Intertextile Shanghai’s nearly 1.8 million square feet of exhibition space included more than 3,800 exhibitors showing textiles and trim from 30 countries and regions.
TRADE SHOW
California Presence at Massive Intertextile Shanghai
With 15 halls covering nearly 1.8 millionsquare feet of space and more than 3,800 exhibitors showing textiles and trim from 30 countries and regions, the Oct. 20–23 run of the Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics trade show could be described as massive.
“It’s huge,” said Los Angeles–based designer Nony Tochterman, who was at the show on behalf of New York–based Motives Group. “It’s hard to cover entirely. It helps that each hall is merchandised with a certain direction. Like every other show, you have to do the legwork to find the best.”
Tochterman said she spent most of her time at the show looking at Asian resources, although she did find time at the end to walk the European hall.
“There’s so much coming out of China—you can find everything there,” she said, adding that she did see some mills showing the same fabrics but found plenty of other resources showing unique items.
“I love shopping for fabric,” Tochterman said. “I’m like a kid in a candy store.”
Tochterman was just one of several West Coast designers and companies spotted shopping the show. Other California apparel executives included Adriano Goldschmied; Bella Dahl’s Kerry Jolna; American Rag Cie’s Mark Werts and his wife, Amanda Shi-Werts, designer of the Amanda Shi collection; and representatives from BCBG and Kellwood West.
“The show was again good for Studio Bert Forma,” said Kevin Maldonado, co-owner of the Los Angeles–based company that represents contemporary fabrics from Europe and Asia, including Spanish mill Santanderina.
“I had great meetings with Lenzing and Bella Dahl,” Maldonado said, noting that the halls of the show were quite crowded.
This was the 20th anniversary for the show, held in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, and events included a 20th-anniversary party and runway show, as well as a 20th-anniversary section of the trade show, which featured a fabric wall of swatches that served as “a visual record of the show and captures the spirit of the 20th anniversary,” and a 20th-anniversary gown designed by Walter Ma that showcases “the very essence of the last two decades of the show.” The show was divided into halls and pavilions, including SalonEurope; Verve for Design, which featured collections from Australia, China, France, Italy, Korea, Spain, Taiwan and the United Kingdom; and the Premium Wool zone. There were pavilions highlighting specific countries including India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand, as well as group pavilions organized by Birla Planet, Cotton Council International, DuPont, Hyosung, Invista, KCFA, KTTA and Lenzing. The All About Sustainability zone featured an educational zone, the ecoBoutique display area and the Oeko-Tex pavilion. There were also areas of the show dedicated to fabrics for shirting, suitings, casualwear, sportswear, accessories, lingerie and swimwear, as well as womenswear.
This year, the show’s Beyond Denim hall expanded to cover an entire hall and featured more than 150 exhibitors. And two Accessories halls included more than 550 international and domestic suppliers showcasing garment and fashion accessories.
Organized by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd., with the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT and the China Textile Information Centre, Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics ran concurrently with two other textile trade shows at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Yarn Expo and PH Value 2014,which was previously called the China International Knitting Trade Fair.
