To discover the feeling on the ground at Intertextile Apparel’s Spring Edition, Messe Frankfurt spoke with fairgoers about their experiences, their forecast for the Chinese market and new trends and changes they’ve observed over the past year.
With business very much resuming in China, the textile market is moving full steam ahead on a fast track of recovery, witnessing a strong rebound and even increased growth from before the pandemic. This market recovery is accompanied by developing pandemic related trends, most notably a surge in demand for functional and sustainable products.
Over the past year, Intertextile has continued to connect the textile industry to help exhibitors and buyers capitalise on the fast recovering Chinese market and to delve into new trends. The Spring Edition in March welcomed nearly 2,600 exhibitors from 17 countries and regions, along with 80,533 buyers. The fair’s All About Sustainabilitby and Functional Lab zones in particular remain as popular as ever, with sustainability and innovation at the forefront of many Chinese buyers’ minds.
The concurrently held Yarn Expo Spring was also warmly welcomed by the industry in March, amidst a backdrop of optimism for the domestic market’s recovery. 387 exhibitors from six countries and regions joined the fair, whilst 21,204 visitors gathered to source a wide range of yarns and fibres.
Of course, many businesses have been restricted by travel limitations, so both fairs have has introduced a range of hybrid and online solutions to enable easy and efficient participation for overseas suppliers and buyers. These solutions will again be on offer at the Autumn Edition this August, including enhanced hybrid options, so you don’t need to miss out on the business potential.
This August, Chinese representatives of overseas brands are welcome to join the fair in-person with an onsite showcase. But for companies unable to join physically, a Hybrid Exhibition Package is available which includes an onsite showcase to display products, whilst exhibitors can utilise the fair’s online platforms for business matching and to schedule video meetings with buyers. More detailed information about the different participation options can be found at the end of this article.
A year on from the start of the pandemic, what’s changed in the Chinese market?
Quality over quantity and a demand for new, unique products are the reported stand-out changes from the past year. Accompanied by an increased popularity for pandemic-related products such as anti-bacterial, hygiene-focused and sustainable fabrics and solutions, the Chinese market has observed several shifts since the start of the pandemic, posing greater opportunities for innovative suppliers.
Mr Tianzhong Dong, Vice President, Hua Mao Nano-Tech (Shanghai) AN Office, China: “Our pavilion is quite crowded because everyone is looking for new and interesting products. Because of the pandemic, anti-bacterial, anti-virus and other health concepts are popular. Also, environmental protection is certainly a hot topic, including recycled, sustainable and organic products. I think China's demand for interesting and unique products moves very fast; every year people want something new, pushing us to make changes in raw materials, to create new selling points, and to develop our fabrics, packaging and publicity.”
Mr Yonghui Zheng, Manager, Shanghai IRIS Garment Accessories, China: “Our products are made with eco-friendly materials and are biodegradable which meets the biggest sourcing needs in China. Major brands here are becoming more aware of environmental protection and the demand is higher than in previous years. I think the demand for sustainable products in China will become even greater in the future.”
Mr Hui Zhang, Regional Sales Manager, Beijing Vitality Textiles Co Ltd, China: “Within the industry, this is a professional show and people want to come and see what's new. So far this year we have noticed more people will order small quantities, unlike before. They will also order more patterns, brands and categories. In terms of consumer trends, people are now paying more attention to the functional fabrics, such as anti-bacterial and renewable products, which I think will prove to be even more popular in the future.”
Ms Claire Zhou, Senior Purchasing Specialist, Ellassay Fashion, China: “As the whole world is paying more attention to environmental protection, our company is focusing on sustainably developed products. In fact, our company’s chairman raised a very important sustainable development goal this year and we even hired a world renowned sustainable development consultant.”
Ms Lynn Bao, Marketing Executive, Bros Eastern Co. Ltd, China: “Targeting the market changes amid COVID, we brought functional products including anti-bacterial viscose fibres and plant dyes which match with the current market trends. Intertextile is an influential and well-known platform for the industry and we are able to discover the latest trends here.”
Ms Karen Du, Managing Director of R.I.S.E. Sustainable Fashion Lab, China (forum speaker): “At this edition, it is clear that the suppliers have become more and more ‘green’, which is great. When the pandemic first broke out, people speculated about whether there would be retaliatory consumption afterwards, but this didn’t happen. Consumers are reflecting on their relationship with the environment, which is key for the promotion of sustainable fashion. There was a full house at the forum which I think reflects the Chinese market’s attention towards sustainable issues.”
Ms May Wu, Fabric Purchaser, CPAX Ltd, China: “Although there are fewer overseas exhibitors, the overseas hall still gathered high-quality suppliers from Korea, Japan, the UK and other regions. Through the fair’s new Hybrid Showcase display area, I even discovered a high-quality fibre supplier, Sateri. I’m very interested in their sustainable and environmentally friendly Lyocell and EcoCosy fabrics. As the industry is paying more attention to regenerated, natural, eco-friendly and protective products, I also observed that more suppliers are beginning to invest in sustainable products. I think these trends are bound to be the future direction of China’s market.”
Ms Annie Chen, Chief Delegate, Korea Textile Center, Korea: “Through this fair and by communicating with buyers, we provide our Korean factories with more information about current popular trends in China. We have observed that many sports brands in China are paying more attention to antibacterial and malleable products, in line with recent trends, so we have showcased these products at the fair. We also promote anti-mosquito and quick-drying products that have become more popular.”
Ms Yi Zhao, Associate Professor, Donghua University, China (forum speaker): “The pandemic has changed our way of thinking and we now have a deeper consideration for the environment. More people are now supporting sustainable fashion, and if buyers want to use sustainable materials, they will require their upstream suppliers to be more ‘green' in the industrial process.”
Ms Zheng Liu, Product Manager, Alumo AG, Switzerland: “We collaborated with HeiQ from Switzerland to add their antibacterial treatment to Weba’s products to fit with trends that have emerged during the pandemic. These products are already in use in Europe and the US to make masks for the general public.”
How Intertextile and the Chinese market have bounced back
Intertextile’s fairgoers observed high footfall, numerous genuine enquiries and orders, along with an overall optimism of the market’s rebound at the latest Spring Edition in March this year. The overriding feeling that the textile industry is recovering and progressing in China, dominated conversations at the fair.
Ms Rosalyn Chen, Area Manager, Sidogras S.A., Spain: “I’m very impressed with the visitor flow these two days and we’ve been in contact with over 160 clients. Right now all eyes are on China as it is undergoing quick recovery from the pandemic. Given the huge prospects in the domestic market, we have already signed up for the Autumn and Shenzhen Editions of Intertextile this year.”
Ms Jing Ren Li, Department Head, R&D Textile Co Ltd, Korea: “The number of visitors is higher than last September and overall our booth has proved more popular too, so we have certainly seen a rebound of customers. So much so that we are expecting our domestic sales to have increased by about 30 – 40% compared to last year.”
Ms Coco Gao, Global Marketing Key Account Manager, Ideal (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd, Hong Kong: “I think we have more visitors here compared to the 2019 edition! We’ve been very busy these two days meeting with many trading companies, fashion brands and designers.”
Mr Jackal Tsang, Regional Sales, Orta Anadolu, Turkey: “The market in China picked up quite quickly after the covid-19 disruptions last year, we noticed recovery and rebound in the market around May 2020. This is why we’ve become more focused on the domestic market and the stock in our Shenzhen warehouse over the past year.”
Mr Li Changde, Planning Director, Hong Kong Yifang Textile Co Ltd, China: “Despite the pandemic and related issues, our exhibition results are better than my expectation and are actually even better compared with previous years. We’ve seen a lot of active participation from many visitors and have been met nearly 1,000 customers.”
Mr Yonghui Zheng, Manager, Shanghai IRIS Garment Accessories Co Ltd, Japan: “Intertextile Apparel is very effective for promoting our brand. We didn’t have very high expectations for this edition because of the pandemic, but our booth had an estimated 300-plus visitors yesterday, so we are very happy. In fact, the apparel industry in China is dominated by the south, but yesterday there were more customers from the north, including Shandong and Beijing.”
Mr Guanlian Yuan, General Manager, Design Union Agent, UK: “This edition, we have brought with us the latest prints sent over from London. Today the visitor flow is quite high and we’ve seen a lot of brand designers and fabrics directors, who are all decision makers.”
Intertextile’s curated product zones connect you with your target buyers in the Chinese market
Find the right zone to match your target audience including All About Sustainability, Functional Lab, SalonEurope, Beyond Denim, Digital Printing Zone, Accessories Vision and more.
Various country & region pavilions and zones are also available, attracting buyers sourcing quality, innovative and sustainable overseas products. These include SalonEurope and pavilions from Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and elsewhere.
How can you showcase your innovative and sustainable products at the industry’s leading trade fair this August?
We’ve got you covered! There’s several ways for you to join Intertextile Apparel’s Autumn Edition including in-person, hybrid and online solutions. So no matter where you are in the world, you don’t have to miss out.
• Exhibit at the fair in-person with a dedicated booth for your company
• Have your Chinese representatives or branch office attend the fair in-person to manage your company’s onsite booth
• Join the fair with our Hybrid Exhibition package – showcase your products onsite and interact with buyers via our business matching and online platforms
• Haven’t decided yet? Find out more here and contact us to discuss your options
What’s included in the Hybrid Exhibition Package?
• Onsite showcase to display your products along with AV equipment for playing videos for extra brand / product exposure
• Access to Connect PLUS and the fair app for AI driven business matching and to schedule video meetings
• Instant messenger and product enquiry services for buyers to submit enquiries
Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition will be held concurrently alongside Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition, Yarn Expo Autumn, CHIC and PH Value, providing a one-stop sourcing platform for the entire industry, under one roof.
Contact us to discuss your participation options!
Ms Maggie Tse
+852 2238 9963
Maggie.tse@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com
Ms Rachel Hui
+852 2238 9913
rachel.hui@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com
