The 35th Texworld trade fair, which took place in Paris from 15-18 September 2014, has recorded an increase in visitor numbers by 5.16% compared with the previous edition.

The event welcomed 15,034 visitors from 109 countries and hosted 881 exhibitors from 28 nations - all this during a strike of Air France.

“Buyers throughout the industry appreciate Texworld for its ability to react to demand and because of the improvements made every season. The fair demonstrated the resilience of the textile market”, said Michael Scherpe, CEO of Messe Frankfurt France.

International visitors

Visitor numbers from the six major countries were up, with a noteworthy resurgence by Italy (+23%), whilst recovery was evident in respect of France (+4%), Turkey (+4%), Germany (+3%), Spain (+1.5%) and the UK (+1.5%). Double-digit growth was seen from Bulgaria (+64%), Norway (+25%), Ireland (+22%) and Poland (+20%).

Outside Europe, Asia and the Middle East also supported the fair, with China up by 8%, South Korea up by 33%, Japan up by 9.5%, Hong Kong was up by 21%, the UAE up by 22%, Kuwait up by 50% and Lebanon up by 21%. South America was represented by its two principal markets - Brazil (+10%) and Argentina (+33%). In total, the international contingent accounted for 86% of the visitors.

Latest trends

Impulsion, the theme of Texworld’s winter trends for 2015/16, made a powerful impression on visitors with its insight, concept and the direction taken by the artistic directors, Louis Gérin and Grégory Lamaud.

They selected the most innovative fabrics and products for the main Trend Forum and for the segments of womenswear, menswear, casual wear, sportswear, eco-friendly clothing, denim and accessories.

A new seasonal tool was the Fabric Selection, a fifty-page book containing 172 striking fabrics for the winter 2015/16 season. All categories of material were represented, expressing the spirit of the season by playing with textures and reinventing prints.

Vibrant collections

Visitors were able to enjoy two fashion shows - Haute Couture by the designer Eymeric François and a show by prize winners from the Dinard Festival - Maël Larcher, winner of this year’s Grand Prix Création Homme, Manix Wong, a prize winner in 2010, the duo of Kyuho Lee and Cécile Dallançon, 2013 winners, and Marie- Morgane Dumont, who carried off the Prix d’encouragement.

They were also able to view fantasy neo-dandy creations by third-year ESMOD students majoring in knits.

Sustainability days

Sustainability Days were a highlight at Texworld with seven lectures dedicated to sustainable development topics held in the two days it took place. At this event, there were 54 manufacturers, knitters and denim makers from 13 countries listed on the Sustainable Sourcing Itinerary.

Leading international movers and shakers such as Jason Kibbey of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Claudia Kersten of Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) and Hendrine Stelwagen of Wellmade attended the round tables, which covered sourcing, certification, social responsibility and sustainable development issues.

www.texworld.messefrankfurt.com