Expanded educational offering and new Texworld USA Floor Sessions draw crowds
Brand new Texworld USA Showcase and Apparel Sourcing USA SPOTLIGHT display areas showcase textile and apparel trends
The Winter 2017 editions of Texworld USA and Apparel Sourcing USA opened their doors and show floors to exhibitors and visitors alike on Monday, January 23rd, 2017. Continuing through Wednesday, January 25th, and once again taking place at the Javits Convention Center in New York City, the co-located shows presented an assortment of international suppliers from around the globe who showcased textiles, trims and accessories, manufacturing and private label development services, as well as finished apparel.
Texworld USA Winter 2017 boasted over 225 exhibitors representing 12 countries, including: Canada, USA, Colombia, India, United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and more. Turkey, Korea and Taiwan returned with dedicated country pavilions. The Lenzing Pavilion also returned to the show floor with 17 exhibitors focused on integrating sustainable fibers into a wide range of product categories. From cotton to functional fabrics and knits to lace, Lenzing Pavilion exhibitors showcased the best use of TENCEL® and Lenzing Modal®.
Apparel Sourcing USA, a long-term joint venture partnership between Messe Frankfurt and CCPIT-TEX, presented 107 suppliers from 9 countries including: China, Hong Kong, India, Myanmar, Taiwan, USA and Sri Lanka. In addition, Mexico and Peru represented western hermisphere sourcing options with 12 suppliers present on the show floor.
"It's no secret that consumer buying patterns are changing quickly and that the customer is looking for more value than ever when purchasing apparel." said Jennifer Bacon, Show Director, Fashion & Apparel. "This is impacting brands and our buyers every day and we recognize that. This is why we’ve focused on curating a group of exhibitors that offer a great product at a great price. Ultimately, our buyers can visit other textile or apparel shows to network and get inspiration on trends, but Texworld USA is the show to find in-demand, on-trend fabrics at realistic and affordable prices. We're an order writing show, now more than ever."
On the attendee side, Texworld USA and Apparel Sourcing USA Winter 2017 ultimately welcomed a record number of verified visitors across three days. The final attendance recorded showed a staggering 20% increase over the previously documented record for any winter edition in the show's 10 year history. Visitors represented a total of 54 countries, including: USA, France, Australia, Canada, Japan, Brazil, India, Israel, Nigeria, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Ukraine, and others.
"The Winter 2017 edition of Texworld USA and Apparel Sourcing USA has been a record-breaker, both in terms of exhibitors presented and visitor attendance." said Dennis Smith, President and CEO, Messe Frankfurt North America. "We knew that this edition would prove to be an important gauge for where the apparel market is headed and what we've seen is that a mood of cautious optimism is prevailing over all else. The apparel industry is far from standing still and we're thrilled to be the industry sourcing event that buyers choose season after season."
Texworld USA Seminar Series and new Texworld USA Floor Sessions hit the mark with attendees
As always, Texworld USA's complimentary educational sessions proved to be a big draw for attendees. Organized by Lenzing Innovation, the seminar series focused on industry hot topics like TPP and duty-free trade, color and fabric trends, digital printing, and the impact of the buy-now-wear-now trend.
The most popular seminars by attendance included Pantone's color trend seminar titled "Muse: Colors to Inspire", the WWD-moderated "Instant Fashion: How Has And Will The Move To In-Season, Buy-Now, Wear-Now Fashion Shows Impact The Textile And Sourcing Supply Chain?", and "Fashion 101: Getting Back to the Basics of Starting a Fashion Line" with Mercedes Gonzales.
The January 2017 edition also saw the debut of Texworld USA Floor Sessions. This addition to the shows' educational programming was designed to provide attendees at all levels of the industry with the opportunity to discuss topics of interest with their peers in a more intimate setting. The discussions tackled topics such as sustainability, growing an independent fashion brand, and future outlooks on the global textile industry. The three distinct series included "Performance Pitches", organized by Texworld USA, "Textile Talks" organized by Lenzing Innovation, and "Independent Designer Discussions", organized by StartUp FASHION.
"This was an excellent show and a great opportunity for the market to convene. I was impressed with the high attendance at all the seminars as there is a quest for knowledge and connecting to exchange information." said Tricia Carey. "Our new 'Textile Talks' platform, with short interviews on the show floor, exceeded our expectations."
New Texworld Showcase and SPOTLIGHT display areas highlight the best of exhibitor products and services
In a move to more comprehensively present the best of what can be found on the show floor, Texworld USA revamped the well-known trend forum for Winter 2017. The new Texworld Showcase placed a heavier emphasis on curating textiles across all 16 categories of products available and allowed visitors to get a wider view of exhibitor offerings for Spring/Summer 2018.
Additionally, a heavy focus was placed on the chosen theme of the season, functional fabrics and apparel, in a new dedicated area of the Apparel Sourcing USA show floor. The SPOTLIGHT display area highlighted some of the best functional fabrics from Texworld USA exhibitors, as well as active wear and performance apparel from Apparel Sourcing USA exhibitors. The SPOTLIGHT area will return to the show floor in July 2017, where attendees can explore a new theme for the Fall/Winter 2018 season.
For more information about upcoming editions of Texworld USA or Apparel Sourcing USA shows, please visit www.texworldusa.com and www.us.messefrankfurt.com.
About Texworld USA
Texworld USA is the largest sourcing event on the East Coast for apparel fabric buyers, research and product development specialists, designers, merchandisers and overseas sourcing professionals. This international business platform offers a wide product range covering the entire fabric spectrum. From casual cotton to function fabrics and sophisticated knits to intricate laces, season-to-season attendees discover textiles of innovative structures, material mixes and surprising color palettes.
About Apparel Sourcing USA
As a long-term joint venture partnership between Messe Frankfurt and CCPIT-Tex, Apparelsourcing USA offers apparel brands, retailers, wholesalers and independent design firms a dedicated sourcing marketplace for finding the best international apparel manufacturers. As the only event on the East Coast to focus on finished apparel, contract manucaturing and private label development, the show provides attendees direct access to suppliers specializing in ready-to-wear for men, women, children and accessories.
Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is one of the world's leading trade fair organizers, generating over €640* million in sales and employing 2,364* people. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 30 subsidiaries and 55 international sales partners, allowing it to serve its customers on location in 175 countries. Messe Frankfurt events take place at approx. 50 locations around the globe. In 2016, a total of 138* trade fairs were held under the Messe Frankfurt umbrella, of which more than half took place outside Germany.
Comprising an area of 592,127 square metres, Messe Frankfurt's exhibition grounds are home to ten exhibition halls. The company also operates two congress centres. The historic Festhalle, one of the most popular venues in Germany, plays host to events of all kinds. Messe Frankfurt is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
*Preliminary figures for 2016