A strong presence from overseas and Chinese exhibitors awaits visitors to Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics this October.

An estimated 3,500-plus exhibitors from 31 countries and regions will display their latest fabrics and accessories, with leading overseas suppliers featuring in SalonEurope, the Milano Unica Pavilion, the Premium Wool Zone and Verve for Design area, as well as Group Pavilions organised by prominent fibre and yarn companies. Located at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, the fair runs from 21 – 24 October, with the first day designated as an invite-only day.

Due to strong demand last year, SalonEurope returns again in hall W1 covering 10,000 sqm. Around 250 manufacturing mills, designer houses will exhibit in this hall, which will also include returning pavilions from Milano Unica from Italy, Germany, Portugal and Turkey. What’s more, individual exhibitors from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom will feature.

The organiser of the Portugal Pavilion, Associacao Selectiva Moda, are optimistic about the opportunities the fair will provide for their members. “Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is one of the most important shows for fabrics in the world, so is the best way to promote Portuguese companies who are known for their fabrics’ design, quality and innovation,” said Executive Director, Ms Sofia Botelho.

“The Chinese market is growing, and in European fairs several Chinese clients have been interested in our products, which is another reason we choose this fair. We will target the domestic market, as well as other Asia-Pacific countries including Korea and Australia.”

The 2013 edition of the fair also sees Premium Wool Zone again. This zone showcases supreme-quality wool fabrics from France and the United Kingdom. The Verve for Design, also located in hall W1, is where visitors can view collections of original creative fabric designs from leading design houses. And first time, Texprint, an organisation promoting UK's talented textile young designers will introduce winner's pieces of TEXPRINT AWARDS to Chinese market in this zone this year.

Group Pavilions by leading fibre and yarn suppliers showcase the latest fabrics and technologies

Confirming the strong international recognition that Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics receives, leading fibre and yarn suppliers from around the world are organising Group Pavilions which can be found in halls W2 and W3.

Cotton Council International, DuPont, Hyosung, INVISTA, the Korea Chemical Fibers Association (KCFA), the Korea Textile Trade Association (KTTA) and Lenzing will each host a pavilion containing their partner mills which will showcase collections of natural and synthetic fibres and yarns. The organisers will also use this opportunity to display cutting-edge industry technologies and the latest raw materials.

One of these organisers is Lenzing, the well known manufacturers of cellulose fibres. Their pavilion this year will highlight their Tencel denim and yarn-dyed shirting fabrics which are known for being comfortable, functional and eco-friendly.

“This fair is a good platform to strengthen our brand awareness in the industry, and provides us with a very good opportunity to collaborate with our long-term partners,” said Ms Maggie Shen, the China Marketing Manager of Lenzing Fibers (Shanghai). “We plan to meet with a wide range of buyers from throughout the entire supply chain that will be at the show, including clothing brands, retailers, garment makers and fabric mills.”

As well as the strong presence from European pavilions and exhibitors, Asia is also well represented. In halls W2 – W4, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Thailand exhibitors, as well as the Pakistan zone, will display the best of Asia. The Thailand Pavilion will feature textiles which are strengths of this country: cotton, polyester, functional fabrics and silk, along with their advanced fabrics technology and craftsmanship.

For those visitors looking for accessories, they are sure to find something to suit their needs in the accessories halls. Located in halls E6 and E7, international and domestic suppliers will showcase their wares across 23,000 sqm of exhibition space. A selection of buttons, zippers, linings, trims, as well as fashion accessories, can be found here.

Running concurrently with this fair are three other events: Yarn Expo Autumn and PH Value (previously known as the China International Knitting Trade Fair) which are located within the same venue as Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, and the Planet Textiles Conference which will be held in the nearby Kerry Hotel.