More than 630 international exhibitors are unveiling their new Spring/Summer 2016 collections at the Texworld trade fair that commences today, the fair has managed to attract 70 new exhibitors from South Korea, China, the UAE, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Portugal and Turkey. The exhibitors are displaying their latest offerings under different sections like cotton, knits, silk & silky aspects, lace & embroidery and so on.

The cotton segment will host 12 new exhibitors, amongst them Dacheng Textile is exhibiting a huge range of fabrics for shirting and casualwear in 100 per cent cotton or with linen, Tencel and polyester blends. Its midrange offer of refined finishes is aimed particularly at casual womenswear collections. The two Turkish companies Hisar Tekstil of Istanbul and Bahateks Tekstil of Bursa are showcasing a range of midrange voiles in extremely high-quality finishes for men’s and women’s wear. Silkland Trading from the UAE has its closely-worked cotton, original prints and embroidery range intended to appeal to buyers of womenswear looking for value additions.

Knits segment has experienced the strongest growth, with 13 new producers of fabrics for children’s and infants ready-to-wear ranges. Collections from South Korea, appreciated by buyers for its cutting-edge technology, are leading the way in creativity and innovation. For instance, Dong Il Textile Co, which specialises in materials for casualwear and men’s and women’s sportswear have on offer a range of high-tech, eco-friendly fabrics with properties like anti-perspiration, anti-odour and quick drying aimed at mid and top-of-the-range brands. The very sporty collection from EST, which specialises in womenswear, has a line of trendy jacquards and circular and double knits targeted at major fast fashion labels.

Embroidery & Lace, one of the most lively segments at the trade fair, will host three new companies, two of them Indian, with a highly creative range. Kontemporary India established in 2008 represents the best in handmade embroidery skill at the very top of the range, mixing creativity and boldness in its choice of materials, such as rhodoid pellets married with precious stones. Shagun Overseas, another Indian company has set its sights more on mid-range fashion brands and labels, with a quality/price ratio which allows it to develop high volume custom-made embroidery. Its offer ranges from traditional embroidery patterns with sequins to sophisticated products mixing pearls, feathers, rhinestones and crystals. Chinese company Shanghai Lee Power Industrial is showcasing a range of selected cotton and synthetic lace for lingerie and ready-to-wear garments.

The Silk and Silky Aspects segments are expanding their offer with the arrival of six new exhibitors, two of which are silk manufacturers from the famous silk-producing centre of Huzhou, known as the City of Silk in China. In common with mid-range brands, Huzhou Linghu Wanshimei Wool-Knitting Co and Huzhou Orient Textile Factory are offering a great variety of weft-faced silk twill, dupion, silk satins and stretch silks in high-quality finishes. Eminent Garment, Hong Kong supplies to many designers and international brands. J.N. Textile, India, a jacquard specialist, intends to attract buyers on the lookout for dupion, heavy silk satins and polyester silk fabrics for entry level and mid-range products.

Four new Chinese companies will display their collection of fancy voiles for the men’s and women’s entry-level range under the denim segment. Shaoguan Shunchang Weaving Factory is a denim maker to watch for the quality of its offer, particularly for fancy voiles for entry level and middle-market ranges. Benjie Textile sells five families of entry-level and mid-range products like 100 percent cotton denim, stretch denim, cotton and polyester blended denim, business-casual denim and functional denim.

Functional fabrics are in vogue since all the brands and designers have started developing dedicated casual or sporty collections using technical fabrics. The segment is expanding its range with six new weavers, of which three are Chinese companies specialising in high-tech fabrics for sportswear and casualwear. The added value of their men’s, women’s and children’s collections, from entry level to mid-range, deserves special attention.

Under the linen segment, Chinese linen producer Shanghai Fortune Textiles will attract fast fashion buyers with its offer made up of entry-level pure linen weaves and linen/ramie and linen/Tencel mixes. Under prints, two new exhibitors are making their debut with unusual prints: - Jiaxing Jinmai Textile Technology, China knows how to win over buyers for mid-range womenswear and teenagers’ clothing with its digital prints on cotton, silk, jersey and jacquard weaves and Radzuan Radziwill from Malaysia produces bewitching unique, surprising collections hand-printed with blocks, competing with fabrics dyed naturally using vegetable pigments. And trims & accessories section has four companies, three from China and one from Portugal, who will be putting their treasures on show. 
The new Spring/Summer 2016 seasonal theme at Texworld has been named ‘Presence’, which will present new directions of textile design and fashion interpreted by the fair’s two artistic directors, Louis Gérin and Grégory Lamaud. Fr.messefrankfurt.com