The 27th Texworld exhibition took place against the very glamorous backdrop of Designers & Fashion, Fabric Experience, the sensory circuit at the heart of fabric dreamed up by the artistic directors for the show: a show that was more more than positive and that is part of a trend, already conspicuous at exhibitions held in the autumn season.
14,764 visitors passed through the aisles at Texworld during the 4 days of the show, – visitor figures in terms of traffic (visits) provided by Messe Frankfurt – which represents – compared to the 14,871 visitors in September 2009 – a drop of 0.7%. Nonetheless, the exhibition experienced a rise of 3.3% in terms of actual visitors.
The presence of European buyers remains stable on the whole (a significant increase in those from Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Austria; a slight drop in those from Germany, Greece and Spain). A conspicuous improvement in visitors from the United States, Canada, Chile, Peru, Australia, Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, as well as Thailand and Japan. A decrease in the number of visitors from India, South Korea and Taiwan.
The very positive atmosphere overall was conducive to business for most of the 885 exhibitors (of whom 150 are clothing manufacturers), who are on the whole more than satisfied with this show. "We are more than delighted that our exhibitors have experienced a very good show, conducive to business for most, excellent for some", says a satisfied Michael Scherpe, President of Messe Frankfurt.
All the players in the sector were there for the rendezvous: from ready-to-wear labels to the high volume retail sector, from the major fashion chains to young designers, they all came to discover what exhibitors had to offer and to discover trends for winter 2011/12, to scout for many a novelty, like the double-face denim for wearing night and day, functional textiles that are 30% lighter weight for improved performance, camel wool with its suppleness and ease of wear....
"Very pleasantly surprised by the range of fabrics and the quality of services offered by exhibitors" is how Malla Haapanen from the Finnish label Marimekko describes her first visit to the show in the search for new suppliers. Just like François Tudeau from the major Canadian stores La Maison Simons who came to "search for fabrics for our own collections".
On the whole there has been a distinct improvement in the quality of products offered. Exhibitors from Asia have adapted their ranges to Western markets, and some did not hesitate to call upon Italian designers in order to achieve this. "The collection developed in partnership with Italian designers has been a real success" says Ajay Joshi, Export Marketing Manager at BSL Ltd., with satisfaction. "A premiere that will be certain to give rise to many opportunities for collaboration", he continues.
Wool, fake fur, cotton, silk and functional textiles experienced outstanding success. The same applied to denim, where exhibitors rivalled each other in terms of imagination and technical innovation. Also much sought after were end products: the Belgian manufacturer Mabo Fashion – whose stand was never empty at any point during the show and who specialises in 100% cotton shirts – declared themselves to be "very satisfied" even as early as the second day.
Similarly, eco-friendly textiles are in great demand not only from major labels, which are maintaining their commitment to organic production, but also from young designers who are introducing eco-friendly clothes into their collections in order to respond to demand on the part of consumers that, while still low at the moment, is growing.
Messe Frankfurt France S.A.S.
marketing@alchempro.com
