More than 49,000 people from 85 countries visited Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, 20 - 23 October 2008 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The show has earned its position as a major trade destination in Asia and the world, said Ms Wendy Wen, Director of Trade Fairs for Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd.
"The show continued the success Intertextile Shanghai has enjoyed for the past 14 years. Despite economic concerns around the world, trade buyers still choose to come to this fair - one of the largest in the world for apparel textiles - to source fabrics and accessories and learn upcoming design trends. We are very pleased by the results."
More than 2,500 exhibitors were set in 115,000 sqm of trade space including an entire hall for accessories and two and a half for international suppliers. A highlight at this year's show was the organisation of the domestic Chinese halls by product end-use in categories such as shirting and suiting fabrics, ladieswear and denim.
Many international exhibitors were grouped into pavilions, including country and region pavilions from Germany, Japan, Korea, Italy, Pakistan, Portugal, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey, and special group pavilions from fibre makers Invista, Lenzing, Dow and Hyosung, featuring their weaving mill customers to show the application of their special fibres.
"The show has so many product categories and fabrics, and exhibitors are not only grouped by product but by country. This makes it more convenient for product sourcing and saves lots of time," said Ms Connie Ho, a Fabric Manager with Designer Holdings Overseas of Hong Kong a Warnaco subsidiary. "It's also a good opportunity to get market and trend information. In this economy, trade shows are more important than ever because they are the best way to source products directly."
At the Italian pavilion, which featured a trend zone, visitors easily located the high quality textiles created by Italian mills. "Our products are expensive and very high quality. Buyers are willing to buy these products even in this economy because of our quality," said Ms Daniela Ronchetti, with Ratti, Italy. "This fair is an important source for good customers and the key channel to enter the Chinese market. We made many good contacts."
At the fibre pavilions by Invista, Lenzing, Dow and Hyosung, weaving mills displayed different applications for the fibres created by these companies. The effect helps raise awareness of the products and the mills using them. "Visitors don't come to see fibres, they come to see fabrics," said Ms Echo Mok, Asia Marketing Manager for Lenzing Fibers, which occupied 828 sqm and featured 37 fabric mills. "We present different applications for our products so customers can understand them better."
"It is a very good idea to set up group pavilions and to gather different mills in one area," said Ms Ayako Kuwahara, with Yancheng Body Fashion, a subsidiary of Triumph International.
Exhibitors find all the right buyers in one destination
Coming from Brazil, fabric producer Vicunha brought a collection of quality trendy styles, the perfect fit for China's fashion conscious. "Demand in China is growing and they want to buy good things," said Ms Wendy Lin, executive director for Vicunha Asia. "Buyers we met at the show were buying for the domestic market. Chinese brands are growing and improving, and they are looking for quality."
"This year, we made 300 contacts with good quality buyers such as top brand retailers in China," said Mr Mao Jin Hai, with Yagi & Co., Japan. "This fair also provides professional facilities and a comfortable environment for business meetings."
Other exhibitors came for the show's increasing internationality. "We have attended this fair many times because the buyers are very international. This year, we met top buyers from Europe, USA and Australia," said Ms Yuna Lee, sales division manager for Jktex Co., Korea.
Design, trends and new events:
Many visitors came to the show for design inspiration and trend information garnered from the Interstoff Asia Directions trend forum; trend zones from Fabrics China, as well as trend areas in the Italian and Thailand pavilions and the Accessories Hall. Four renowned trend-forecasting agencies and a group of textile designers introduced modern styles and original design.
"The show is amazing, the trend forum is always my first stop. It really represents the latest trend in fabrics and it is so helpful for us to source fabrics," said Ms Cynthia Yu, Eastmyth Textile Co, China. "Once we find the fabrics we need, we write down the booth number and go directly to their booth. So I would say the trend forum is like a short cut for us. I love it very much."
A new feature at the show was a special zone for lingerie and swimwear textiles - created to reflect the surging demand in China for these products.
"I like the idea of a separated swimwear and lingerie zone because the buyers here are looking specifically for these products," said Mr Giulio Sonnino, with Carina Tessuto, who joined the zone. "We met many Chinese buyers who can export our products to Europe and the US markets. And of course, the Chinese domestic market is full of opportunity. We will definitely come back to this show next year."
The next Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics show will be held 20 - 23 October 2009 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.
