The Summer 2017 editions of Texworld USA and Apparel Sourcing USA opened their doors and show floors to exhibitors and visitors alike on Monday, July 17. Over three days the shows, once again co-located with Home Textiles Sourcing Expo as well as the debut edition of Avanprint USA, presented a wide range of international suppliers from around the globe who showcased textiles, trims and accessories, manufacturing and private label development services, and finished apparel.

Texworld USA Summer 2017 featured a record-breaking 519 exhibitors representing 12 countries, including: Canada, USA, Colombia, India, Haiti, China, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, and more. As always, China was heavily represented on the show floor with a large showing of high-quality textile and trims suppliers. Turkey, Korea, and Taiwan returned with dedicated country pavilions featuring 9, 56, and 29 suppliers respectively. The Lenzing Pavilion also returned to the heart of the Texworld USA show floor with 27 exhibitors focused on integrating sustainable fibers, such as TENCEL® and Lenzing Modal®, into a wide range of product categories including knits, cotton, performance fabrics and more.

Apparel Sourcing USA, the co-located and long-term joint venture partnership between Messe Frankfurt and CCPIT-TEX, presented 252 suppliers from 11 countries including: China, Taiwan, Mexico, Australia, USA, Hong Kong and more. Both established and emerging sourcing destinations were showcased on the show floor with dedicated pavilions from Egypt, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Suzhou China, while Guatemala represented western hemisphere sourcing options with 2 suppliers present on the show floor.

Following the success of the Winter 2017 shows, the Summer 2017 editions also showed an unprecedented increase in visitors, making 2017 an overall record-breaking year for Messe Frankfurt’s North American textile and apparel shows. Recorded verified attendee numbers across the four shows indicated an astounding 25% increase over the previously documented attendance record.

“This year our shows have demonstrated incredible growth both in terms of exhibitor numbers and industry attendance,” said Dennis Smith, President and CEO, Messe Frankfurt North America. “This shows us that our ongoing efforts to create a comprehensive sourcing platform through the addition of complimentary sourcing marketplaces like Apparel Sourcing USA and Avanprint USA are paying off.”

Summer 2017 shows present largest education offering in show history with Texworld USA Seminar Series, Floor Sessions, and new Industry Roundtable programming

As always, Texworld USA’s complimentary educational sessions proved to be a big draw for attendees. Organized by Lenzing Innovation, the seminar series focused on industry hot topics like sustainability, fiber development, A/W 2018 color trends, duty-free trade and Western hemisphere sourcing, digital printing, and more. The sessions are also available to watch here.

The July 2017 edition also saw the return of Texworld USA Floor Sessions, which included three distinct series of talks: “Performance Pitches”, organized by Texworld USA, “Textile Talks” organized by Lenzing Innovation, and “Independent Designer Discussions”, moderated by StartUp FASHION. This addition to the shows’ educational programming was designed to provide attendees at all levels of the industry with the opportunity to discuss topics of interest with their peers in a more intimate setting. The discussions drew crowds throughout the three-day event, with Lenzing’s sustainability topics and the StartUP FASHION series drawing the largest attendance.

Resource Row and StartUP FASHION Meet-Up provide attendees with valuable industry connections and networking opportunities

New to the show floor this summer was a dedicated networking opportunity for independent designers and start-up brands. On Monday, July 17th, pre-registered attendees converged on the Apparel Café for an hour of cocktails and mixing-and-mingling with StartUP FASHION Founder Nicole Giordano and other independent designers. Meet-up attendees were also provided with a Texworld USA x StartUP FASHION trade show tip sheet and sourcing workbook, filled with information on Texworld USA low-minimum suppliers and tips for navigating the trade show floors.
Additionally, a new Resource Row area dedicated to relevant industry resources made its debut on the Texworld USA show floor. Summer 2017 Resource Partners included business development tools, recycling solutions, 3D printers, and textile education materials such as Fashiondex, FabScrap, Gowanus Print Lab, Heisel, AboutSources, FIT Bookstore, Trend Council, Queen of Raw, Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator, Thr3efold, and more.

The next edition of Texworld USA will take place January 22-24, 2018 and will once again be co-located alongside Apparel Sourcing USA. We hope to see you there!