Visitors up 20% at Texworld USA

25 February 2010, New York - The eighth edition of Texworld USA showcased 138 exhibitors from 14 countries and welcomed 2465 attendees. In accordance with the apparel fashion cycle, the January shows feature Spring/Summer fabric collections, while the July editions feature Fall/Winter.

The verified attendance for the January 2010 show represents an increase of 20% over February 2009 and 5% over January 2008, providing evidence that apparel fabric buyers are returning to markets in 2010 with increased confidence and in search of new merchandise.

David Audrain, President of Messe Frankfurt USA, stated “The record attendance we achieved at the January edition of Texworld USA confirms that the market in the USA is coming back. We continue to invest in bringing the right buyers to meet with our excellent mills, and we are already hearing very positive comments from new and returning mills planning for our July 2010 edition.

With the launch of our new International Apparel Sourcing Show, and Home Textiles Fabric Sourcing Expo, to run alongside the July 2010 Texworld USA, we expect to bring even more qualified buyers than ever before to New York this July.”

The announcement that the July 2010 edition of Texworld USA will be co-located with a Home Textiles Fabric Sourcing Expo and the International Apparel Sourcing Show, both making their debut at the Javits Convention Center in New York, is said to have been greeted with enthusiasm by exhibitors and attendees sure to benefit from crosspollination of the three shows.

Those in attendance at Texworld USA ranged from buyers representing the world’s largest retailer, Walmart, to a strong showing from the contemporary and entry level designer categories including product development directors, designers and fabric specialists from Alexander Wang, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Charlotte Ronson and Buckler.

Highlights

Observations from the show floor included continued interest in trim and embellished fabrics which have been important for the last couple of seasons. According to a post-show survey of Texworld USA attendees, 33% of respondents indicated findings and trims as their primary area of interest on the show floor.

Strong destination for knits

According to the organisers Texworld USA also remains a strong destination for knits. North American customers demand softness and exhibitors featuring blends containing Lenzing Fibers such as Modal and Tencel are able to meet these needs while also creating beautiful drape and fashion relevance. Knitters offering goods in organic cotton or with recycled polyester continue to appeal to eco-conscious attendees.

The ‘Sensual Nature’ theme, presented as part of a preview of the Texworld Paris Trends for Spring/Summer 2011, was the most popular among attendees. Sensual Nature favours body-hugging fluidity in silkier fabrics. Monochromatic looks play out in colours such as ecru, mineral khaki, rosewood, chalky grey and blue tones. Paper white and apricot are used for subtle accents.

Featured domestic mills in the Lenzing Innovation pavilion were also well-received by attendees. Increased U.S. resources were a top request among respondents to the Texworld USA attendee survey, when asked which country they would like to see more mills from. The most requested country was China, with 18% of respondents indicating a desire to see more Chinese exhibitors.

The United States ranked second in terms of level of attendee interest with 15% of respondents requesting more domestic resources at future editions of Texworld USA. These percentages are based on a surveys completed by 11% of total attendees.

Texworld USA show organizers say they have been watching this trend develop and see the show evolving to offer the best of both worlds – differentiated domestic exhibitors and quality resources from Asia all under one roof.

Lenzing Innovation

Lenzing Innovation continued to partner with Messe Frankfurt for the eighth edition of Texworld USA. The pavilion is an expansion of their successful fabrics trade fair, Innovation Asia (formerly TENCEL New York Inc.) and once again showcased Lenzing customers and their products.

Andreas Dorner, Head of Global Marketing for Lenzing Fibers, commented on the importance of building and maintaining a presence in the U.S. market, “The Texworld USA fair was a great success for Lenzing and especially for the Lenzing Innovation partner mills. After several seasons of exhibiting under the Lenzing umbrella, mills have had very positive customer feedback. It takes some time to build real relationships with the U.S. customers and now these mills are seeing results in terms of sales.”

Attendee Statements

Continuous Designs, Nadine Johnson, Trend, Design and Color Consultant, USA: "[Texworld USA] is the best in the industry. Keep it up!"

Jones New York, Tomoe Jacobs, Textile Buyer, USA: “VIP buyer benefits such as complimentary car service made it easy to ensure that our whole team could attend the event and make the most of our time at the show.”

American Eagle Outfitters, Christina Rapa, Technical Fabric Manager, USA: “I enjoy the seminars and it is great meeting the yarn suppliers.”

TIBI, Anne Ragland, Product Development, USA: “The show was good, and we hope to see more trim and embellishment exhibitors in July.”

Rocawear Tannese Williams, Fabric Director, USA: “I got more quality supplier contacts this season.”

Exhibitor Statements

Fessler USA, Brian Meck, VP of Sales & Marketing, USA: “We met with and received fabric swatch requests from well over fifty new brands, retailers and designers. The quality of the traffic at the show was impressive and balanced with a variety of large, medium and small companies looking for new fabrics, vendors and full package suppliers.”

Jiangsu Xintai Knitting, Ms. Huang Yan, Representative, China:

"We have participated in Texworld USA for 5 successive editions, and have found that it is a good platform for us to gain new business contacts and, more importantly, to maintain good relationships with our existing clients by meeting face to face in New York City."

Shaoxing Greenworld Printing and Dyeing, Mr. J. Jin, Representative, China: "This was our second time exhibiting at the show in New York and we found it to be a good event for our marketing in North America. We were approached by companies such as Calvin Klein and JCPenny, plus we were able to grow our business in the U.S. from small orders to large scale."

Laguna Fabrics, David Roshan, Sales Director, USA: “We were happy with quality of the manufacturers that attended the show and met many new contacts that we know will develop into future orders.”

Enkay Exports, Ankit Jain, Representative, India: “We saw more buyers than expected and plan to exhibit at Texworld USA again in July.”

July 2010

The ninth edition of Texworld USA will take place July 13 - 15, 2010 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.