by+Flora

The global apparel fabrics and accessories industry is gearing up for its key spring summit – one of the trade fair highlights of the year where the entire sector gathers to do business， discover the latest fashion trends， find new innovations and discuss whats in store for the year ahead. Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition returns from 14 to 16 March following strong results in its two editions last year. The 2017 spring fair was the most international yet， with over 71，000 trade buyers from 103 countries and regions doing business with more than 3，300 exhibitors from 26 countries and regions.

With the focus turning now to the first trade fairs of 2018， Ms Wendy Wen， Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt （HK） Ltd.， put forward the case for why Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is at the forefront of the industry. “As a sourcing platform， Intertextile is unrivalled in the industry. With this many exhibitors under one roof covering the entire apparel fabrics and accessories product spectrum， and across all price and quality points， the fair is the most efficient and effective way to discover new suppliers and make purchasing decisions. For these suppliers， the internationality， relevance and quality of the buyers –which is boosted by concurrent events such as CHIC， Chinas premier garment fair – is what keeps them coming back year after year.”

Matching market demand： popular product zones return again

While one of Intertextiles biggest strengths is the fact the entire apparel fabrics and accessories sector gathers in the one place for three intense days of busi-ness， the fair is also conveniently categorized to ensure sourcing efficiency. A number of country & region pavilions as well as group pavilions will feature， while the following product zones， established to maximize the opportunities from growth areas in the Chinese and Asian markets， return again.

Accessories Vision

？ In the last two Spring Editions， the number of exhibitors in this zone has grown by nearly 70%. This demand comes from the fact that more than 21% of buyers attend the fair to source accessories

All About Sustainability

？ With the Chinese government implementing ever stricter pollution control measures on the one side， and increasingly eco-conscious domestic consumers and higher requirements from export customers on the other， demand from the local textile industry for sustainability products & services continues to growendprint

？ This zone， with product & service， display and educational areas， remains the key sustainability event in China for the wider industry

Beyond Denim

？ China produces more than 2.5 billion denim garments per annum， with much of this output then exported to the US and Europe， ensuring demand for imports of quality denim fabrics is high

？ 18% of buyers at the 2017 Spring Edition were interested in sourcing denim， ensuring a steady flow of buyers to this zone

Digital Printing Zone

？ While a clear global trend， the potential in this sector in China is amplified due to increasingly stringent national environmental protection policies

Functional Lab

？ With Chinese consumers jumping on the athleisure bandwagon， and increasingly participating in sports & outdoor activities， the functional fabrics sector is one of the fastest growing

？ This is evidenced in Intertextiles buyer profile also， with 27% of buyers stating functional wear and sportswear as their main area of interest at the 2017 edition

Premium Wool Zone

？Growth in the domestic consumption of high-end overseas wool fabrics remains strong， particularly for suiting as Chinese men increasingly adopt Westernstyle office attire

？ Overseas participants in this zone such as Huddersfield Fine Worsteds， regularly confirm that satisfactory numbers of their target buyers， including tailors and menswear specialty stores， visit this zone

Verve for Design

？ While the original pattern design market in China has matured somewhat since its fast-growing early days， sales during the fair in this zone remain strong

？ Around 8% - 9% of buyers at the fair are in design roles or looking for design & styling products， representing a relatively large buyer base for this niche market

In addition to the sourcing event that is Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics， four other textile fairs also take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center： Yarn Expo Spring， Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition， CHIC and PH Value. Participants of these fairs will also look to source from exhibitors of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics， ensuring extra business opportunities are provided by the entire textile supply chain gathering under one roof.endprint