Dream Weavers

The world’s top fiber and fabric trade shows expand their offerings From seminars on color trends to the future of performance fabrics and “smart” clothing, the world’s top textile trade shows offer everything for the buyer. Here’s an overview and guide to what’s new at Material World, Sourcing at MAGIC, Techtextil, Milan Unica and Premiegrave;re Vision.

Material World.

Following the lifting of trade quotas in 2005, Material World has seen a “dramatically expanded” roster of global exhibitors, says president Tim von Gal. Held twice per year in New York (September 26–28) and Miami (next show, May 8–10, 2007), Material World (materialworld.com) has grown 70 percent over last year.

“The growth has come both domestically and from the Americas,” explains von Gal, “as well as very significant growth from Africa and Asia.”

For this edition of the New York show, Material World boasts 40 companies from Sub-Saharan Africa. And while the New York and Miami shows are similar in size, the Miami shows draw more on exhibitors from the Caribbean basin. “It’s more regional, whereas the New York show is more global,” says von Gal.

Starting in 2008, Material World will occur twice per year in New York, plus once in Miami.

Produced and managed by Urban Expositions, von Gal says Material World’s strength as one of the leading textile trade shows comes from its close industry alliances. It is the exclusive trade show of the American Apparel and Footwear Association, “the most important association of branded apparel companies in the world.” Other endorsers of the show include the Textile Distributors Association and the American Apparel Producers Network, which offers advice and support. The newest partnership is with Pantone, which is now the show’s “official color authority.”

Material World’s lineup of seminars is extensive. “We have a comprehensive presentation of educational seminars that touch on everything from technology to trends and countries—the full gamut of what’s going on in the industry,” says von Gal.

Exhibitors include a variety of industry segments, including fabric and production sourcing suppliers, home furnishings fabric providers, and technology suppliers to the sewn products industries.

The show floor also features “trend pavilions” (sponsored this month for the first time by Lectra), which is a “threedimensional manifestation of a trend forecast. A lot of people use that as their first stop on the floor to see what’s going on and then visit the exhibitors referenced in that participation.”

The trend pavilions include: Trend: A number of fabric areas are positioned throughout the show to illustrate the seasonal theme and trend direction using selected fabrics provided by Material World exhibitors. In addition to offering trend information, these touch-and-feel areas allow buyers to experience fabrics first-hand while planning their buying process.

Color: A visual presentation highlighting the first look into the most directional colors for the season, developed by Pantone.

Trimming: An exhibition devoted to trimming trends supplied by Material World exhibitors. It is designed to trigger ideas in textile trims, buttons, buckles, metal and plastic trims, snaps, rivets, leather, fur, and more.

Video: A video presentation of emerging trends offering conceptual points of view on fabrics and trends designed to help buyers with the buying process. MAGIC International.

MAGIC International.

(magiconline.com) is the world’s largest trade show for the apparel industry, and in an effort to address all the needs of the industry, in 2003 show producer Advanstar Communications added a fabric component to Sourcing at MAGIC, and it has quickly become the largest apparel sourcing and fabric event in North America.

Because Sourcing at MAGIC features contract manufacturers, the show is “connected all the way through the supply chain, which no other show is,” says marketing director Camille Candella. “It’s not necessary to travel the globe for fashion and fabric sourcing, since MAGIC now brings these resources directly to sourcing managers, product development staff, designers, and fabric and trim buyers.”

Sourcing at MAGIC boasts more than 750 apparel contractors and fabric/ trim manufacturers from over 30 countries. And since MAGIC’s visitors total some 115,000, “we’ve got a built-in audience,” says Candella.

“The people that a contract manufacturer or a fabric supplier is trying to connect with is a branded wholesaler or private label retailer, and those are the people who attend MAGIC.”

Sourcing at MAGIC has also seen a boom in international exhibitors seeking to compete with powerhouse China. “These international groups are viewing Sourcing at MAGIC as the way to hit the broadest reach of the U.S. market, because they’re not just going to a fabric show, but a true sourcing show.”

At last month’s show, the country of India did the largest presentation for fabrics and contract manufacturing it’s ever done in the United States.

In addition to global exhibitors, the show has increasingly addressed buyer interest in technical and organic fabrics, Candella said.

Sourcing at MAGIC features “a huge and very successful seminar program” on everything from color trends to import/export issues, and a “matchmaking service” that helps pair buyers with the right resources.Techtextil.With famously German engineering and efficiency, the Techtextil (techtextil.messefrankfurt.com) trade show is precision planned to be as buyer-friendly as possible.

Produced by Messe Frankfurt, Inc., and scheduled for June 12–14, 2007, in Frankfurt, Germany, Techtextil exhibitors are carefully organized by industry segment, says vice president Dirk Ebener, and are placed where they best fit on the show floor from the buyer’s perspective.

The result is that “the buyer can go directly to the location of the product of interest,” explains Ebener. “The industry segments and product allocation is the leading factor of this trade show’s planning.”

Techtextil’s floor plan also facilitates efficiency for timestrapped buyers who may not be able to stay for the full run of the show and need to navigate it as quickly as possible.

The last show boasted 1,074 exhibitors from 47 countries, an increase of 22 percent over the previous show.

As its name implies, the show is focused on performance fabrics and has a somewhat intellectual approach.

Show organizers post such questions as, “What course will functional clothing follow in the future?” and feature academics delivering papers in addition to more mainstream market seminars.

Techtextil exhibitors represent the entire spectrum of technical textiles and are divided into 10 product groups: research, development, planning, consultation; technology, machinery; accessories; woven fabrics, laid webs, braidings, knitted fabrics; nonwovens; coated textiles; composites; Bondtec; associations; and publishers.

They are also broken into four main areas based on the type of textile: Fashion (the latest trends); Sports (comfort, functionality, and protection for various activities); Healthcare (all the latest from the fields of medicine, wellness, prevention, and care) and Workwear (innovations in safety and protection for the world of work).

The show operates in conjunction with Avantex, the International Forum for Innovative Apparel Textiles. Held simultaneously, it offers participants an added benefit by providing Techtextil exhibitors and visitors access to Avantex’s target groups, primarily designers and ready-to-wear manufacturers.

Milan Unica.

For centuries Italy was comprised of independent citystates before finally unifying as one nation. Similarly, over a number of years, a host of fabric trade shows have united under the name Milan Unica (milanounica.it), and the past show drew a record attendance of over 35,000 visitors.

Held twice yearly in Fieramilanocity at the Portello (the next show is scheduled for February 13–16, 2007), the show consists of Ideabiella, devoted to high-end menswear fabrics; Ideacomo, exclusive collections for women; Moda In, avant-garde materials for the trendy market; Prato Expo, textile collections; and Shirt Avenue, traditional and novelty shirting fabrics.

Here’s an overview of each section: Ideabiella was founded in 1978 by a group of manufacturers from the Biella area specializing in fine menswear fabrics of wool, linen, cotton, and silk. Today, textile firms from Veneto, Lombardy, and Tuscany also participate in the event, and in 2005 manufacturers from other parts of Europe joined.

Ideacomo was founded in 1975 by a group of silk producers in the Como area specializing in womenswear fabrics.

Member firms are focused on the mid and upper end of the market, and production has expanded to include both weaving and printing, often with special finishing techniques. Silk is the primary fabric, but cotton and wool are also used along with novelty synthetic fibers.

Moda In was founded in 1984 by the Italian Textile Association and the Italian Federation of Various Textile Industries and Hats. The show is divided into four departments: Leisure, fabrics for sports and casual wear; Fancy, fabrics for women’s apparel, knit fabrics, and elasticized fabrics; Accessories, fashion complements; and Infostile, press office and related services. The Area Immagine, located inside the percorso, features a visual and tactile synthesis of the collections, inspired by trends of the season.

Pratotrade is a consortium created in 1979 on the initiative of the Industrial Association of Prato. Its members are 130 select textile manufacturers from the district of Prato, producers of fabrics for menswear, womenswear and childrenswear. The companies accepted as members of this organization consider design research and quality their primary objectives.

Shirt Avenue debuted in 1999 and has become a hot spot for foreign markets importing shirts of Italian fabric. Premiegrave;re Vision Leave it to the French to provide the piegrave;ce de resistance, the largest fabric trade show in the world, Premiegrave;re Vision (premierevision.

fr). Like the other European shows, Premiegrave;re Vision has undergone a kind of unification. Originally launched over 30 years ago by 15 weavers from Lyons, in 2005 it became known as Premiegrave;re Vision Pluriel, incorporating five “salons” catering to fabrics and textiles: Expofil, Premiegrave;re Vision, Le Cuir A Paris, Indigo, and Mod’Amont. The salons are held alongside each other at the Parc d’Expositions de Paris Nord Villepinte, and visitors receive a common pass allowing them into all areas of the show. The next show is scheduled for February 20–25, 2007.

In order to help buyers better navigate the complex show, this year Premiegrave;re Vision Pluriel created a new breakdown of exhibitors into four universes: Fancy Seduction: the universe of fantasy and fluid fabrics; Tailored Distinction: the universe of elegance, formality, and structure; Relaxed Attitude: the universe of casualness, comfort, and relaxation; and Active Pulsation: the universe of sports, technology, and performance.

Premiegrave;re Vision.

is held twice per year in Paris, but the organizers also produce shows throughout the year in Tokyo, Shanghai, Moscow, and New York. The New York show has grown significantly, and in July 2006 boasted 150 exhibitors. It also has a new official name, Premiegrave;re Vision Preview New York (premierevision-newyork.com), that better reflects its dedication to the needs of buyers in the U.S. market. The next show will be held January 24–25, 2007, at the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building in Manhattan. Buyers are assisted by a “fabric forum” displaying a selection of fabrics that are most representative of the coming season’s major directions, and a “color wall” with the coming season’s color trends. A limited number of visitors are also treated to a “Trend Tasting” presentation, which analyzes coming trends.