Picking up the baton from March's spring edition, the 2017 autumn edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is on track to exceed last year’s sourcing options, with around 80 per cent of the available exhibition space already booked. The event will take place in China from October 11-13.

This year the hall layout will make it easier to navigate around the fairground. All international exhibitors will be located on level 2 including in the International Halls (5.2 & 6.2), Beyond Denim (hall 7.2) and Accessories Vision (hall 4.2) – the latter two shared with domestic exhibitors.

The International Halls will host overseas exhibitors covering a diverse selection of quality products from around the globe, and include various pavilions and product zones to streamline buyers’ sourcing experiences.

International highlights of the fair include SalonEurope featuring Italy’s Milano Unica Pavilion, France Pavilion, Germany Pavilion and numerous exhibitors from Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and elsewhere, which will gather an impressive range of premium European-made fabrics and accessories. Asian Pavilions from Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand will expand the sourcing options on offer.

Industry leaders and organisations including DuPont, Hyosung, Invista, Korea Textile Trade Association (KTTA), Lenzing and Oeko-Tex will organise Group Pavilions to feature their worldwide partner mills and members. There will also be six product zones to accommodate current market demands. All About Sustainability, Functional Lab, Premium Wool Zone and Verve for Design in hall 6.2, Accessories Vision (hall 4.2) and Beyond Denim (hall 7.2) will gather the foremost suppliers from those product sectors.

Meanwhile -- apart from denim, accessories and one of the two womenswear fabric halls on level 2 -- all domestic exhibitors can be found on level 1, and will be categorised by product end-use such as casual wear, functional and sportswear, ladieswear, lingerie and swimwear, shirting, as well as suiting.

"The whole industry knows Intertextile as a fair where you can find everything you’re looking for given its size and product range, but look a little closer and it’s clear that the fair has become much more than that in recent years. It is also a hub for the latest fashion, particularly the trendy options available in the Japan Pavilion, the cutting-edge patterns in Verve for Design, as well as the new Chinese talents beginning to emerge, to name just a few. Being in the heart of Asia, the fair is also a focal point for fabric innovations, best evidenced in the Korea & Taiwan Pavilions, Functional Lab and Group Pavilions, as well as increasingly from Chinese exhibitors also," said Wendy Wen, senior general manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, the organiser of the fair.

Intertextile's fringe programme includes Intertextile Directions Trend Forum envisioned by top trend forecasters from France, Italy, Japan and the US, and will reveal the autumn/winter 2018-19 international trends through exhibitors’ products

Fabrics China Trend Forums will focus on the China market. Various forums will explain the upcoming trends in different consumer markets. Seminars & panel discussions will also be held by worldwide industry associations, leading experts from different fields and trendsetters, including many exhibitors themselves, to share and discuss the latest trends as well as the hottest industry topics.

The event will be a valuable platform for exhibitors to present their latest products and innovations. Innotex-Space, which is a display zone, will be set up for innovative textile applications and technologies. China International Fabrics Design & Fabrics Creation Competition, one of the most authoritative competitions in the Chinese textile market, will be held to recognise the design talents and innovators in the local market.