The third edition of the first trade show to bring together in Paris companies that supply the ultimate in high-tech fabrics, trimmings and services for the fashion of tomorrow, Avantex 2016 concluded last month, consolidating its position at the forefront of textile innovation.

The September 2016 Avantex show expanded the categories it offered for technical/technological services that support fashion. This diversification was highly acclaimed, as witnessed by a number of exhibitors, organisers report.

The cap with built-in headphones from the Taiwanese Sound Team, for example, received a wealth of requests for samples, as well as the all-in-one photo equipment from Picapics, which received expressions of interest in buying from several American, Indian and Chinese companies, and also the concept for instantaneous dyeing and embroidery from Coloreel, which was given a special preview at Avantex Paris and aroused keen interest on the part of manufacturers.

Functionality and fashion

Initiated in September 2015 for the new field of technical clothing and fabrics, as well as e-clothing, Avantex Paris addressed a strong demand for convenience, everyday use and functionality from consumers, who seek functional, suitable fashion, fanciful at times but more practical and rational. “These products from the most innovative exhibitors attending the third Avantex show were met with strong interest,” commented Michael Scherpe, President of Messe Frankfurt France.

“This concentrated and vigorous activity certainly endorses the validity of the initiative by Messe Frankfurt France and its more than positive development: visitors have moved on from a state of astonishment and discovery to that of taking concrete steps, to establishing markets, on the part of a large number of companies in the sector. Show after show, Avantex Paris, always at the forefront of the market, is becoming the European reference platform for highly functional and technical innovative textiles.”

Innovative products

The artistic directors at Messe Frankfurt France presented two collaborative works that mixed design and technical materials. First one featured students from the lingerie section at ESMOD Paris making use of technical textiles to incorporate them in very imaginative lingerie collections that combined femininity, seductiveness and technology.

The second collaborative project involved the French federation for bespoke couture (Fédération Française de Création Couture Sur-mesure) in Paris, which engaged in an exercise in style that consisted of incorporating fabrics from Avantex exhibitors in exceptional haute couture dresses.

Alongside these innovative finished products, the ranges of textiles were also under spotlight. In particular, the almond and cinnamon-based antibacterial fabrics from Green Defence, Umorfil’s collagen peptide-based cosmetic fibres obtained from fish scales and blended with recycled fibres, and the triple-layer breathable fabrics from the Korean firm Bosung Textile were met with resounding success.

Networking

The exhibitors were satisfied with the efficient logistics and the high level of organisation, in terms of equipment and location. The trade show was arranged around the Avantex agora, this circular forum, where round tables were held with experts, who are either developing or have implemented innovative solutions at every stage of fashion. Exchanges of ideas and experience took place, encouraging interactions with exhibitors.

"The very broad range of international visitors made it possible for us to establish numerous contacts with fashion designers, the eco-system for ethical fashion, manufacturers of finished products looking for French expertise, textile producers keen to invite French fashion designers to their factories in order to develop innovative collections,” said Alice Gras, president and co-founder of the La Fashion Tech Association enthusiastically.

www.avantex.fr.messefrankfurt.com