Intertextile Shanghai sets new exhibitor & visitor record

29 Nov '14

5 min read

Of particular interest for visitors was the Educational Zone, which featured the Oeko-Tex Pavilion, with certifiers and testers in this area reporting increasing demand for their services in China.

Messe Frankfurt opines that for many local companies, Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is their first choice to exhibit as they appreciate the internationalism of the fair, and diversity and quality of buyers compared to other shows in the country.

For instance, Huafu Top Dyed Melange Yarn, a leading company in the Chinese textile industry, was impressed with the number of buyers that the fair attracts.

Marketing Supervisor Lynn Chen outlined, “The proportion of overseas visitors is higher here compared to other fairs too, and there are a lot from Europe and the US. This is one of the most important exhibitions in the Asian fabrics industry.”

Buyers came from 93 countries and regions this year, and their praise for the fair was just as diverse. First-time visitor Suzy Haber Wakefield from at US firm Carole Hochman Design Group was impressed by the size of the fair.

She exclaimed by saying, “My first impression is wow, how big the show is! I get to see a lot of vendors here so it’s great, and I will definitely return next year.”

Canadian buyer James Bottoms from The Unisync Group was visiting the fair for the first time and said, “I have found everything I was looking for plus a lot more. I plan to stay here for a few days and go home with lots of great ideas.”

Many buyers also expressed that the fair was a good place to discover new products and ideas, including Marcus Lansden from Vibes Base of the US.

“Knit denim is the new trend in the market at the moment, and I found some good Chinese suppliers for this. I’ve found some good new things, and we’re finding more and more quality products here which is important for us,” he informed.

Chinese buyer Lei Hu from Lufeng Co Ltd agreed with this sentiment by adding, “Every time I come here I leave with many new ideas. What’s also pleasing is that the quality of exhibitors keeps getting better every year.”

In addition to the 15 halls full of fabrics and accessories, the fair’s fringe programme also provided participants with a wide range of design and trend ideas, as well as the latest market news and industry technologies.

This year’s expanded programme included five international and domestic trend forums, two fabric design competitions, more than 35 seminars, a round table meeting where the future of the industry in the region was discussed, and the debut GOTS Forum.

Many buyers made the trend forums their first port of call to discover next season’s fashion trends before heading to see exhibitors.

Next year will see the fair continue to evolve with the 23rd China International Fashion Fair 2015, also known as CHIC, to be held concurrently with the Spring Edition in March. (AR)

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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