SHANGHAI - Organisers behind this year’s autumn edition of the Intertextile Apparel Fabrics exhibition, which opens its doors to visitors today, have expressed their excitement ahead of a strong series of seminar programmes, lectures and Forums dedicated to the likes of functional textiles, smart fabrics and digital textile printing.
The biennial show, which is taking place from 11 - 13 October at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre in Shanghai, includes a panel discussion on how recent global technology developments of smart wearable devices (such as VR and AR technology) are influencing the textile industry.
“Performance apparel is now one of the fastest growing sectors of the global textile industry,” organising company Messe Frankfurt’s senior general manager Wendy Wen said during the show’s opening conference. “A recent report suggests that the market could exceed US$83 billion by 2020 - more than 30 per cent growth.
“Specifically in China, the potential in the sportswear market is huge. According to figures from the Shanghai Sports Bureau, the country’s market is set to be worth US$749 billion by 2020.”
“Last year, we launched the Functional Lab area for the first time, which showcases the latest innovation and technologies in textiles, and its appearance again this year shows we have another rich programme for this autumn edition,” she added.
More Forum seminars specifically targeting the functional and smart textiles market during the exhibition indicate the way in which the industry is evolving in China. For instance, one lecture led by the TÜV SÜD will assess how the Chinese technical textiles market can meet the stringent and often complicated requirements for chemical and safety testing in cross-industry products.
Meanwhile, another one of this year’s Forums is dedicated to digital printing - with DTP company Kornit presenting its ‘Allegro’ technology. The waterless printing system is said to not require any external processes such as pre-treatment, steaming and washing.
As ever, T.EVO will be reporting live from Intertextile during the course of the show, with updates from seminars and lectures (as well as live news, comment and analysis from the exhibition) will follow on our website. You can also find us live tweeting at
@tevonews.
