Texworld Evolution trade show returns to Paris

By

Matthieu Guinebault

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Feb 2, 2022

On February 7-9, after a two-year hiatus, Messe Frankfurt France (MFF) will stage the Texworld Evolution trade show at the Le Bourget exhibition centre in Paris. Normal service is by no means resuming: this edition will chiefly be a way of enabling manufacturers and buyers to reconnect, after MFF staged showroom events in Paris in 2021. Usually, the bulk of Texworld Evolution’s exhibitors comes from Asia, and this session will feature a limited number of them owing to the pandemic.

The event will showcase some 200 exhibitors from 16 countries, over three days instead of the usual four. Exhibitors from Turkey will be present in greater numbers than before, and there will be the habitual South Korean contingent. Producers from Taiwan, Pakistan and Bangladesh will also exhibit, as will some from India, though fewer than expected, since the country is currently heavily hit by the Omicron variant.

As for Chinese producers, they usually account for some 60% of the exhibitors at fabrics show Texworld, and for an even greater share of those at the concomitant Apparel Sourcing event, which is organised jointly with CCPIT Tex, the textile industry’s sub-council within China’s Council for the Promotion of International Trade. Chinese producers’ attendance is clearly an issue: “Travel restrictions no longer apply, but Chinese exhibitors are facing difficulties in accessing EU-approved vaccines, and will have to quarantine for 21 days once they return,” said Frédéric Bougeard, president of MFF.

The event’s four shows, Texworld, Apparel Sourcing, Leatherworld and Avantex (focusing on innovation and sustainability) will feature only about 50 Chinese producers. Some of them will be represented by the ‘Sourcing China’ showroom located at the heart of the show, exhibiting a selection of producers, some of them present in person, some not. Last year, Texworld featured a number of showrooms in order to enable European buyers to still have access to fabrics by Asian exporters.

“We feel that trade has not stopped during the crisis, but it was frustrating not to be able to meet regular clients in person, and the same for new ones,” said Bougeard. “There is always a need to have a conversation, to touch samples. And we hope that this edition will partly put an end to this frustration, as we wait for the situation to improve for the industry,” he added.

Messe Frankfurt had originally planned to hold a session in September 2021, but was eventually forced to cancel. “Restrictions were lifted a little late, for an international trade event,” said Bougeard, also mentioning the measures adopted for the safety of exhibitors at Texworld’s forthcoming edition. Among them, a PCR test centre delivering rapid results, for travellers needing a negative test result to be able to leave.

The event will include a Trend Forum, run by the 2G2L Fashion Design & Consulting agency, and a meeting area that will host a series of conferences. Among the topics, inactive inventory, recycling, R&D, connected apparel, blockchain solutions, innovative sourcing and CSR. Specific show sections will deal with small production runs, artisanal products and sustainability. Visitors and exhibitors will have at their disposal a shuttle bus connecting Le Bourget's RER station to the exhibition centre.