Winter Texworld And Apparel Sourcing Events A Success – A Hive Of Creativity And A Crucible For Business

PARIS — September 19, 2014 — Texworld and Apparelsourcing Paris closed their doors on Thursday evening after four vibrant days in which the highlights were the launch of the new “Shawls&Scarves” feature; the exploration of rich creative “Impulsion”, the Texworld winter trends 2015/16; designer catwalk shows and the Sustainability Days, with the noteworthy talk on the responsibility of the textile industry by Jason Kibbey, speaking on behalf of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.

The event ended on a positive note, with both the exhibitors and the organisers expressing their satisfaction. Numbers visiting the trade fairs were up 5.16%, with 15,034 visitors from 109 countries coming to see the 2015/16 winter collections shown by 1166 exhibitors.

The rise confirms the movement in fashion consumption in Europe. “We are delighted by this rise, which could have been greater, as a lot of visitors could not attend because of strikes at Air France”, stressed Michael Scherpe, CEO of Messe Frankfurt France.

Both regular and first-time exhibitors were delighted by the amount of business done and the calibre of visitors, like Mr Bang Moy, of the Chinese woollens company Intertextiles. “This was our first time, so we were not expecting our collection to be so well received by European buyers, but we took a large number of orders from some major fashion houses. They were attracted to our trendy, elaborate prints and weaves.”

Mrs Oya Dizdaroglu of the Turkish spinning and weaving company Tekstil, was enthusiastic: “We are very happy with the quality of the visitors who came to see us. We always do well for orders at Texworld, but this time it was even better because we met a lot of new buyers, particularly from Japan, Poland and Germany.”

The visitors were just as enthusiastic, particularly the designers, like Fred Sathal, a designer showing during Paris Haute Couture Week. “I was won over by Texworld making agreements with exhibitors to offer to sell small quantities to couturiers. I also liked the care given to organising the fair. This initial visit enabled me to source good-quality Japanese-made silks and textiles.”

Taking the figures continent by continent, Europe recorded a rise of 4.39% and Asia made a great leap forward, up 18.32%. More good news is that the Americas are crossing the Atlantic again, up 0.3%, with a double-digit increase for Brazil (10%)! Africa was down 11%, reflecting the crises by which the continent is once more plagued.

Visitor figures from the six major countries were up, with a noteworthy resurgence by Italy (+23%), whilst recovery was evident in respect of France (+4%), Turkey (+4%), Germany (+3%), Spain (+1.5%) and the UK (+1.5%).

Three European countries stood out this season because of their double-digit growth: Ireland, where the economy is recovering (+22%); Poland, which is in rude economic health, with a strong performance by its clothing industry (+20%); and Norway, which has returned to explore international potential in Paris (+25%). Bulgaria, up 64%, deserves special mention.

Asia also supported the fair, with the return of Japanese buyers (+9.5%), greatly appreciated by the exhibitors, whilst South Korea (+33%) and Hong Kong (+21%) showed their interest. China, with 8%, is now coming to buy for its domestic market.

Posted September 23, 2014

Source: Messe Frankfurt
 

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