The Spring Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics will take place from 8-10 March 2023 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). Despite the headwinds facing the global economy, China remains both the world’s biggest market and exporter of apparel fabrics, presenting innumerable opportunities to textile industry players – something that the upcoming fair will help participants exploit. The previous edition attracted nearly 2600 exhibitors from 17 countries and regions, and over 80,000 buyers from 57 countries and regions.

Ms Wilmet Shea, Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, is looking forward to the fair: “With this year’s Autumn Edition merging with next year’s Spring Edition, participants are even more eager to join and seize the business opportunities in S/S 2023. As a globally recognised sourcing platform, the fair will enable face-to-face business interactions between exhibitors and visitors, while up-to-date trend information will allow buyers to make informed sourcing decisions.”

The fair is structured for visitors’ convenience, and specialised product zones will be apparent throughout the fair’s halls. Featured zones include Accessories Vision, All About Sustainability, Beyond Denim, Digital Printing Zone, Functional Lab, Premium Wool Zone, SalonEurope, and Verve for Design. The fair will also see the return of country and region pavilions from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, and domestic exhibitors will be grouped by product end-use.

Due to the wide range of buyers that visit the fairground, exhibitors hold the show in high regard. At the previous edition, Ms Elisa Ravera, Asia Sales Manager at RATTI S.p.A, explained: “At Intertextile Apparel we can meet our domestic clients and present our new European products to the domestic market. Our experience at this edition has been successful and we have met many customers. The fair is also a good opportunity for us to maintain existing relationships.”

For their part, visitors are also looking forward to the return of the fair and its exhibitors. “Intertextile Apparel offers a rich variety of fabrics and gathers many outstanding exhibitors in the textile industry, which helps us achieve our sourcing goals easily and efficiently. It has been our favoured sourcing platform for many years,” said Ms Lin Chen, Fabric Developer at Ever-Glory International Group Corporation.

Participants will also be able to catch up with the latest industry developments via Intertextile Apparel’s Trend Forum, seminars, panel discussions and product presentations – which cover topics on Design and Trends, Market Information & Business Strategies, Sustainability Issues, and Technology and Solutions.

“I come to both editions of Intertextile Apparel to find inspiration every year, not just at the Trend Forum but also from exhibitors who showcase their latest materials and fabrics onsite,” said Ms Bella Lin, Designer at CGC (Shanghai) Corporation. “With the development of technology, more designs and concepts can be launched and promoted. The trends explored at Intertextile Apparel are not unsubstantial, instead the fair combines current cutting-edge products to explore future trending colours and fabric textures – this is market- and consumer-orientated, so it is a strong reference for designers.”

For added value, fairgoers can make use of online business matching services, including Connect PLUS and one-to-one Zoom meetings. As the apparel fair is held concurrently with Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition, Yarn Expo Spring, CHIC and PH Value, the entire textile value chain can be found under one roof, providing an extended platform for business networking opportunities.

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition 2023 is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre.

www.intertextileapparel.com