Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics this Spring:Brilliant and varied

by+Flora+Zhao

With Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics– Spring Edition now just two weeks away， over 3，300 exhibitors from 24 countries and regions are gearing up to present their latest collections to the industry at Shanghais National Exhibition and Convention Center. Amongst these offerings will be a number of innovative products in the Innotex Space area in hall 7.1， one of the six domestic halls alongside the International Hall （5.2）. This area， which showcases the latest industry technologies and will offer up interactive experiences for buyers， includes a number of zones such as new machinery， 3D printing， body measurement technology， Internet of Things （IOT） knitting services， untwisted yarn products， smart textiles and more.

While the breadth of products on offer at Intertextile Shanghai is unrivalled in the region， the fair is highly regarded by the industry as the best occasion to find the latest， innovative products as well. One such example is Chinese denim producer Changzhou Oasis Textile Co.， Ltd. They recently developed the ability to mass-produce denim fabrics using only natural plant dyes， drastically reducing environmental damage compared to the traditional dyeing process. Ningbo Weiyi Plush Co.， Ltd. are also getting in on the eco-friendly act， bringing their newly produced faux fur which is developed using the latest synthetic materials. And fellow Chinese company LuFeng will feature their exclusive ‘Super Wash-and-Wear fabrics which reach or exceed the AATCC 124 standard.

Debut Chinese pavilion to feature in Beyond Denim

These and other Chinese exhibitors are allocated throughout the halls by product end-use： suiting （hall 6.1）， ladieswear （7.1， 7.2， 8.1 & 8.2）， casualwear （6.2）， functional wear & sportswear（7.1）， shirting （6.1） and lingerie & swimwear （7.1）， while domestic and international suppliers are found in Beyond Denim （6.2） and Accessories Vision （8.1）.

In Beyond Denim， a new Chinese regional pavilion will feature to increase the sourcing options for denim products. The Junan Pavilion will showcase exhibitors of denim fabrics， garments and accessories.

Further Chinese pavilions throughout other halls include：

●Jiangsu Shengze Pavilion： functional fab- rics， casual wear and ladieswear fabrics （halls 7.1& 7.2）

●Fujian Changle Pavilion： lingerie & swimwear fabrics， broad lace， warp lace， mesh fabric and more （hall 7.1）

●China Bast and Leaf Fibres Textile Association Pavilion： eco-friendly linen fabrics and related products （hall 6.2）

●Huzhou Pavilion： silk， sportswear and casual wear fabrics （various halls）

●Haining Pavilion： leather， home textile and warp knitting suppliers （hall 7.1）

●Hangzhou Xiaoshan Pavilion： blended spinning fabrics， high-end jacquard and embroidery （various halls）

●Wujiang Pingwan Pavilion： casual wear and functional fabrics （hall 8.1）

Enlightening panel discussions on industrys pressing issues

Three panel discussions will feature at this years fair. The first is titled ‘Trends & New Business Opportunities： How to Understand BuyersNeeds and Offer Them What They Want Before Everyone Else， and is moderated by Jaana J？tyri， CEO of Trendstop Global Trend Forecasting Agency. This discussion will inform participants how they can increase their global trend understanding to grow their business， and provide them with the chance to meet and learn from Chinese fabric and apparel manufacturers who are already doing this successfully.

Following a growing trend in the industry， the European Flax & Hemp Confederation （CELC） will moderate a panel on ‘Linen in Fashion： Sustainable Trends and Consumer Answers， with five panellists from various sectors and countries discussing the properties， applications， trends and more of linen. Lastly， The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel （HKRITA） will lead a session on ‘Eco-fabrics： From Material to Production.

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics releases Spring / Summer 2018 trends

There will be much more than sourcing taking place at the fair though， with both international and domestic trend forums revealing the Spring / Summer 2018 trends. The international trends will be presented in the Intertextile Directions Trend Forum， which this year is curated by Elementi Moda Srl. The overall mood of next seasons trends is Feel Good， which is encapsulated in three themes：

●Merge with Nature： Feel good with the harmony of sea horizon. Give rise to a deep feeling of wellness through a meditative walk on the seaside， in total harmony with the natural elements. Feel the dryness of the windswept sand dunes， immersed in sandbanks， shellfish， seaweed and shingle… Plunge your eyes into the sea waves， foam and fish， and take a breath of fresh air to remind what is really essential… For those who are seeking the harmony of body and soul， through a slow and natural way of life made of essentials products.

●Care for the Future： Feel good and feel positive， thanks to a fresh energy full of vitamins！ Science and mindfulness are now cooperating， while technology is going emotional. A new creative 3.0 wave is emerging， both hyper connected and totally relaxed； radical and thoughtful； logical， rational and poetic – all at once. A playful and technological universe inspired by the pop sixties era， for a new generation aiming to mix modernity with wellness and comfort in order to boost their style. So…roll on tomorrow！

●Meet with Culture： Feel good through the world journey and cultures mixing… An ode to beauty and elegance， created by the luxurious mix of East and West. An initiatory journey from Asia to the north of the Mediterranean， where the young generations mash up influences， wardrobes and references to reinvent aesthetic codes. Inspired by melting pots and nomadism， we discover a multitude of new savours， through the charming flower and spice markets， the majestic mosaic compositions and ornamental gardens…

Trend Forum introduction tours will also take place on days one and two of the fair. Whats more， the latest domestic trends can be discovered in three Chinese trend forums curated by Fabrics China. These include the Fashion Focus Trend Forum in hall 7.2 which focuses on colour， and trend forums for suiting in hall 6.1 and ladieswear in hall 8.2. Each of these will reveal the Spring / Summer 2018 trends in four themes： Fantastic Dimensions， Roaming Mindfulness， Emulative Heritage and Naturalistic Poet.

●Panel discussions and seminars explore S/ S18 fashion trends and much more

Those looking for more on the latest developments across the entire industry will benefit from a number of seminars and panel discussions taking place during the fair. To date， Carlin Creative Trend Bureau， Elementi Moda， the NellyRodiTM Agency， Peclers Paris and Promostyl are confirmed to host seminars on various aspects of the Spring/ Summer 2018 trends， while Pantone and Liberty will also present on design and trend topics. And under the sustainability issues topic， Hohenstein， GOTS， UL， SGS and Testex will also host seminars. Furthermore， panel discussions on three themes – eco-fabrics， linen in fashion， and trends and new opportunities in retailing and sourcing， moderated by The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel （HKRITA）， CELC PROMOTION and Trendstop， respectively – will take place on the first two days of the fair.

●Verve for Design exhibitors set to benefit from maturing domestic market

Further design and trend inspiration will be on display in the fairs Verve for Design zone， which features a number of leading original design studios from Australia， Italy， Japan， Korea and the UK. Some of those already confirmed to exhibit in this zone include Alex & Kate， Amanda Kelly， Anteprima Disegni， Atelier Mineeda， Bernini Studio， Boggia Disegni， Camilla Frances Prints， Canvas Print Studios， Circleline Design Studio， Design Union， Fairbairn & Wolf Studio， Karolina York， Longina Phillips Designs， New Age， Nix and Whiston and Wright.

Italys Bernini Studio return to Intertextile Shanghai after many years exhibiting at the fair， and reported last edition that demand was stronger in China than some of their other key markets as economic growth slowed in certain countries.“Buyers here are getting more professional now compared to six years ago； they know much more what they want in terms of original designs. Its the time of the brands here in China now so theres so much potential for original designs. Demand is slowly building in China still. In this sector， Shanghai is like Los Angeles， its always looking to innovate and doesnt stop buying just because the economy slows，” Mr. Daniele Sidraschi explained.

Milano Unica Pavilion returns to Intertextile Shanghai following 20% increase in buyers last October

Amongst the many high-quality offerings in Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics premium SalonEurope area is the Milano Unica Pavilion， which will feature again at the 2017 Spring Edition in March following a highly successful showing last October. The pavilion， which is by invitation only， recorded a 20% increase in buyers compared to the previous Autumn Edition of Intertextile Shanghai， with Milano Unica pleased with not just this growth but a rise in the quality of the buyers too. “We registered an important increase in high quality clients，” Mr. Ercole Botto Poala， President of Milano Unica commented as the fair closed last year.

Milano Unica are also optimistic about the coming year， with Botto Poala noting that exports of Italian textiles to China grew by around 3% in 2015， and in 2017 he expects demand for Italian womenswear fabrics to grow. “I trust 2017 will be a positive year not only for menswear fabrics -comments from the womenswear textile mills [at the fair] highlight a constant increase in quality visitors and knowledgeable choices of products，”he said.

SalonEurope also attracts buyers looking for high-quality offerings with its country pavilions， which this edition includes the France Zone and Germany Zone. Since its debut in 2015， the France Zone has become an instant favourite with buyers thanks to the prestigious brands exhibiting there， which this edition includes the likes of Goutarel SA， Malhia Kent， Promostyl and Solstiss Sarl. The Germany Zone will also feature well-known industry names including Transfertex， a leader in pattern designs and digital & transfer printing， and Union Knopf with its wide range of quality accessories. Apart from these three countries， individual exhibitors from Denmark， Switzerland， Turkey and the UK are amongst those already confirmed to exhibit in SalonEurope.

●Five Asian pavilions including debut showing from India to feature

Asia is well represented again at Intertextile Shanghai， with country and region pavilions from Japan， Korea， Taiwan， India and Pakistan housed in the International Hall. The Japan Pavilion， organised by the Japan Fashion Week Organization， will feature exhibitors of high-quality cotton， manmade and knitted fabrics， and lace and embroidery for womenswear. The Korea Pavilion will highlight the countrys expertise in innovative products， with a range of man-made and functional fabrics on offer thanks to the Korea Fashion Textile Association. The Taiwan Textile Federations Taiwan Pavilion will showcase knitting fabrics， lace and embroidery， functional and man-made fabrics， as well as blended yarns.

Representing India for the first time at the fair is the Powerloom Development & Export Promotion Council Pavilion. Exhibitors in this pavilion will highlight their cotton， linen / ramie， man-made and lace & embroidery products. And the Pakistan Pavilion， which is organized by the Commercial Section， Embassy of Pakistan features exhibitors of cotton fabrics for casual wear and jeanswear.

●New Lenzing Group Pavilion to showcase latest innovations

As one of the industrys leading innovators， Lenzing will organize their own Group Pavilion for the first time at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics- Spring Edition to allow their partner mills to showcase cutting-edge textile products. 25 of these mills will exhibit a range of cotton， man-made， knitted， lace and embroidery， and fibre and yarn products made from Lenzings raw materials.

In addition to Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics， four other textile fairs are taking place concurrently at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. These include Yarn Expo Spring （hall 5.1）， Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles - Spring Edition （hall 4.2）， CHIC （halls 1， 2， 3 & 4.1） and PH Value （hall 3）.