Report summary

The fairs were held in a positive spirit, reflecting the fact that the events were the first physical spring/summer fabric fairs to be staged since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020.

That said, sporadic surges in COVID-19 infection rates made it difficult for organisers, exhibitors and visitors to plan for the fairs and, as a result, some organisers faced calls to cancel their events.

The key topic at the fairs was that of environmental sustainability and there was a strong focus on biodegradable fabrics and recyclable fabrics. Indeed, many exhibitors and visitors acknowledged that the textile and apparel industry is facing mounting pressures to improve the recyclability of its products in order to move towards a circular economy.

These pressures are being exacerbated by the introduction of EU laws—including regulations relating to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which will come into force in the 27 EU member states from December 2024.

In response to these pressures, some manufacturers turned to the development of advanced mono material fabrics in order to optimise the recyclability of their collections while others looked to cellulosic fibres following recent advancements in recycling technology.

In terms of colour, fabrics at the fairs were particularly restrained and mellow compared with previous seasons, and undyed fabrics in natural colour options were prominent. Print and pattern designs were heavily influenced by 1970s subculture, psychedelic imagery, folklore, geometry and traditional African and aboriginal imagery.

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Publisher: Textiles Intelligence

'Survey of the European fabric fairs for spring/summer 2023'

24 pages, published in July 2022 

Report price: Euro 450.00; US$ 590.00 

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