TRADE SHOWS
Coast to Coast, Textile Shows Usher in 2026
By Kelli Freeman and Alexandra Romero, Contributing Writers | February 12, 2026
For over two weeks, textile shows provided attendees and exhibitors alike with the shape, color, texture and innovation of things to come.
WWIN Travels Across the U.S. to Bring the Industry Together in Person
As the apparel industry emerges from a 2020 that saw on-site trade events halted, the Womenswear In Nevada event moved from its home in Las Vegas to present its WWIN Orlando Showcase Feb. 9–11 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
Offprice Show Produces Smaller Show to Solid Traffic in Orlando
The COVID-19 pandemic inspired the Offprice show, a biannual Las Vegas trade event for value-priced women’s, men’s and kids’ apparel as well as footwear and jewelry to a new town and a new situation, where it shared convention space with the WWIN Orlando Showcase and MAGIC Pop Up Orlando Feb. 9–11 in Orlando, Fla.
MICAM Americas Places Footwear Options at MAGIC Pop-Up
MICAM Americas offered a footwear source at a group of trade shows that ran Feb. 9–11 as the MAGIC Pop-Up at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Footwear ran the gamut from casual shoes to fashion styles with stiletto heels. Brands exhibiting included Bed|Stü, Matisse, Tamaris and Shu Shop.
Ready to Reunite the Apparel Industry, Trade-Event Producers Host On-site Events
The beginning of 2021 has included a return to on-site trade shows, as producers adhere to safety measures while affording opportunities for buyers and brands to discuss business strategy.
Project Digital’s Sophomore Run Includes CFDA Partnership, Concierge Service
Informa Market Fashion’sclassic- and contemporary-menswear trade show Project rolled out its first virtual trade event, Project Digital, during Summer 2020 in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Jan. 19, working with the e-commerce wholesale-platform partner NuOrder, Project Digital started a sophomore run, and show producers will further develop certain programs they started testing during the summer.
Strong Start for 2021 Trade-Show Season at Dallas Market
Buyer attendance was up during the recent Dallas Apparel & Accessories Market, with first-time visitors flocking to the event at the Dallas Market Center following a lackluster 2020.
FashionGo Week to Launch Second Virtual Edition in February
Fashion-wholesale marketplace FashionGo will host its second virtual FashionGo Week event Feb. 8-12, following the success of its August debut during the summer trade-show season.
Surf Expo Returns to Orlando With First On-site Event in a Year
Returning to its home at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., Surf Expo, the major trade show for the water-sports and beach-lifestyle categories, was held Jan. 6–8. While the Emerald Expositions–owned Surf Expo relied on its digital edition Sept. 16–18, Surf Expo Connect, many in the industry felt it was time to return to the trade-show floor.
A Source of Inspiration for 2021 at Virtual Texworld and Apparel Sourcing
With its first big show of 2021 occurring virtually Jan. 12–14, Messe Frankfurt Fashion and Apparel Show Director, Jennifer Bacon said, “We were extremely pleased with both the exhibitor and attendee participation. It was very similar to our premier edition this past July. We are excited to continue serving the textile-sourcing community through our virtual platform as we look forward to returning to face-to-face events.”
Buyers and Brands Work Together During L.A. Market Week to Protect Businesses
As Los Angeles County continued to grapple with surging COVID-19 numbers, apparel businesses worked together to fortify their operations. During L.A. Market Week, which was held Jan. 10–14 in downtown Los Angeles, showrooms welcomed buyers to view lines in person while they also afforded the option of online meetings via Zoom.
Emerald Acquires PlumRiver, Creator of the Elastic Suite Platform
The business-to-business platform builder Emerald Holdings, Inc., announced its acquisition of the business-to-business e-commerce and digital-merchandising solutions provider PlumRiver to cultivate its software-as-a-service technology.
IMC Reveals Plans for February Atlanta Apparel Market
As trade-show producers begin to emerge from a year in which many events were postponed or canceled in favor of virtual editions, International Market Centers’ Atlanta Apparel Market is looking toward 2021 with great optimism.
Informa Markets Fashion and NuOrder Provide Trade-Event Summary
After ending its inaugural, exclusively digital trade event, which was hosted Sept. 1–Nov.1, Informa Markets Fashion and its e-commerce platform partner NuOrder revealed important insight derived from its metrics.
Stronger Together, MAGIC, Offprice and WWIN to Share Space for Orlando Shows
Following the Dec. 3 announcement that it would host a MAGIC Pop Up Orlando trade event Feb. 9–11 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., Informa Markets Fashion revealed that it is working with Clarion Events and the Tarsus Group to produce co-located events for the return of on-site trade shows to serve the fashion community.
Newsmakers 2020: Virtual Trade Shows Connect a Grounded Fashion Industry
As the COVID-19 pandemic reached the shores of the United States in early 2020, apparel-industry trade-show producers canceled on-site shows and pushed back in-person events. One of the first event producers to think outside the trade-show floor was Kingpins, which introduced its April virtual edition of Kingpins24, a streaming event.
