Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics - China International Trade Fair for Apparel Fabrics and Accessories
26 ¨C 29 October 2005, Shanghai New International Expo Centre

Strong attendance proves show's importance on the international trade fair circuit: more than 45,000 visitors and over 1,500 exhibitors

Exhibitor feedback is overwhelmingly positive; the atmosphere energetic and business brisk 
 
 
Final Report

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics has proved beyond doubt its position as the most important apparel textile fair in China, and one of the leading international trade fairs for the garment fabrics sector. With over 1,500 exhibitors and 45,000 visitors in attendance, the show closed last week to ringing endorsements from both the demand and the supply sides of the industry.

The Chinese textile marketplace is an environment rich in opportunities for all who make or supply garment fabrics and accessories. Held in China¡¯s textile heartland, Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics brings together textile and garment industry professionals from across China and all over the world, creating a comprehensive and professional marketing and sourcing platform. Far from being a ¡°Chinese¡± event, the show has garnered an international image and a reputation way beyond China¡¯s borders.

"I have heard that it was a big show but I didn't realised how big it actually was," said Mr. Dean B. Turner, Senior Vice President Global Product Marketing for Cotton Incorporated. "China is a market with a huge potential and this fair perfectly meets our marketing strategy."

"This show's reputation has grown tremendously in Italy. Many companies have approached us to participate in the pavilion and the 54 selected organisations that are here are extremely happy with the results," said Mr. Alessandro Liberatori from the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade, organisers of the Italian Pavilion. "China¡¯s demand for quality textiles is strong and ever-growing. It makes perfect business sense for Italian companies to exhibit at this fair."

Covering five standard halls and one temporary, the exhibition housed a wide array of fabrics and accessories from all over the world. The atmosphere was energetic, business brisk, and visitor traffic was consistently high over all four days of the show. Foreign exhibitors were especially excited about the flourishing China market.

Ms. Dominique Pralon-Wissinger, the Commercial Manager for Dow Fiber Solutions in Northern Europe said: "This has been a very good show for us. We are impressed by the number of professional visitors we have seen. We met with many clients that we didn't expect to see at the Shanghai fair. Mr. Du Yuzhou, President of China National Textile And Apparel Council even visited our booth and was very interested in our new product range."

"Our company's name is well recognised in China and we already have a large manufacturing centre in the country. However, we believe that it is crucial for us to participate in the most important apparel trade fair in the country," said Mr. Yoshirou Aiki from Toray the renowned Japanese functional textile manufacturer.
"The show gives us the opportunity to read the market and see what make the buyers tick.¡±

There were nine national pavilions including Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Portugal, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey. For the first time, the show welcomed companies from the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Peru. Mainland Chinese exhibitors were also pleased with the opportunities the show offered.

Mr. Zhang from Jiangsu Sunshine, one of China's largest textile company said: "It is important for us to further promote our brand through professional trade fairs such as Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics 2005. The show gave us the opportunity to meet our clients face-to-face and listen to their feedback.¡±

"We had an excellent show," said Mr. Billy Yu of Ningbo Sunrise Textile D&F. "Big fashion brands that usually do their sourcing at European fairs are now coming to China. This offers great business opportunities especially for our more expensive range."

It was the second time that Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics opened for four days instead of the usual three. The first day, named ¡°Exclusive¡±, was reserved for buyers with invitations only, guaranteeing only pre-selected, qualified buyers on the stands.

"The success of our 'Exclusive' day proves that the model is right," said Annie Ma, Group Manager of Trade Fairs for Messe Frankfurt in Hong Kong. "Exhibitors were happy to have one day to do business with their regular buyers but they also stressed the importance to have the last three days for meeting new customers.¡±

The two trend forums presented by Elementi Moda and the China Textile Information Centre illustrating the trends for Autumn/Winter 2006/07 attracted a lot of attention. Both forums were clearly appreciated by the visitors and exhibitors alike.

"The trend forums are an excellent opportunity to promote our products", said Ms Maxine Hsu, Managing Director of the Taiwanese company Syangling Industry. "Many buyers came to our booth after having seen our fabrics displayed there.¡±

¡°We saw a record number of attendees at the trend seminars. We can see that the market is rapidly maturing. Chinese buyers are looking for higher quality products and design is becoming a strong selling point,¡± adds Ma. "This is such an exciting time for the industry in China and Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics 2005 is right in the centre of it all."

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, The Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT and China Textile Information Centre.

The next Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics will be held at
Shanghai New International Expo Centre from 25 ¨C 28 October 2006.

For more information on Intertextile please visit www.intertextile.com / www.kk4489.com

fax (852) 2598 8771 or e-mail textile@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com

-end-

Visitor statistics:
 
Total number of visitors 45,137 (up 5%)
Local visitors 34,415
Overseas visitors 10,722
No. of countries represented  101
Top ten visiting nations & regions
(in order, greatest first) China, Japan, Korea Hong Kong, Taiwan, USA, Italy, France, Germany, India
 
 
Exhibitor statistics:
 
Total number of exhibitors 1,532 (up 26%)
Sqm  60,000 sqm. (30% more than in 2004)
Local exhibitors 964
Overseas exhibitors 568
No. of countries represented 25
Top ten exhibiting nations & regions (in order, greatest first) China, Japan, Taiwan, Italy, Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Germany, Turkey, Pakistan 
 
Statements from the exhibitors

"I said it last year and I will say it again this year: Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is a event that no apparel fabric manufacturer can afford to miss. The market is maturing very quickly. We now meet buyers that do not need much explanations regarding our range of functional fabrics."
Mr. Urs Wicki, Schoeller, Switzerland

"Only one word to describe the show: perfect! We have just opened two new offices in China in order to provide better and faster service to our customers that have relocated here from Europe and America. We have met many of these contacts at the show but we also found new potential customers."
Mr. Jean-Baptiste Legouge, Freshtex Sino-Dragons, Germany

"China has a huge potential market and Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is helping us reaching for the key buyers in the country."
Ms. Pinar Ozokumusoglu, Soktas, Turkey

"We visited the show last year and we were so amazed by the scale and the internationality of the show that we decided to sign up this year. It was the right decision as Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is trully an excellent marketing platform. We are very satisfied with the results and we come again next year with a bigger exhibiting space.¡±
Mr. Simon Lau, Adapt Identification, Hong Kong

¡°A lot of buyers from big fashion brands, like Nike, Adidas and Li-Ning, come to visit our booth. We have new products such as the corn fibre and received good feedback from visitors.¡±
Ms. Yvonne Yeh, Far Eastern Textile, Taiwan

Statements from the visitors

¡°This is my first time to the show and everything here is very interesting. I am looking for silk products and I have made many good contacts already. I will come and visit the show again next year, no doubt. ¡°
Mr. Sunny Chatterjee, Robinson Fareast, China.

"I am a teacher in fashion design and I think the show is not only a great place to find new textiles, it is also a great educational tool."
Mr. Christian Saint-Gilles, Paris Shanghai International Fashion Academy, China