After three days of steady business, new discoveries and networking amongst the global industry, the leading apparel fabrics and accessories trade fair for the Spring/Summer season closed its doors this month with another exhibitor record set.

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition hosted 3,341 exhibitors from 26 countries and regions, a 5.9% increase on 2016. The buyer number remained steady this edition, with around 71,000 visitors from 103 countries and regions attending. This included buyers from the concurrent Yarn Expo, CHIC and PH Value fairs who also attended Intertextile Shanghai.

“This fair is one of the most important events for the worldwide textile market, and the strong business results for exhibitors and buyers this edition once again validates this. The amount of new business that was generated here this week, as expressed by many exhibitors, was the most pleasing aspect for us,” commented Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK).

“This is due in part, we believe, to our efforts over the last few editions to improve the quality of buyers sourcing at the fair, as well as a strong focus on our product zones which target the growth areas of the market. We have also continued our work with the venue to ensure service standards continue to improve, which has provided a more conducive environment all-round for business to take place.”

New business for exhibitors

Amongst the many exhibitors reporting strong results were two world-renowned brands who were returning to the fair. “Although we are always exhibiting here, we still see new people at the fair and can always find potential customers,” said Eberhard Ganns, Managing Director of German company Union Knopf (HK).

“Many of the companies in China are growing in size as well as quality, so they are interested in our products. Around 70% of people to our booth have been new and interested customers, so Intertextile Shanghai is the show to be at and is an absolute must.” According to Mr Ganns, around 20% of visitors were from overseas, including Asia, Europe and the US.

Hyundai Chemical from Korea has been participating in the Spring and Autumn Editions of the fair for four years. “In the past two days of the fair, we have obtained over 50 business contacts from both new and existing clients. A large number of the contacts were domestic Chinese buyers, while buyers from the Americas and Europe also showed genuine interest in our latest products,” commented Youn Seok Jang, Overseas Sales Team Manager. “The fair keeps getting better year after year, and we are able to connect with enough new buyers every edition to make it worthwhile for us to come back repeatedly.”

Leading sourcing platform

Returning American buyer Steven Fuller, Director Men’s Woven’s, Tommy Bahama, was at the fair to source unique and innovative fabrics. “I have been to many of the previous editions and I can confidently say that this is one of the most comprehensive sourcing platforms for our company to gain business contacts. There is no place in the region that has this many suppliers to choose from.”

“I met with companies who develop their own fabrics, and have also had the chance to speak with the product developers which is helpful in explaining the nature of their product. This also makes Intertextile a central meeting hub for key industry players. This edition we connected with over 20 suppliers, while having already placed orders with four of them, including from China, Korea and Taiwan. Overall, I am very pleased with the fair and like every year, it is able to fulfil our sourcing needs. We will most definitely be back again this October.”

www.intertextileapparel.com