An apparel and textile fair was held in Abu Dhabi, April 16 and 17. This was dedicated to fashion, fabrics, machinery, accessories and prints. The fair has evolved as a trade show over the last four years and is continuously growing. This year 2500 plus visitors attended the show and 75 new companies participated.

International Apparel and Textile Fair is the largest trade fair in the Mena region and the most important platform for the textile industry, both in UAE and in the world. This year the event dedicated to the textile supply chain grew by 5.42 per cent and was attended by numerous professional visitors from the industry.

The textile industry in the UAE is considered a close second to oil among the country’s other trading sectors. The textile industry is vital to the growth of UAE’s economy due to its contribution to industrial output, employment generation and foreign exchange earnings.

Knitted fabric faces the maximum demand in the UAE, accounting for around 49.7 per cent, followed by woven fabrics. Trade organizations in the country are hopeful that the UAE will exhibit more growth and profitability through the bulk import and re-export of textiles and textile articles, particularly from China and India in times to come.

International Apparel and Textile Fair, a dedicated platform for the textile trade, has been focusing and dedicating ensuring better trade movement in this area and also through its last three editions has pushed forward the region in the world textile map.