50th INNATEX to begin from July 29 in Germany

“Yes, it’s keeping us busy, but our beloved INNATEX will only be 25 years old once,” said MUVEO managing director Jens Frey. “I’d say with this summer edition, we are focusing particularly on three areas: community and knowledge sharing, orders and business, and also having a great time together in a festival atmosphere.”

According to INNATEX project manager Alexander Hitzel, one highlight is the community area, which will bring together a range of experts. In short lounge talks, they will reveal insights into what they are currently working on and a dialogue format encourages personal discussion. Mirjam Smend from Greenstyle Munich, will introduce her recently launched sustainability magazine, Pureviu, and facilitate the morning talks, the organiser Muveo GmbH said in a press release.

Alongside standard bodies such as IVN and GOTS, which have taken part in INNATEX for many years, younger projects such as Fairmodel and the digital platform Retraced will be part of this special area. Fairtrade Germany, Femnet and the VDMD are to be found there too. Almost all of them are joining in with the Ask Me Anything dialogue format.

“We want to celebrate 25 years of green fashion, But we are also here to work. INNATEX is not just an ordering fair, but a community that stands out for its multifaceted nature. The fact that the catalogue represents so many different styles, generations, situations and product categories is, of course, also a benefit to retailers, whom we are attracting this year with new initiatives. In the back-office we are making a coordinated effort to communicate what INNATEX has to offer and its benefits to buyers. We can offer guidance or a guided tour, for example, depending on what is asked of us,” said Hitzel.

The supportive activities that had to be suspended during the pandemic are enjoying a comeback at this year’s summer fair: five newcomers to INNATEX designated DesignDiscoveries will be presenting their projects in another special area. Vegtus, from Barcelona, produces sneakers and other products from cactus leather. Natural textiles such as organic cotton are used by Lounge Cherie, a yoga fashion label.

Regular INNATEX exhibitors include, as usual, pioneers such as Lana, Chapati and Didymos, all of whom are also celebrating anniversaries. Labels such as Anokho with their colourful accessories in jacquard fabrics and Danish label Angel Circle with its plus-size fashion are exhibiting for the first time.

“For an exhibition centre, the surroundings here are already relatively attractive and green, and now we’re making our space even more attractive,” added Hitzel.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)