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| Nov 1, 2010 |
Textile show to focus on fashion, sustainability and contract
Boh staff
By Staff

The Frankfurt-based textiles trade show Heimtextil has announced its January 2011 lecture program, which spotlights current trends and developments in the household-textile market. The lectures focus on three themes related to textiles: ‘Fashion trends for bathroom, bed and table linen’, ‘Sustainability in the textile sector’ and ‘New aspects of the contract business’. The speakers will be leading entrepreneurs, marketing experts and representatives of trade associations.

“With this programme of lectures, we examine the predominant trends in the market, and supply representatives of the trade and industry with valuable information about topical issues”, explains Olaf Schmidt, Vice President, Textile Fairs, Messe Frankfurt.

The first day of the program will be devoted to the subject of ‘Home-textile fashion trends – how fashion influences interiors’. Just like apparel, home textiles are subject to changes of fashion. Colors, patterns and materials are adapted to take account of the latest trends. Thus, constant market observation and changes in corporate orientation form the basis for successful business. The day will provide an overview of current developments in the textile sector and strategic perspectives for the future. The speakers include Ornella Bignami, Fashion Director of Elementi Moda, who will consider cross-over trends between fashion, furniture and home textiles. Representatives of the sector will discuss the development of home textiles in a panel discussion.

The future belongs to the market for sustainable textiles and, according to a study commissioned by Messe Frankfurt in 2010, the worldwide segment for sustainable textiles will develop at an above-average rate. On the second day of the fair, the ‘Let’s talk about it!’ forum will focus on this future-oriented subject. Today, sustainability means the resource friendly and socially fair production of textiles. This, in turn, means that statutory inspections, voluntary certification and company-wide ethical rules are necessary to maintain the standard over the entire textile chain. Although there are already innumerable eco-labels on the market, they are of only limited value as purchasing aids for both retailers and consumers and it is difficult to obtain an overview.

Orientation in the field of eco-labels for textiles will be given in a lecture entitled ‘Making organic quality visible: labels for ecology and sustainability’ by Katharina Schaus, General Manager of Organic Textile Services. Additionally, speakers from companies such as Tchibo and IKEA will provide insights into the business and quality control strategies of their corporations.

The program will be concluded by lectures on the contract business. Textiles used in the contract business must meet a variety of demands, e.g., cost efficiency, high quality and numerous target-group oriented supple¬mentary functions. The lecture programme will give an overview of current needs in the B2B segment and reveal the perspectives for growth in the textile sector. To be held under the auspices of the German Dry Cleaning Association, a lecture and subsequent panel discussion will look at the ‘Requirements on flat linen’.

Attention will also be paid to the subject of research and development. Prof. Rainer Gebhardt, Head of the Textile Technology Transfer Centre of the Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V., will speak about developments in the market for home textiles and trend products with innovative qualities and functions. Sabine Gimbel of Textilforschungsinstitut Thüringen-Vogtland e.V. will present current research projects for the contract business, including hygiene-related topics and screening against electro-smog in bedrooms. Additionally, subjects such as new functions and areas of application for textiles will also be discussed.

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