As the global apparel fabrics and accessories industry prepares to gather in Shanghai this October for Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, including suppliers from more than 25 countries and trade buyers from around 100 countries, exhibitors are gearing up for yet another edition of strong results.

According to organisers, buyers come to the fair well informed of next season’s trends, and are in a unique position to be able to make their purchasing decisions from the around 4,500 exhibitors that will be present. According to the figures released by Messe Frankfurt, 84% of buyers attending the 2016 Autumn Edition had some responsibility for purchasing decisions, while 89% were satisfied with meeting their objective of placing orders for the next season. Many buyers also attend the fair to discover new products and innovations, making Intertextile an ideal platform to release new collections and products.

“And with all the changes going on both in national economies and the apparel fabrics and accessories industry, the number of trade buyers sourcing at the fair – around 70,000 – and their diversity – some 100 countries – presents an unrivalled opportunity for exhibitors to find new markets, or double-down on existing ones,” organisers report.

Functional Lab

Many buyers use Intertextile Shanghai as a sourcing platform for the latest functional apparel fabric innovations. The fair’s Functional Lab – which will feature around 50 exhibitors this edition – is the centre of innovation at Intertextile, featuring a wide selection of innovative yarns and fibres, fabrics, accessories, finishes and coatings, membranes and more, particularly for athleisure, sports and outdoor wear, as well as lingerie.

Italian firm Aquafil will showcase its Dryarn fibre at the fair; what the company claims is the lightest fibre in the natural world. According to the company, a garment made of Dryarn will weigh 32% less than an equivalent garment made of wool, and 34% less than one of polyester.

Belgium’s Vetex, a specialist in coatings and laminations for various textiles, won an award at the recent Techtextil fair for its ecologically-friendly solution to replace dimethyl formamide (DMF) as a solvent in PU coatings. At Intertextile Shanghai, it will present its seam seal tapes which are fixed to shoes, garments and outdoor products through a unique hot air process (seam sealing).

The Chemours Company will showcase its Teflon EcoElite durable water repellent (DWR) at the fair. It is said to be a highly sustainable, renewably sourced, non-fluorinated treatment for fabrics. It contains 63% renewably sourced content, is up to three times more durable than existing non-fluorinated repellents, and has high water repellency for at least 30 washes.

As well as showcasing its Repreve brand of fibres made from 100% recycled materials, Unifi will also release an updated version of its Sorbtek moisture-wicking and thermal-regulation fibre at the fair.

Expanded Taiwan Pavilion

“As one of the industry’s powerhouses when it comes to innovation, the Taiwan exhibitors will be out in force in the Functional Lab,” organisers report. In addition to the expanded Taiwan Pavilion inside the Functional Lab, a number of innovative products will also be on offer in the main Taiwan Pavilion.

Singtex has products for garment producers with customers who are eco-conscious coffee drinkers. Its Biotec range includes S.Café Airnest insulation foam and S.Café Airmem membrane, which are made from coffee oil extracted from used coffee grounds, as well as S.Café sefia, a natural functional fabric made from lyocell and S.Café yarns.

Kong You Industrial will feature a new technology at the fair: a waterproof, microporous PU membrane with enhanced breathability due a special four-way stretch technology employed during the melt extrusion process of the knitted fabric and PU membrane.

Paltex will showcase a range of 15D ripstop nylon fabrics with a new digital printing process which aims to enhance the soft-touch of the fabric. Far Eastern New Century will present its new TopDry Zero Yarn at the fair, a PFC-free polyester with superior durable water repellency (DWR). Achievetex will feature its Greenlon Recycle + Dope nylon woven textiles made from dope-dyed yarn.

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