By Flora Zhao

The eyes of the textile world will be on Shanghai from March 14th， when Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition is joined by four other international textile fairs to create the industrys biggest spring/ summer gathering of the entire supply chain. For Intertextile Shanghai alone， a total of 3，386 exhibitors from 22 countries and regions will feature this year， making this the largest Spring Edition in history.

“This is the ninth consecutive year of expansion in the exhibitor number for the Spring Edition， which has increased a remarkable 130% in the four years since it moved to Shanghai. The next three days will once again show why Intertextile Shanghai， with its unrivalled number of quality suppliers and buyers together in one place， is the key sourcing destination for the industrys order writers. With not only the full fabrics and accessories product spectrum on display， but across all price and quality points too， the fair is the most efficient and effective way to discover new suppliers and make purchasing decisions，” said Ms Wendy Wen， Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt （HK） Ltd.

More than 70，000 trade buyers from 100-plus countries and regions are expected at the fair， and will have at their fingertips everything from fabrics for ladieswear， menswear， suiting， shirting， lingerie and swimwear to highend wool fabrics， original pattern designs， functional& performance fabrics， sustainability products & services， digital printing technologies， garment & fashion accessories and more.

Spring Edition 2018 at a glance

3，386 exhibitors from 22 countries and regions

70，000-plus trade buyers from 100-plus countries and regions （expected）

Country and region pavilions and zones： France， Germany， Japan， Korea， Italy， Pakistan， Taiwan and Turkey

Chinese exhibitors： grouped by product end-use in seven halls

Product zones： Accessories Vision， All About Sustainability， Beyond Denim， Digital Printing Zone， Functional Lab， Premium Wool Zone and Verve for Design

Fringe programme： four international and domestic trend forums， 40-plus seminars & panel discussions， Digital Printing Forum and more

Concurrent fairs： Yarn Expo Spring， Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition， fashion garment fair CHIC and knitting fair PH Value

European suppliers remain the go-to option for Chinese buyers looking for quality and style

Despite the economic ups and downs in China over the last few years， demand for premium European textiles remains high. Whether it be premium wool for the flourishing suiting market， ladieswear fabrics and lace & embroidery for high-end domestic brands each with hundreds of stores across the country， innovative yarns & fabrics for the booming sports and activewear sectors， or original pattern designs for the thousands of new online fashion brands， European suppliers remain the go-to option for Chinese buyers looking for quality and style.

As one of the undisputed leaders in the European textile scene， Italy is always a good bellwether of the trends between Europe and China. After a less than stellar 2016， Italys fabric exports to the Mainland China and Hong Kong markets grew by 12.4% in the first 10 months of 2017 [1]. The expected demand for European brands at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics will be most evident in the SalonEurope zone， which features exhibitors from Austria， France， Germany， Italy， Spain， Switzerland， Turkey and the UK， as well as country pavilions & zones from France， Germany， Italy and Turkey.

There is also continuing demand for overseas expertise when it comes to more technical areas such as sustainability and digital printing， solutions to which can be found in the fairs All About Sustainability area and Digital Printing Zone.

SalonEurope showcases the continents full textile expertise

The best of the best from Europe will be on display in this editions SalonEurope， with a range of products across the whole textile spectrum on offer. Some of the highlights this edition include：

Alumo （Switzerland）： celebrating its 100-year anniversary this July， Alumo has undertaken a complete refresh of their brand， highlighting the character of their mill in Appenzell， Switzerland that has deep roots in the local textile industry. This edition， they will showcase a renewed collection of luxury shirting fabrics with intricate designs and added functions such as natural stretch and wrinkle-free， and a newly enlarged， never-out-of-stock ‘Sartorial collection.

Hatfil Tekstil Isletmeleri （Turkey）： a Turkish-Italian joint venture， they offer a huge range of yarns including eco-friendly options such as organic， BCI and fair trade yarns， as well as cotton， Tencel， Amicor， bamboo， cashmere， modal and other varieties.

Hohenstein Textile Testing （Germany）： offering testing services， OEKO-TEX？ services and certifications， the Hohenstein Quality Label and more.

Ricamificio Paolo Italy SpA （Italy）： an embroidery manufacturer， they have developed a new technique using very thin embroideries to produce a lace-like effect， which can also be customised to the customers requirements in no more than four weeks. They have also produced a quilt-like fabric suitable for spring / summer garments which is made from materials such as silk organdie， cotton yarn or lurex to produce a shiny effect.

Teseo Tessitura Serica Di Olmeda SpA （Italy）： for their summer 2019 collection， Teseo is inspired by the natural elements with increased attention to sustainability with GOTS-certified bio silk and eco-friendly yarns. New articles are lighter and enriched with yarn-dyes， include jacquard stripes and checks， gauze and devoré bands to add transparency， and more.

New collaboration of sustainable viscose suppliers formed in China

While the textile industry in China still has a long way to go in terms of sustainability， genuine progress is being made at both a government and company level. January of this year saw the implementation of a new environment protection tax， with companies charged for noise， air & water pollution and generating solid waste [2]. Replacing a pollutant discharge fee that had been in place for 40 years， the new tax is set by local governments – with some of the regions suffering from worse pollution setting higher rates – and also incentivises companies with lower emissions.

In another encouraging move， 10 leading global viscose producers in China have come together to form the Collaboration for Sustainable Development of Viscose （CV） to promote the sustainable sourcing and responsible production of viscose. These 10 producers collectively account for over 50% of the worlds viscose staple fibre production， and have partnered with two trade associations to adopt a sustainability roadmap for the viscose industry. Built around credible international sustainability standards and programmes， the CV Roadmap aims to provide guidance to viscose producers on sustainable sourcing and production practices.

The CV collaboration will make its debut appearance in the fairs All About Sustainability zone， where visitors can learn more about this initiative， as well as sustainable developments in the Chinese textile industry. Apart from an educational programme and garment display area， the zone will also feature a number of exhibitors other than CV.

Digital Printing Zone debuts at Spring Edition

While digital printing is rapidly gaining traction in the global textile industry， this is especially so in China due to its potential to reduce pollution during the production process. Amongst the exhibitors looking to take advantage of this in the fairs new Digital Printing Zone is MS Italy， a market leader in the design， development and distribution of innovative digital ink-jet printing systems and associated consumables， which serves the high-end， roll-to-roll textile printing and specialty material markets. Also exhibiting is DIGITEX which will introduce the latest digital- and inkjet-printed natural and manmade fabrics.

Apart from digital printing exhibitors， a day-long forum will inform fairgoers on the exciting possibilities of digital printing. Held on day 2 of the fair， the Fast Fashion and Digital Printing Application Forum features sessions on fast fashion technology & trends and digital printing applications. These are followed by a series of discussions on topics such as flexible supply chains， business opportunities created by digital printing and IP protection. The forum also includes a presentation on the findings of a six-month study conducted by Fashion Print， a Chinese publication， for which they visited hundreds of textile companies， printing and dyeing enterprises， as well as their suppliers to produce a research paper on the digital textile printing market and technology.

Denim enriched with volcanic ash

As the global textile industrys most comprehensive sourcing summit for the spring / summer season， Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is naturally the ideal place to find the latest developments in product innovation and sustainability. This is especially true in the fairs Beyond Denim zone， which this edition will feature over 110 exhibitors from China， Japan， Pakistan， Turkey and elsewhere. Adding to a total of some 3，300 exhibitors from around 22 countries and regions， they provide sourcing options for the entire industry， from fabrics for ladieswear，menswear， suiting， shirting， lingerie and swimwear to high-end wool fabrics， original pattern designs， functional & performance fabrics， sustainability products & services， digital printing technologies， garment& fashion accessories and more.

Denim enriched with volcanic ash： the latest innovation from Orta Anadolu

Volcanic ash is not uncommon in beauty products – it is known as Mother Natures skin purifier after all， and used as an exfoliator for example – but it is far less common in the textile industry. Orta Anadolu are set to change that with their BIOWARE denim which is enriched with mineralised volcanic ash to create an odour absorbing effect. This technology captures and absorbs odour compounds that would normally pass through the fabric， neutralising bad bacteria while retaining the helpful bacteria that common deodorisers， which contain harsh substances， normally eliminate. This leads to a more environmentally friendly product that is better for the users skin.

Orta will also be presenting BIOCHARGE at Intertextile， which， according to the company， is the worlds first denim fabric for muscle wellness. Infused with minerals， Orta state that BIOCHARGE is medically proven to refresh muscles， relieve muscle tension and optimise body balance. They will also present their BOUNCE stretch range， with high elasticity and a ‘street style， while CHRONICLE， another in their S/ S 19 range， is a blend of heritage and future styles.

US Denim Mills blend tomorrows technology with yesterdays style

Another innovative denim firm exhibiting at Intertextile Shanghai， and another blending old and new， is US Denim Mills. According to the company， their collection at the fair will “harness tomorrows textile advances to revitalise the great style visions of the past by adding fashion， comfort， performance and sustainability advantages to authentic denim looks.” This collection includes：

Selvedge： using the companys legacy selvedge looms to produce bi-stretch “SelvedgeX” while experimenting with blends of natural yarns and high-tech fibre blends in its ‘HeritEdge+ range

Stretch： including “Flex 360” bi-stretch denim with a slight crossbias freedom， and ‘Modern Stretches with a higher stretch range for intense comfort

SoftWear： advanced finishing treatments for superior soft touch from natural fibre blended yarns and softness-selected weaves

Sustainable： new additions to the range of recycled and natural“GreenEgo” denims

Kipas Denim step up their sustainability efforts

Well aware of the effect denim production has on the environment， Kipas Denims multi-faceted programme to address this is one of the most comprehensive in the denim sector. Their recycled yarn initiative includes recycling waste yarn from the production process， while it also takes waste cotton yarn and blends it with REPREVE？ fibres to create an eco-friendly denim fabric. Kipas also uses BCI cotton and organic cotton， and targets each to be 15% and 5% of total consumption， respectively. Furthermore， their Conservablue technology aims to reduce the environmental impact of the dyeing process by eliminating the use of rinsing overflow boxes before and after the indigo dye boxes， as well as ensuring 100% of applied dyestuff remains on the yarn in the rinsing bath.

As well as the overseas offerings， a wide range of domestic denim exhibitors covering all price and quality points will also feature in Beyond Denim. Some of the more notable brands participating include Advance Denim， Black Peony， Guangzhou Foison and Prosperity Textile.

Denims “next move” to be debated in INVISTA panel discussion

The market is changing and so must apparel and textile manufacturers. Low prices and discounts are no longer driving sales the way they used to. Todays consumer wants better quality， appreciates new technology and is evolving their casualwear style. This is the premise behind the INVISTA-sponsored panel discussion which will take place on day 1 of the fair. Titled ‘Denims Next Move – New Opportunities to Keep Growing Sales of Jeans and Casualwear at Retail， participants will learn what consumers really want in jeans and casualwear， the return of chinos and new fabric technologies that are energising casualwear.

The panel will be moderated by Jane Singer， Director and Head of Market Development at Inside Fashion. Panellists will include representatives from Advance Denim， Guangzhou Conshing Clothing Group， Prosperity Textile and Texhong who will share their latest innovations that will help brands and retailers drive sales and profits.

The Premium Wool Zone is the fairs epicentre of high-end wool fabrics

Buyers looking for premium wool fabrics will be spoilt for choice at next months Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics. The epicentre for those with this product on their sourcing checklist is the Premium Wool Zone， with mills from the UK， Italy， France， Peru and elsewhere located here， while the Italy Pavilion also includes a number of quality wool suppliers. Rounding out the sourcing options， and adding further quality and price variety， are the 180-plus domestic wool suppliers in hall 6.1.

Some of the notable overseas brands participating this edition include Abraham Moon & Sons， Aris Industrial， Dechamps， Dormeuil， Dugdale Bros& Co， Ferla， Fratelli Piacenza， Holland & Sherry， Huddersfield Fine Worsteds， Lanificio F.lli Cerruti DAL 1881 and Scabal. The Spring Edition of the industrys most comprehensive sourcing platform for the spring / summer season， Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics， will feature some 3，300 exhibitors from around 20 countries covering all apparel fabrics and accessories product groups.

Growing affluence in China drives demand for premium wool fabrics

While a true global marketplace for the industrys order writers with buyers from around 100 countries expected at Intertextile Shanghai next month， much of the demand for high-end wool at the fair comes from Chinese buyers thanks to growing affluence in the country. This is evidenced by the fact that Australian wool prices are at record highs this season， with China accounting for over 70% of Australian wool exports*. Whats more， whereas 15 to 20 years ago most wool imported by China was re-exported， nowadays around 60% is used to produce garments for the domestic market.

Intertextiles number one position in China ensures that high-end domestic buyers are in abundance. “The buyer professionalism here is surprisingly high，” Mr Bob McAuley， Huddersfield Fine WorstedsPresident， explained last October. “Were looking specifically for tailors and menswear specialty stores， and these type of buyers are definitely present.” Speaking about domestic market trends， he continued： “Retailers are not able to put all fashion in stores， so the made-to-measure market is growing， especially in China. Im surprised each edition how many new high-end Chinese brands we meet at this fair. Theres more menswear specialty stores opening here， whereas in the US， for example， the move is more towards going direct-to-consumer and online.”

Innovation and new-season styles added to heritage brandscollections

Precious metals such as gold and silver are known to have been worked into garments as long as 3，000 years ago， when they were hammered into extremely thin sheets then cut into ribbons. Modern technology has made this process much more straightforward， as well as opening up new opportunities. One of these is combining wool and silver， which Holland & Sherry will exhibit at Intertextile Shanghai. Their Argento collection of Super 200s wool fabrics applies a state of the art silver ion technology finish to superfine 13.5μ merino wool. This combination provides effective antibacterial protection， counteracting bacterial odour formation and keeping the fabrics hygienic and fresh. And because the conductive properties of silver prevent the build-up of static charge， the fabrics also benefit from anti-static properties.

While most collections in the Premium Wool Zone emphasise the brands heritage and tradition， like Holland & Sherry， some will be introducing new or updated collections. Dugdale Bros & Co refreshed its Royal Classic superfine Australian merino wool collection last year for the first time since 1987， adding around 30 patterns drawn directly from its original archive. Abraham Moon & Sons will showcase new fabrics at the fair for spring / summer ‘19 designed by Creative Director Martin Aveyard， which take in categories of classic， casual and contemporary， with a unique use of worsted， linen and cashmere combinations.

How will fashion respond to these ever-changing turbulent times？

Amid reconstruction， the world is facing severe realities. In the midst of political disorder， environmental problems， and social scandals， how do we seek the light within the darkness of chaos？ As societies become inundated with global waves of conflicting news， the need for real dialogue becomes ever more crucial. Personal interaction is irreplaceable– communicating with nature， reading the signs， and sensing the wind. Creating emotional connections with others and opening the mind to rationality. Now is the time to solidify core values with responsibility and identify key essences of life.

How will fashion respond to these ever-changing turbulent times？ Will fashion allow other elements to penetrate our lives whilst innumerable other issues make their presence felt？ Fashion is meant to console， to provide a retreat during unpredictable times. At its core， fashion represents unhindered confidence and allows us to freely express ourselves. Let us address how to best confront negative forces through fashion and mindful resilience.

Developed by renowned trend experts from Tokyo， New York， Milan and Paris， the Intertextile Directions Trend Forum will present three trends for Spring / Summer 2019 under the overall theme “Dialogue”： @ sense，# couture and e. native. Exhibitors fabrics will illustrate the colour， fabric and print styles of each trend.

Overall colour trends

This season witnesses an enriched palette， encapsulating a refined and premium feel. Refreshing and vivid colours introduce a sense of vitality and elicit creativity.

@ sense

An encounter with an unknown inner sense of beauty， while exploring maximised yet imperceptible appeal buried deep within the self. Natural tenderness comes face-toface with dignified strength， paving the way for us to nurture a sensitively cool and ultimately soothing attitude. Emphasising serene elegance in profundity and blooming anew with a placid allure.

# couture

Creation of a novel and chic couture； exhilarating freshness adorned with a sleek， sporty rhythm –revisiting the origin of elegance. Innocent charm joins with an energetic and playful mode for new revitalisation.

e. native

Escaping from daily life awhile， let us embark on a journey – exploring our own roots and awakening internal instincts. Celebrating global connectivity， borderless inspiration and multi-art cultures， awash with vibrant， inter-stimulating emotions. Perceive enticing and sensual excitement...imbued with nativeinspired human strength and vital pulsation.

As well as the international trends for Spring / Summer 2019， three Fabrics China Trend Forums will illustrate the domestic trends for ladieswear and menswear， as well as a ‘Fashion Focus area. A number of seminars will also be held to give more insight into the S/S 19 trends.

In addition to Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics， four other textile fairs also take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center： Yarn Expo Spring， Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition， fashion garment fair CHIC and knitting fair PH Value.