Trade Fair: Texworld Evolution Paris reported a successful show for its July 2023 edition

The summer edition of  the Texworld Evolution Paris trade fair - encompassing  Apparel Sourcing, Avantex, Leatherworld and Texworld Paris – which took place from July 3 to 5  –    celebrated the event's 25th anniversary and welcomed nearly 6,800 international trade visitors to preview the latest on offer from 1,350 exhibitors from 27 countries.

The show was held for the first time at the Parc des Expositions in Porte de Versailles, Paris, where it will remain for its 2024 shows as well, while it's former venue at Le Bourget will serve as one of the venues for the 2024 Summer Olympics for which France is host. 

Organisers said Texworld Evolution Paris trade fairs ended on a very positive note as the show took place in association with two other fairs that took place at the same exhibition centre during the same time -  namely Curve Paris and Interfilière Paris (for lingerie products and accessories ) - and thus offered buyers an unprecedentedly broad fashion platform in the heart of the French capital.

Organisers revealed that most of the buyers they had talked to had welcomed the decision to locate the show downtown Paris which simplified access to a show that was particularly eagerly awaited. 

Organisers said in terms of visitor attendance to Texworld, 18% represented France, followed by Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Germany, and in terms of product offerings, this highly international edition confirmed the major balances between the Asian sourcing zones - as demonstrated by the strong Chinese presence, just 6 months after the reopening of the country, as well as Korean and Taiwanese - Indian and Mediterranean, with, once again this year, Turkey had a strong presence as well as a major sourcing country.

Organisers said in the face of inflation, collection managers tend to redirect their long-term sourcing strategy towards Asia or the Mediterranean region for restocking. Texworld is unique in terms of what it has to offer, according to a Spanish buyer from a distribution group.  "In two days, we can build 70 to 80% of our collections, by mixing fabric choices for creations that will be made in Spain or Portugal, but also finished products, which we will have made in Indonesia according to our specifications," said the buyer.

Frédéric Bougeard, President of Messe Frankfurt France which organises the Texworld trade fairs, said this July 2023 session revealed the changes taking place in the global market that is reorganising itself, and for which the offering must be adapted. “The fashion world is increasingly challenged, with consumers - and therefore buyers - becoming more demanding in terms of price, quality and durability." 

Messe Frankfurt Paris photo.

Messe Frankfurt Paris photo

Bougeard added, "We have to do more to attract our visitors and meet their expectations. That's why we've decided to renew our offer, in a new venue with new services, to 'whet the appetite' and make the visit more efficient. Eventually, we'll certainly have to go one step further, and offer our buyers a sharper selection of manufacturers. We are working on this with our partners, and it will be visible at the next edition, from 5 to 7 February in Hall 7 at Porte de Versailles." 

Sustainability remains a key challenge for all in the industry.  A growing number of supplier countries present at the show are incorporating sustainability as a central element of their approach, and are moving fast on this issue. This key topic has been highlighted in the aisles by the sustainable sourcing itinerary, which enables visitors to easily identify several hundred certified companies. 

Messe Frankfurt Paris photo

This year, a number of manufacturers from Pakistan and Taiwan  had joined forces to promote these aspects with a highly specialised range of products.  

Pakistani company Cresent Bahüman Ltd. for one,  at the Sustainable Pakistan pavilion – which recycles the indigo waste generated by its dyeing processes to dye jeans and T-shirts sold by Spanish brand Pull& Bear  of the Inditex group. 

Also worth noting was Wynist Retail Solutions, one of the six companies in the Taiwan Eco-Textiles Collective pavilion, which had developed an upcycling process that produces shop displays ( for retailers such as Uniqlo and Lululemon) using  fabric scraps and used clothing.

South African creativity was in the spotlight once again this year, as Messe Frankfurt featured the winners of the young South African designers' competition, organised by Allfashion Sourcing Cape Town, Messe Frankfurt's sourcing platform for African production. 

Thando Munkus Ntuli (winner 2021) and Carla Hanekom (winner 2022) were present to showcase their creations in a dedicated area near the Agora. The event was organised as a part of the Texpertise – the textile business network, one of whose aims is to promote the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. 

This time the focus was on empowering women and achieving gender equality. Texpertise comprises around fifty of Messe Frankfurt's textile-related trade fairs worldwide.

Every year, as part of the innovation support policy developed by Messe Frankfurt France, the Avantex Fashion Pitch rewards the best projects in the fashion and textile sector. This year the winners are AwareTM and Refact by Induo, who were selected out of eight companies.

Dutch company AwareTM was selected for its scanner employed to determine the exact composition of a garment in order to facilitate its recycling. A special prize was awarded to Refact by Induo, whose solution enables the development on an industrial scale of a process for recycling all types of textiles and producing a new viscose fibre with very low ecological impact. 

The 2023 jury was made up of Corinne Bégaud - head of HEC's Challenge+ programme - Christian Martin - founder of the Fashion Tech Lab and a specialist in augmented reality - and Frédérique Thureau - partner and leader of the TCBL textile network. Organised by Avantex Paris, the international trade fair for innovation in advanced and sustainable fashion, this event gives fashion and textile start-ups international exposure to investors, professionals and the media. CDamslab, De Rigueur, HYPUnderwear, NIL Textile, Redivivum, Terra Ferra and Thesara were finalists in the 2023 Avantex Fashion Pitch.

The next Texworld Evolution Paris trade fairs will take place February 5 - 7, 2024 at Parc des Expositions in Porte de Versailles, Paris.

Photos by Lucia Carpio or otherwise stated.