by+Flora+Zhao

The apparel fabric and accessory industrys most comprehensive trade fair for the spring / summer season returns this March， when over 3，000 exhibitors are expected in Shanghai from 15 – 17 March for the Spring Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics. Reflecting the fairs leading status in the industry as well as strong growth in certain product areas in the domestic market， an extra hall will be occupied bringing the total used to seven. In particular， an increased number of ladieswear and accessories exhibitors， and to a lesser extent functional fabrics suppliers， will feature at this edition. Four concurrent textile fairs will occupy another seven halls， providing unrivalled sourcing options for buyers from around the world.

“We have been pleased with the response so far from both our existing exhibitors as well as new participants for this edition，” Ms Wendy Wen， Senior General Manager， Messe Frankfurt （HK） Ltd explained. “They recognise that this fair is a place where business is still conducted over the three days， and is unrivalled in its scale and coverage of the industry， thus providing exhibitors with new opportunities at each edition. Particularly for the Spring Edition， it is the ideal industry event to reach Chinese buyers， including a number of the biggest brands.” These brands include the likes of Bosideng， Eral， Handu， JNBY， K-Boxing and Semir. In addition to domestic buyers， visitors from around 100 countries and regions can be expected at the 2017 edition.

Full spectrum of fabrics and accessories on offer in pavilions and product zones

To facilitate buyers sourcing， a wide range of pavilions and product zones are spread throughout the seven halls. The majority of overseas exhibitors will feature in the International Hall （hall 5.2）， which includes a number of distinct areas：

SalonEurope： premium European suppliers as well as the Milano Unica Pavilion and France & Germany Zones；

Premium Wool Zone： exhibitors from France， Italy the UK and elsewhere will showcase their high-end wool and cashmere fabrics；

Verve for Design： design studios from around the world will display their latest original design collections；

All About Sustainability： a range of companies offering sustainability products， solutions and services feature in the eco-Boutique， while this area also includes an Educational Zone and Forum Space；

Functional Lab： housing exhibitors with products for the high-performance activewear market；

Asian Pavilions： pavilions from India， Japan， Korea， Pakistan and Taiwan return to Intertextile Shanghai；

Group Pavilions： the Lenzing Group Pavilion will feature for the first time at the Spring Edition， while the Dyetec Pavilion will also feature a number of their partner mills.

Chinese exhibitors can be found in halls 6.1， 6.2， 7.1， 8.1 and 8.2， and are grouped by product end-use as well as in various pavilions. These include the China Bast and Leaf Fibres Textile Association Pavilion （for hemp fabrics）， and pavilions from Wujiang Shengze （man-made fabrics）， Huzhou （silk）， Haining （warp knits）， Shishi （casualwear fabrics）， Hangzhou Xiaoshan （blended fabrics）， Wuzhou Pingwan （casualwear and functional wear fabrics） and Changle （underwear & swimwear fabrics， lace and more）. Overseas and Chinese exhibitors are also located in Beyond Denim （hall 6.2） and Accessories Vision （hall 8.1）.

Besides these pavilions and product zones， Intertextile Shanghais renowned fringe programme will once again feature information and inspirations to keep the industry ahead of the curve. The Intertextile Directions Trend Forum will be joined by a number of Chinese trend forums to display and explain the upcoming themes， colours， fabrics and prints for the spring / summer 2018 season. And leading experts and trendsetters from the industry will take part in a number of seminars and panel discussions under topics including design and trends， technology and solutions， market information and business strategies， and sustainability issues.

In addition to the wide range of apparel fabrics and accessories on offer at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics， four other textile fairs occur concurrently in the same venue： Yarn Expo Spring（hall 5.1）， Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles –Spring Edition （hall 4.2）， CHIC （halls 1， 2， 3 & 4.1） and PH Value （hall 3）.