Avantex for sustainable development in fashion.

Avantex Paris an extremely busy show that attests to the importance of networking at the trade fair focussing on technology and processes for sustainable development in fashion.

The Paris trade fairs organised by Messe Frankfurt France welcomed 13,606 visitors 81% from abroad), a very steady result compared with February 2017, which demonstrates the appeal and draw of the shows as business platforms. A focal point for high-tech fashion businesses. At each trade fair, the various segments assemble weavers, service providers, technology and research centres, professional associations, start-up businesses, institutes of higher education and digital printing firms: this is the outcome of Messe Frankfurt France’s successful efforts to explore future prospects. This perfect example of services and technologies dedicated to the fashion industry always attracts a broader group of visitors than the other shows under the umbrella of Texworld.

Visitors to Avantex Paris are on the lookout for new discoveries. They are above all very cosmopolitan and, of course, include designers, fashion houses, ready-to-wear brands and fashion consultants, but also weavers or clothing manufacturers (adding to a fine internal synergy), industrialists, institutions, engineers, textile designers, forecasting agencies, researchers and teachers etc. Exhibitors at the show were delighted with the quality and variety of visitors.

The subject of environmental responsibility generates constant and intense interest. The European Centre for Innovative Textiles presented its programme for the upcycling of polo-shirts converted to cotton yarn in partnership with Décathlon. The lecture on “What is environmentally friendly clothing” was right on target at the Avantex Agora. It is an important topic that which has always been present in the background at Avantex Paris. Messe Frankfurt France is committed to incorporating it as an inherent part of the trade fair in the future.

nnovation remains the key aspect of the show. Friedrich Weninger, the director of Dornbirn-GFC, the congress for textiles research that has been in partnership with Avantex Paris for the last two years, reminded us of this during the talk on “Avantex Paris and Dornbirn-GFC stimulating innovation”, which summarises the work they have undertaken together. Whether it is Induo’s water-repellent fabrics, breathable fabrics from the Korean firm of Bosung, the pleated prints from Cortex that cannot be copied, the creative merging of fashion and technical textiles from Techtera, research into smart flexible materials from the University of Cambridge, ultra-customised prints from MS Print at Avanprint or so many others: innovation assumes myriad forms at Avantex Paris.

Messe Frankfurt France’s approach has always been to explore potential and it has welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between TECHTERA, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes competitiveness cluster, and ESMOD International, the higher education group for fashion professions. The aim of this collaboration is to make the use of technical and functional textiles more accessible to the fashion and clothing markets by encouraging access to these innovative materials for students, the future players in this sector.

The next Avantex Paris show: 17-20 September 2018