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Fibres/​Yarns/​Fabrics

Intertextile Shanghai expands its functional fabrics offerings

As with all the product zones at the fair, the newly launched Performance Lab is responding to a current need in the market.

23rd September 2015

Innovation in Textiles
 |  Shanghai

Clothing/​Footwear, Sustainable

This includes the debut of the Performance Lab, a platform for the high-performance activewear market, the returning All About Sustainability and Innotex Space zones, as well as the Planet Textiles Summit on textiles and sustainability, which takes place on 14 October.

Buyers looking for cutting-edge products can also find them in the Innotex Space area. This year, around 70 companies will be displaying their new textile applications at the trade fair that takes place from 13-15 October in Shanghai, and innovative technologies and products, with a number of these also giving seminar presentations to further explain their offerings.

Performance Lab

As with all the product zones at the fair, the Performance Lab is responding to a current need in the market and matching demand from buyers, according to organisers. Particularly in China, but also in many other markets, the growth in smart, functional fabrics for high-performance activewear and other garments is very strong.

Responding to this growth by participating in the debut Performance Lab at Intertextile Shanghai are a number of leading brands including Nilit, Nylstar, Thermore, Toyobo and Unifi. A group pavilion by the Korea Chemical Fibers Association will also feature, with their members such as Huvis, Hyosung and Toray Chemical Korea participating.

In addition to the overseas exhibitors in the Performance Lab, over 330 Chinese suppliers will also showcase functional wear and sportswear fabrics in hall 5.1, which also includes Innotex Space, to offer an even more diverse range of options for buyers.

Sustainability platforms

While functional fabrics are a current growth area in the global apparel market, so too is the issue of sustainability in the fashion and textiles industry. Those interested in products, services or just the latest knowledge in this area, can find them all in the returning All About Sustainability zone and the Planet Textiles Summit.

While functional fabrics are a current growth area in the global apparel market. © Messe Frankfurt / Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn edition

The former expands in size this year by nearly 30% as the zone becomes more established at the fair. Some of the participants include Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), Ecocent and UL VS, while Bros Eastern, Handseltex Industry, New Wide Group and Unifi Textiles (Suzhou) will present sustainable fabrics and garments in the ecoBoutique display area.

The Planet Textiles Summit will take place on 14 October, and is jointly presented by MCL Global and Messe Frankfurt (HK). In total, 10 presentations from leading experts in the field of sustainability will take place, covering both global and China-specific topics.

New panel discussions and digital printing forum

This year’s fringe programme will feature over 25 seminars, forums, panel discussions and product presentations. In the design and trend category, a number of seminars will explain different aspects of next season’s fashion trends, with organisations such as PeclersParis, Elementi Moda, Promostyl and Idem Elena Marchesini ITALIAN FASHION DESIGN giving presentations.

With sustainability being a big focus of the fair, the representatives of Hohenstein Institute, Better Cotton Initiative, American & Efird and Unifi will conduct seminars. Five panel discussions will also feature for the first time, with topics focusing on new materials, designers’ insights into fibres, colours, inspiration and innovations, the opportunities presented by e-commerce, and the impact of the activewear trend.

www.intertextileapparel.com

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