First time exhibitors, Shantou Ding Tai Feng Industry Co Ltd, a regular participant at Texworld Paris and USA were pleasantly surprised with the good business on-site. "I love this show! During these three days, I have met with international brands such as H&M and Macy's plus many more buyers from Germany and France. Most of them are looking for natural coloured dyed linen for the spring season," explained Ms Eva Zhao, Manager for the China based manufacturer.
In addition to the array of fashion, functional and eco textiles, a major topic of concern this spring was the tight cotton supply and growing market demand. “We have had to extend our delivery period from 4 to 6 weeks as our cotton yarn suppliers are running out of stock, which in turn has delayed our manufacturing processes. We certainly hope the situation improves this year,” said Mr Cody Choi, International Sales Department Director for Shinhwa Plus Co Ltd.
According to Ms Karin Malstrom, Director for Cotton Council International, China, the cotton industry is now crossing new territory. “These types of open discussions help people to think of creative ways to meet the challenges that we are facing today.”
Industry brands were eager to attend Ms Malstrom's seminar where she gave a cotton market overview. “It's very important to be here and exchange ideas as most of us in the industry have been affected by the raw material shortage,” observed Mr Kenneth Tsang from Triumph International Hong Kong.
One thing is certain, lower production yields have given rise to firm cotton costs. “Although buyers are willing to pay for the higher cotton prices, they are ordering lower quantities this season however our woven's and knits have also been in demand,” commented Mr YJ Woo, Sales Department Chief for R & D Textile Co Ltd from Korea.
“It's also important to emphasize the buyers end-use which ultimately dictates what types of fabrics they will buy,” remarked Ms Florence S.H. Kwok, General manager, Textile Division for the innovative Japanese fabric manufacturer Toray.
The functional filament fabrics specialist, who recently collaborated with UNIQLO to create the popular heat tech fabrics, was also one of 16 exhibitors that participated in the 'Fabrics to Fashion' walk, a fashion design co-operation with students at Raffles International Hong Kong. ”It was so exciting for us to see our fabrics on stage and we feel very proud to be able to take part in this special event.”
“The fashion show was great – it brought extra attention to our booth and we certainly plan to get more of our suppliers to donate their fabrics,” said Mr Kim, Chang-Soo, General Manager for the Korea Textile Center, a representative of 48 textile suppliers from Korea. “Overall we are very pleased to meet so many outdoor and sportswear brands for the European market – it's the best show for us!”
Visitors were equally as impressed with the show. “It's a good destination to catch up with contacts, see the upcoming trends as well as a great source for the latest market information,” observed Ms Sonja Gottschlich, Project Manager, Sustainability Apparel for Puma World Cat Limited.
Messe Frankfurt is Germany's leading trade fair organiser, with 450 million euros in sales in 2010 and more than 1,770 employees worldwide.
Interstoff Asia Essential Spring
20240830145952.gif)
.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "UBM China (Shanghai)")
-Ltd..jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Thermore (Far East) Ltd.")
