The show welcomed 94,661 visitors. © Messe Frankfurt / Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics

Back-to-back visitor increase of 15% has solidified Intertextile Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition’s status as a global apparel textile flagship. The show welcomed 94,661 visitors from over 110 countries and regions. “After already experiencing a significant increase in last year’s Spring Edition visitor numbers, and with muted reports coming from some industry events earlier in the Spring/Summer sourcing calendar, we were not expecting such a strong increase again this edition,” said Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK).

“However, it’s apparent that no matter the economic situation, the unrivalled scale and variety of Intertextile Apparel’s exhibitors means that trade buyers worldwide continue to choose this fair as their main Spring/Summer sourcing platform, year after year. We look forward to welcoming the global apparel industry back for their Autumn/Winter sourcing from 25–27 September, for our 25th anniversary.”

This year’s Spring Edition housed 3,273 exhibitors from 23 countries and regions over six halls at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (Shanghai). This included an increase of 12% in overseas exhibitors. The top 10 visitor countries and regions this year were Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, India, the US, Taiwan, Russia, Italy, Vietnam and Spain.

The invitation-only Milano Unica Pavilion had a 20% increase in visitor numbers compared to the 2018 Spring Edition and reported a more than satisfactory presence of Chinese buyers, including those who could not visit Milan in February due to the overlap with the Chinese New Year holiday.

Busy SalonEurope. © Messe Frankfurt / Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics

“We’ve had a lot of good customers come to our booth during the first two days, who’ve made sample orders. Our target is Chinese buyers, but we’ve also had European and Korean buyers come to our booth. As a Swiss brand, we have a high quality and price, and a very good standard of finishing, and domestic buyers recognise us for these things. We have also had a lot of customers come to our booth saying they saw us in the Trend Forum. Next time, we will have a bigger booth,” said Irina De Giorgi, Sales Manager, Ideas by Glarotex, Switzerland, presenting at SalonEurope.

Nadia Schincardi, Export Manager, Tessitura Monti, Italy, represented the brand at Milano Unica. “We have over 20 years of experience exhibiting with Intertextile, and we find new clients every time. Intertextile is an important bridge between Western and European products and the China market. That enables the Chinese buyers to source products that are not available in their local market. At the same time, it helps to expand our brand exposure in the Chinese market,” she said.

Business interaction at this year’s Intertextile Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition. © Messe Frankfurt / Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics

Among exhibitors at the Premium Wool Zone was a Chinese company Beijing Vitality Textiles (Stylbiella). “This edition’s visitor numbers and quality has exceeded our expectations. I estimate we’ve already met with around 150 good quality visitors. Intertextile Apparel has 25 years of history, and in menswear, it’s already the most important trade show in China. So if you do menswear, if you look for quality fabrics or yarns, then I think Intertextile Apparel is a must-see global trade show. This fair works,” commented Ning Zhang, President.

Gary Hsueh, Sales Manager, Artex Textiles, Taiwan, presented the company innovations at the show’s Functional Lab. “We’ve exhibited at Intertextile for over a decade and have witnessed its development. As such a renowned and professional exhibition, it is highly organised, which is convenient for visitors. We also can meet a lot of elite buyers here. They are taking a strong interest in functional and eco-friendly fabrics, which is also the main industry trend. We are optimistic about the China apparel and fabric market. The bustling scene on the fairground also proves that the market has big potential.”

www.intertextileapparel.com