"Global apparel fabrics and accessories industry is looking forward to its key spring summit from March 14 to 16, 2018. It is one of the biggest trade platform where the entire sector gathers to do business, discover latest fashion trends, find new innovations and discuss what’s in store for the year ahead. The 2017 spring fair was the most international yet, with over 71,000 trade buyers from 103 countries and regions doing business with more than 3,300 exhibitors from 26 countries and regions."

Global apparel fabrics and accessories industry is looking forward to its key spring summit from March 14 to 16, 2018. It is one of the biggest trade platform where the entire sector gathers to do business, discover latest fashion trends, find new innovations and discuss what’s in store for the year ahead. The 2017 spring fair was the most international yet, with over 71,000 trade buyers from 103 countries and regions doing business with more than 3,300 exhibitors from 26 countries and regions.

With the focus turning now to the first trade fairs of 2018, Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager, Messe Frankfurt (HK), put forward the case for why Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is at the forefront of the industry. “As a sourcing platform, Intertextile is unrivalled in the industry. With this many exhibitors under one roof covering the entire apparel fabrics and accessories product spectrum, and across all price and quality points, the fair is the most efficient and effective way to discover new suppliers and make purchasing decisions. For these suppliers, the internationality, relevance and quality of the buyers, which is boosted by concurrent events such as Chic, China’s premier garment fair, is what keeps them coming back year after year.”

Matching market demand

While one of Intertextile’s biggest strengths is that the entire apparel fabrics and accessories sector gathers at one place for three intense days of business, the fair is also conveniently categorised to ensure sourcing efficiency. A number of country & region pavilions as well as group pavilions will demonstrate their capabilities to the audience, while the product zones will maximise the opportunities for the Chinese and Asian markets.

In the last two Spring editions, the number of exhibitors in the Accessories Vision zone grew nearly 70 per cent. This demand comes from the fact that more than 21 per cent of buyers attend the fair to source accessories. With the Chinese Government implementing ever stricter pollution control measures on the one side, and increasingly eco-conscious domestic consumers and higher requirements from export customers on the other, demand from the local textile industry for sustainability products & services continues to grow. The sustainability zone remains the key sustainability event in China for the wider industry.

China produces more than 2.5 billion denim garments per annum, with much of this output then exported to the US and Europe, ensuring demand for imports of quality denim fabrics is high. Around 18 per cent of buyers at the 2017 Spring Edition were interested in sourcing denim, making Beyond Denim pavilion a huge success. Digital Printing Zone in China is amplified due to increasingly stringent national environmental protection policies. With Chinese consumers moving to the athleisure segment, Functional Lab has been gaining tremendous boost. This is evident in Intertextile’s buyer profile also, with 27 per cent of buyers stating functional wear and sportswear as their main area of interest at the 2017 edition.

Growth in the domestic consumption of high-end overseas wool fabrics remains strong, particularly for suiting as Chinese men increasingly adopt Western-style office attire and that’s where the importance of Premium Wool Zone lies. Overseas participants in this zone such as Huddersfield Fine Worsteds, regularly confirm that satisfactory numbers of their target buyers, including tailors and menswear specialty stores, visit this zone.

Penchant for design

While the original pattern design market in China has matured since its fast-growing early days, sales during the fair in this zone remain strong. Around 8-9 per cent of buyers at the fair are in design roles or looking for design & styling products, representing a relatively large buyer base for this niche market. In addition to the sourcing event, four other textile fairs also take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center: Yarn Expo Spring, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition, Chic and PH Value. Participants of these fairs will also look to source from exhibitors of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, ensuring extra business opportunities are provided by the entire textile supply chain gathering under one roof. 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.