fair, we not only meet new buyers, but also see our existing customers which we usually meet in fairs in Paris.” With the display area comprising of seven halls and 187,000 sq. mt. it had everything from fabrics for women’ wear to menswear, suiting, shirting, lingerie and swimwear to high-end wool fabrics, original pattern designs, functional & performance fabrics, sustainability products & services, digital printing technologies, garment & fashion accessories and more on display. Growth areas this included the Premium Wool Zone, with exhibitor numbers doubling from last year, reflecting the evolving use of wool in Spring/Summer collections. The international ‘Beyond Denim’ zone also doubled in size this year, while overseas presence in Accessories Vision grew by 73 per cent.

Exhibitors on a high

Irina De Giorgi, Sales Manager, Ideas by Glarotex AG, Switzerland opined, “It is our first time and I am impressed with the quality visitors. Although we sell high-end products, buyers are still interested, and on the first day, we met over 30 buyers. Compared to other fairs, there are more serious buyers here, and people are actually interested in doing business rather than just learning what the market offers.”

Steven Wu, Business Director, PALTEX Co, Taiwan, states, “Not only is this an important gateway for us to tap into the China market, we also received guests from all over the world. Many big names visited our booth including famous sports brand Li-Ning, while 30 per cent buyers were from countries in Europe, America to Southeast Asia, we have found a lot of opportunities for future cooperation.” While Raymond Tsai, Business Manager, TAIG CHEIN Textile, Taiwan said, “We choose Intertextile to announce our new products as it’s the most well-known trade fair in the textile industry. One of our fabrics was selected in the ‘Fabrics China Award’, which attracted many buyers to our booth. We make use of this fair to promote our brand and meet new customers. We regard it as an international platform and met many professional buyers from garment factories and brands, 20 per cent of were from overseas.”

Buyers’ Take

Michelle Klein, Manager-fabric R&D, American Eagle Outfitters, USA observed the fair gave a good overview of what’s happening in the market. “We are looking for a wide range of products, so the fair is good as it houses everything. It’s good for researching new vendors, and you can always find new ones to work with. The scope is also useful. Our knit R&D team goes to Yarn Expo, while we find the Functional Lab and Beyond Denim segmented zones in Intertextile absolutely useful. The innovation in the Functional Lab is interesting as we are always looking for new innovation. It’s really helpful how the fair is sorted, and we could easily cover all our shirting needs in one morning.”

For Nicola Grosso, Global R&D fabric & trimming manager, Brooks Brothers, USA, the fair is the ‘alpha’ to find new suppliers, and to forge new relationships with companies as everyone is here. “It’s good to be here to learn who the actual manufacturers are, and who the middle men that you might meet overseas are. We can meet people here that we can’t at other fairs, where it’s often just the agents present, so it’s easier to manage suppliers by coming here as you have more direct contact. Timing is the first thing in fashion, so it’s important to have this direct contact.”

The Autumn Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics will be held from September 27 to 29, 2018 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition 2018 is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK); the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre.