The forthcoming Texworld Paris trade fair for professionals from the fashion industry will take place at Paris Le Bourget from 15-18 February 2016, with a new concept, which is said to provide visitors with a clearer, better proportioned offering, divided into more distinct sections.

“The move upmarket noticed by all the visitors to recent events is taking on its full scale by division into distinct sections, now in two halls, to the benefit of visitors and exhibitors alike, and by a powerful synergy, brought about by the division of the sectors hosted at Texworld Paris,” commented Michael Scherpe, CEO of Messe Frankfurt France.

One of the main attractions of a visit to Texworld Paris is the range of associated Texworld trade fairs, taking place at the same venue on the same dates, organisers report. These include Apparel Sourcing Paris, Avanprint Paris, Avantex Paris and Shawls & Scarves – the accessories showcase.

Apparel Sourcing

The February 2016 event will mark a turning point for Apparel Sourcing, the trade fair for sourcing the widest range of international ready-to-wear products. The trade fair is experiencing a good increase of around 30% of clothing and textile accessories manufacturers, currently totalling more than 230 exhibitors.

China will have a strong presence with a very varied range. Around ten exhibitors from Hong Kong will round off this showcase, historically more used to working with western fashion labels, but sought above all by the top-of-the-range branded ready-to-wear sector.

Taiwan will be represented by specialists in outerwear, and Pakistan, more oriented towards casualwear, but whose solutions remain multifaceted and, above all, India, one of the vital major players in the sector. A new local offer from Morocco will allow visitors to consider more possibilities for fast production. Portugal will lead an extensive offer of unstructured womenswear and sportswear. Casualwear will be partly represented by Bangladesh, which will be attending a February fair for the first time. A Japanese producer of men’s and women’s knitwear will also attend.

Shawls & Scarves

The Shawls & Scarves fair will become Shawls & Scarves - the accessories showcase, with the prospect of becoming a real benchmark for all accessory sourcing, organisers report. It is thus diversifying towards finished products other than shawls, scarves and stoles, but staying with accessories.

The fair will be at the heart of Apparel Sourcing and will supplement purchasers’ needs with panache. Indian manufacturers, who are major specialists, will be responsible for 30% of the offer. Fashion on Display will highlight the techniques and creations of Apparel Sourcing exhibitors in a highly pragmatic way. The best products by exhibitors will be highlighted on a trends concourse, devised by the trade fair’s artistic directors.

Avanprint makes its debut

Avanprint, the trade fair for digital printing solutions, running in parallel with Texworld Paris and Apparel Sourcing, has been created by Messe Frankfurt France. It will showcase innovative solutions and the latest developments in digital textile printing. The principal aim of this annual platform will be to satisfy the need for meetings and exchanges between designers and product managers encouraged by the overall innovation which digital printing techniques provide.

The exhibitors are manufacturers and distributors of digital textile printing machines (roll-to-roll, single pass, DGT and narrow format), peripherals and inks, designers of sampling machines, software and colour management solution suppliers, suppliers of fabrics, printable clothing and printing transfers, digital printing pattern designers, etc. An area of 1,000m² will be dedicated to them at this launch event.

Avantex

At the launch event in September 2015, Avantex was well received as a very important indicator and catalyst of an ongoing trend in the fashion industry towards more technological, more connected, multi-functional aspects, increasingly prized by designers and leading fashion brands.

The February 2016 event will underline this essential dynamic: high-tech, highly innovative companies will encounter designers and product managers from fashion labels, in the service of the industry.

"We want Avantex to drive fashion into the future. This corresponds perfectly to a highly contemporary desire to link scientific research to ready-to-wear segments. We are offering high-tech materials which have the advantage of being available now for immediate use in clothing,” said Michael Scherpe, CEO of Messe Frankfurt France. “Avantex is the laboratory for the fashion of tomorrow, but it remains pragmatic, open to uncovering new techniques whilst providing solutions which are industrialisable immediately.”

www.texworld.messefrankfurt.com