Hosting 2,658 exhibitors from the whole world and all new products for the first time, the fair will also host 160 Turkish exhibitors and around 2,500 professional Turkish visitors.
The world’s biggest spectrum of textile products, trends and innovations is to be seen at Heimtextil in Frankfurt am Main from 8 to 11 January 2014. Occupying 19 exhibition halls, the leading international trade fair for the sector presents the entire portfolio for textile interior design and textile furnishings for commercial projects: from products for windows, upholstery, floors, walls and sun protection to textiles for the bathroom, bed and table. Additionally, the fair is distinguished by an informative complementary program for both visitors and exhibitors.
Represented strongly at this world platform every year, Turkey will be represented by 160 exhibitors this year and around 2,500 professional visitors will witness the new trends being set.
With an outstanding number of registrations received months before, the International Trade Fair for Home and Contract Textiles is now ready for another success. “The great response and, in particular, the return of many prominent European manufacturers shows clearly that the textile industry continues to rely on Heimtextil as a vital source of new impulses at the beginning of the year”, says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies of Messe Frankfurt. Thus, the upward trend of recent years, which has seen a steady increase in exhibitor numbers, continues.
‘New & Next’ presents fresh design ideas
The ‘New & Next’ platform for newcomers is a source of fresh design ideas. Among the companies exhibiting there will be Crishome Tex, Sirftex (both Portugal), Colorkitchen, Lanui (both Germany), Devine Marquise (Belgium), Orgamint (Latvia), and Slowcolor (USA) all of which set accents in the household textiles market with their trendy new products.
En vogue: upcycling
Manufacturers of apparel, home textiles and furnishings are giving increasing consideration to the resource-friendly use of materials, and a new product life cycle. Heimtextil also spotlights the subject of upcycling and the work of committed young designers. Thus, the ‘Young Creations Award: Upcycling’ competition calls on young designers to create original upcycling products for the interior. Following the successful première at the last fair, the next competition on the occasion of the coming Heimtextil will be held with more participants. Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Coburg University, Stuttgart Technical University and Weissensee School of Art will take part in the competition with creative works and present their models in a special exhibition in Hall 4.2.
‘European Digital Textile Conference’
The first ‘European Digital Textile Conference’ will be held concurrently with Heimtextil 2014 and offer an overview of new technologies, market opportunities, areas of application for mass printing and sustainable production methods. On the second and third days of the fair (9 and 10 January 2014), the World Textile Information Network (WTiN) in cooperation with Heimtextil will hold a dialogue with experts in ‘Saal Europa’ of Hall 4.0. The conference has been held in different parts of Germany for many years. The last time was in Hamburg in 2011. In the past, the focus was on printing textiles for the apparel sector. Now, international experts will speak about areas of application in the expanding field of home and household textiles.
‘Webchance’ specialist forum on e-commerce
At the ‘Webchance’ specialist forum, experts for e-commerce explain ‘Successful advertising and sales on the internet’ for retailers and e-commerce newcomers. Naturally, they will also provide examples of how retailers should set up a web shop, promote their business and increase sales using new media, as well as point out the legal aspects to be borne in mind. ‘Webchance’ will be held in the ‘Lecture Square’ in Galleria 1. Also on the program at ‘Lecture Square’ are talks on ‘Sustainability and Textiles’, which are being organized in cooperation with the German Hotel Association (IHA), the Fair Wear Foundation, Woolmark International and other partners. A magnet for architects, interior architects, room planners and interior designers will be the new ‘Contract Square’ in the foyer of Halls 5.1 and 6.1. Organized in cooperation with AIT architectural magazine, ‘Contract Square’ is the ideal setting for lectures, panel discussions and awards ceremonies, and will be the starting point for guided tours for architects.
Heimtextil Trends: seismograph for the new season
The highlight for visitors interested in design is the traditional Trend Show. Visitors and exhibitors can look forward to a host of new design ideas in Forum 0. The elaborate Trend Show and the accompanying program of lectures will offer a fundamental insight into the latest design issues. The Heimtextil Trends have played a figurehead role at the trade fair for over 20 years. For the 2014/15 season, a team of six international design studios have singled out the most important themes from the multifarious trend currents around the world. This year, the work was led by London’s FranklinTill Studio. The British designers are also responsible for planning the Trend Show.
