Shanghai, 8 February 2024. With environmental awareness a core concern for the global apparel industry, innovative solutions now abound across the entire value chain. From organic cotton fibres to recycled polyester zippers, exhibitors at the upcoming Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition will be showcasing a comprehensive range of sustainable textiles, accessories, and solutions. Set to take place from 6 – 8 March 2024, over 3,000 international and domestic exhibitors will be spread across seven halls and 190,000 sqm at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). Key zones include Accessories Vision, All About Sustainability, Beyond Denim, Digital Printing Zone, Functional Lab, and more.
While Accessories Vision will be located in Hall 1.2 and Beyond Denim in hall 7.1, the remaining specialty zones will be featured alongside other product-specific exhibitors in the International Hall (5.1). Meanwhile, domestic suppliers will be grouped by product end-use, with categories including ladieswear (6.2 & 7.2); suiting and shirting (6.1); casualwear, synthetic leather and fur (7.1); as well as functional wear, sportswear, lingerie, and children and infants wear (8.1). Elements of sustainability will be exhibited throughout, with shifting consumer demand and legal requirements, such as the EU Industrial Emissions Directive , making eco-friendliness more prudent than ever.
This focus corresponds with “Texpertise Econogy”, the new umbrella for sustainability activities at Messe Frankfurt’s more than 50 textile trade shows worldwide. At next month’s Intertextile Apparel, textile suppliers from 25 countries and regions will showcase various solutions, with one key exhibitor per zone highlighted below:
Accessories Vision – IDEAL Fastener Asia (Hong Kong)
The fabric of IDEAL Earth zippers is created using recycled polyester, and, in collaboration with REPREVE, the company has prevented over 111 million plastic bottles from entering landfills. At the fair, IDEAL will be showcasing a wide range of auto-lock and semi-lock zippers, utilised for activewear, denim, luxury, outerwear, vintage, and other categories.
All About Sustainability – TESTEX (Switzerland)
The OEKO-TEX Pavilion is set to gather various exhibitors utilising and promoting its sustainability accreditation services, including TESTEX AG, Shaoxing Global Chemical Fiber, and Shanghai SCM Environmental Services. As a founding member of OEKO-TEX®, TESTEX is an independent Swiss testing and certification institute, and an important player in terms of traceability for the global leather and textile industry.
Beyond Denim – Orta Anadolu (Türkiye)
ORTA’s sustainability initiatives include developing a regenerative denim platform to increase the eco-friendliness of manufacturing standards, and Blueskyer Denim, its range produced using recycled, bio-dyed viscose. At the fair, the company will be showcasing various coloured and textured denim fabrics used to manufacture jeans, jackets, dresses, and more.
Digital Printing Zone – Rapalloto (Hong Kong)
The company’s sustainable fabric series encompasses options suitable for fashion swimwear, competition swimwear, activewear, and lingerie. With quality and trends core focuses, Rapalloto manufactures warp knit and circular knit, digitally printed textiles at its production base in Hong Kong.
Functional Lab – HeiQ (Switzerland)
By providing hygiene, comfort, protection, and sustainability, the Swiss material innovator is a prevalent sourcing stop for manufacturers of activewear, athleisure, outerwear, and sportswear. The company provides a range of finishing technology, from jacket insulation for MAMMUT and SALOMON created from recycled Nespresso pods, to mint-based odour-control infusions for the BOSS Green Collection.
Speaking at the previous Spring Edition, Ms Jeanie Hu, Greater China Marketing Director at HeiQ, said: “Buyers are more eager to possess knowledge of new technology and innovations, which is our company’s strength. They are interested in our booth, and it has been flooded with visitors. The fair has helped us increase our brand awareness in the country, and showcase to our target market. The scale of the concurrent fairs is huge and the presence of so many industry players is useful to attract more visitors.”
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. The fair is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre.
Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition will be held from 6 – 8 March 2024.
