Original by Zhang Zhenxiao

Translated by Shen Da

The past five years of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics

In the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, 2017 China International Trade Fair for Apparel Fabrics and Accessories (referred to as Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics) will raise the curtain. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, general secretary Xi Jinping has evaluated the five years with the word “extraordinary”. While for intertextile Shanghai apparel fabrics,it can also be evaluated by the word “extraordinary”for its 20-year history. In the past five years, China’s textile industry has made historical achievements in technology innovation, brand building, talent cultivation and sustainable development, to move forward the textile power. As the vane and barometer of China’s textile industry, Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics has witnessed the changes of the industry and the development of enterprises.

In the past five years, China’s textile industry has entered the backbone stage of structural adjustment, and Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics has also grown to be the professional exhibition with the largest scale in the world. Many fabrics enterprises chose this platform to explore market and seek business matching. While the Intertextile fabrics apparel exhibition has fully shown the market signal and development trends of subdivided industries, to make each agglomeration become the beacon for the enterprises.

Great efforts to create opportunities

In recent years, domestic accessories products have developed rapidly, especially the development of high-end products is more mature, so the products with superior quality and sophisticated technology have attracted wide attentions of buyers at home and abroad, which is closely related to the transformation and upgrading of China’s textile industry. In the period of overall slowdown of the industry, textile enterprises has gotten rid of the low cost and homogenization of competition, to create a new round and further development opportunities.

These changes have a full range of presentation in Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, where various industrial elites have introduced their latest products, to lead the new trends. Many buyers said that Chinese products can be equal to or even better than those of Europe, America,Japan and Korea, and they had already made Chinese exhibitors a top priority.

In the past five years, China’s textile enterprises have improved their internal power, and also shaped external added value, to strengthen their own right to speak from leading fashion to perfecting service,which has been fully reflected in the exhibition. For example, the organizers invited potential buyers to visit booths and promote trade. There were over 73,000 buyers from more than 90 countries and areas in the exhibition in 2016, and the top ten countries and areas with the most visitors were Hong Kong, Korea, Japan,Taiwan, America, India, Russia, Britain, Thailand and Indonesia.

In addition, all forums in the exhibition were around hot topics, including the current heavy and difficult technology and solutions, market information and marketing strategy, sustainable development and foreign investment, etc., to provide information and guidance for the enterprises. The global attention and recognition to China’s apparel fabrics couldn’t be reached at a single leap, but be achieved by the contact and understanding of the product quality and production level for a long term.

Seize the hour to promote fashion

Fashion is not only in the spotlight of the Milan show, and in the luxurious private studio, but also in every single product, which is condensed from the apparel fabrics, and it’s even more so for the entire industry. In each Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics,there were numerous brand designers, independent designers and clothing enterprises. One designer indicated: “For us, it gives us so many inspiration. For fashion, we just seize the momentum to make a recreation on production process. Take a look at the exhibition, and we will have the most authentic perception for the next season’s popularity.”

In recent years, many fabrics enterprises have refreshed the peak of appearance to show their design strength by leveraging the platform, and any trend trackers have led the next tide of fashion. More and more fabrics enterprises have adapted the trend of“Appearance First”, and they realized the power of fashion and design, so they have been initiative in the flood of fashion. In addition, there were fashion trend areas to play the role of compass of fashion, which enjoyed a high reputation in the both inside and outside industry.

In fact, on the arrival of the National Convention and Exhibition Center, we can feel the design concepts and fashion trends of the exhibition.The details of the exhibition were filled with fashionable atmosphere, such as route guidance, image of Intertextile, background board, carpet colors and so on. As designers thought, Intertextie itself was a huge release show of fashion trend, carrying the fashion waves.

Increase technology and improve service

High quality, customization, perfect appearance and design are all the reflection and distillation of strength, while process, function and experience are the pursuit of the essence of products. The service experience and function development have been improved from the powerful truth of“experience First”, and fast delivery, sample printing, etc. As for the intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, its powerful business function has been recognized in the industry, and te supporting facilities and services have been improved.

Almost every year, the standard booth configuration, booth distribution and services of related functional areas have been improved. As for textile industry, intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics has reached a leading position from overall exhibition level, professional degree of buyers and scale of exhibition. As for the platform itself, it is important to understand demands of exhibitors and buyers, and provide special business matching and publicity resources according to the different features, so as to build connection between exhibitors and buyers.

In recent years, many industry colleagues indicated it was hard to steer in the important and difficult stage of reform, but they needed to study the market and grasp the development opportunities. At this platform, the industry colleagues from various walks create business opportunities and explore the way forward.

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics 2017: industry’s leading sourcing platform delivers strong business results once again

Three days of order placing, relationship building and trend-spotting concluded last Friday as another successful Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics wrapped up. Once again the global industry truly came together in Shanghai for the industry’s leading trade fair, with 4,538 exhibitors from 32 countries and regions (2016: 4,553, 29 countries and regions) presenting their latest collections and innovations across 11 halls, with the gross area of the fair increasing 6%compared to 2016. Reflecting growth in the domestic market as well as other regions, the Functional Lab grew 33% in size this year, Premium Wool Zone grew 18%, while an extra accessories hall was added to meet demand. With the entire apparel fabrics and accessories product spectrum on offer, more than 77,000 trade buyers from over 100 countries and regions chose Intertextile as their sourcing event for the season (2016:73,927, 90 countries and regions).

Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK)Ltd. highlighted the fair’s importance to the apparel sector as it concluded last week. “Intertextile Shanghai is not just the industry’s largest event – it is also the leading sourcing and business platform for the industry. Exhibitors come here knowing they can meet quality trade buyers from around the world that are there to conduct business, while these buyers know that the fair provides an unrivalled number of suppliers across the entire product spectrum to source from. This combination is the genesis for a successful, business-focused trade event, and I’m pleased to say that this edition has once again been highly effective in this regard.”

“Walking the halls this year, I was also encouraged to see an increasing number of innovative products and solutions,” Ms Wen continued. “A noticeable trend, too, was the large number of companies offering ecofriendly products and technologies, not just in our All About Sustainability zone. Innovation and sustainability in particular will continue to be a strong focus of both our Spring and Autumn Editions next year.”

Exhibitors big and small find success

Companies big and small descended on Shanghai last week for the fair, and with such a diverse range of buyers also gathering, there was success to be found by all. One of the industry’s largest players, Lenzing,who participated with 54 of their partner mills, finds the fair essential to participate in, as Ms Maggie Shen, Marketing Communication Manager,China, explained. “Intertextile is the biggest and most important fair in the industry. Everyone knows it, and comes here to see what’s new. It’s an effective platform for us and our partner mills to meet existing customers, as well as get new inquiries each edition.”

At the other end of the size spectrum, but no less successful in the industry and at the fair, is Huddersfield Fine Worsteds who celebrated 10 years at the fair this edition. Their President, Mr. Bob McAuley, commented: “This edition has been very good for us, we’ve been very busy. Intertextile is an easy place to find lots of customers. A lot of new companies opening in the high-end wool sector in China come here each edition. The professionalism of the buyers is high too – specifically we’re getting tailors and speciality menswear stores here. Our sales are increasing big time in China. We expect to double our business in China in the next year.”