Texworld USA returned to New York City’s Javits Convention Center July 14 – 16, 2009 as the largest apparel fabrics show in the United States.  The event’s relevance as a sound business platform in today’s complex economic situation was confirmed by thousands of buyers who attended in search of new materials and the offering of creative fabric collections focused on the U.S. market.

The seventh edition of Texworld USA showcased 138 exhibitors from 13 countries and welcomed 2,675 attendees. While the attendee number showed a decrease of 6% from last July due to current economic conditions, it reflected the second highest attendance in the history of Texworld USA.

“Long-term the American market is still the most important market in the world, and Texworld USA is the most important and valuable show for this market. We expect the slow-down of the last year to have turned by the time we have our January 2010 edition.” commented David Audrain, President of Messe Frankfurt USA, on the final outcome of the July 2009 show.

A vast array of the world’s most sought-after fabric buyers attended the event including representatives from: American Eagle Outfitters, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, BCBG Max Azria Group, Charlotte Ronson, Chico’s FAS, Coach, Destination Maternity Corporation, Express, Gap, JCPenney, Jones New York, Kahn Lucas, Macy’s, Madewell/J.Crew, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta Collection, Phillips Van Heusen, Sean John, Under Armour, Urban Outfitters, Victoria’s Secret, Wal-Mart and Warnaco.

Eco-friendly Fabrics Map
Eco-minded customers continue to prioritize organic and eco-friendly qualities. The launch of the Eco-friendly Fabrics Map made it easier than ever to find these fabrics on the Texworld USA show floor. Printed on 100% post-consumer fiber paper, the Map highlighted exhibitors offering eco-friendly fabrics and listed their certifications.

Highlights
More than 200 attendees crowded the Green 2.0 seminar, which featured LaRhea Pepper, Senior Director and a founding member of Organic Exchange, as well as speakers from Cotton Incorporated and Lenzing Fibers. The benefits of organic and conventional cotton were touted as well as the sustainability of Lenzing’s fibers and production process. The pros and cons of various green fiber choices were weighed by attendees, who had many questions for the presenters.

@TexworldUSA – a lively conversation took place between attendees via twitter during the show. Recommendations of booths to visit, directions to the Javits Center and trend insights were posted and “retweeted”. Texworld USA organizers are thrilled to have connected with this audience online and look forward to continuing the dialogue between shows.

The Texworld USA Trend Display was based on a preview of the Texworld Paris trends for September.  “Strength”; a futuristic city story based on black iridescence and shimmering metallics and “Memories”; a nostalgic spring-friendly theme with a soft palette of enzyme-washed cottons and ultra-lightweight knits seemed to resonate the most with the mainly New York based attendees.

Knits continued to be an important focus for designers and merchandisers at the show. As tops, soft seasonless weights appeal to American consumers who can wear them layered for added versatility. The legging and tights trend has lead the way for knits as bottoms, reinforced by the ongoing popularity of dresses and tunic tops. A cultural obsession with softness and luxurious hand feel assures enduring importance for this product category at Texworld USA.

Lenzing Innovation
Lenzing Innovation and Messe Frankfurt continued their successful partnership at the seventh edition of Texworld USA. The popular Lenzing Innovation 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 renowned for eco focus and exceptionally soft hand feel.

Dieter Eichinger, Vice-President of Textile Business Unit with Lenzing Fibers, about the synergy of the partnership; "Texworld USA develops a suitable platform for Lenzing Innovation with the latest information on fashion trends, as well as technical developments. Specifically there is a high level of focus on all aspects of sustainability, which positions Texworld USA as the leading event with expertise on green processes.”

Attendee Statements
Texworld USA demonstrates the ability to cater to diverse buyers:

Calvin Klein Jeans, Kilin Yoon, Women’s Product Development Manager, USA: “I enjoyed the trend section and thought it was useful. It was general but focused at the same time. We always enjoy seeing new fabrics and techniques from Korean vendors.”

Charlotte Ronson, Amy Liu, Designer, USA: ”I thought the show had greatly improved. I had not been in a couple years and this time I found vendors that we could use in our market.”

Phillips Van Heusen, Rebecca Schwartz, Outerwear Designer, USA: “I thought the show was perfect for me. I found a couple of inexpensive outerwear suppliers with nice fabrics. I am especially looking forward to receiving my samples from Bums Industrial Co.”

Aime Luxury, Monica Mei Chiu, Designer, Canada: "As my contemporary women's label uses natural and sustainable fabrics, Texworld USA's Eco-friendly Fabrics Map made it simple to source what I was looking for. As well, the Green 2.0 seminar had an impressive panel of speakers. Innovative ideas kept this trade show fresh!"

Global Purchasing Companies, Mercedes Gonzalez, Director, USA: "Texworld showcased a great mix of mills but really hit the jackpot with the knits."

Weatherproof Garment Company, Tony Galvao, EVP Sportswear Division, USA: “I found some womens’ wear suppliers that were willing to tackle some menswear items and some outerwear suppliers prepared to address my sportswear needs. I found some new suppliers to work with and I was excited at having someone with a fresh perspective help develop product for us.”

Aritzia, Danette Joubinville, Sourcing Manager, Canada: “Texworld USA continues to be an important venue for us to meet exiting new vendors and select great fabrics. The timing is perfect for us to source late additions to our spring/summer collections and to start R&D for fall/winter. The participation of so many vendors working with Lenzing was a highlight.”

Nau, Jamie Bainbridge, Buyer, USA: “I thought the Eco-friendly Fabrics Map was very helpful. It made the show a more efficient stop on my few days in New York.”

Rebecca Taylor, Helena Lau, R & D Director, USA: “I always look forward to Texworld USA since I get to meet with vendors who don’t have an office here in New York.  Especially now in this economy, many companies are cutting back on spending and do not have the resources to keep a showroom here. I also feel the timing of this show is great, because this is when we start to think about Fall, and this show gives us a starting point for the season.”

Sylvia Heisel, Designer, CFDA Member, USA: “It was great to see so many fabrics that reflect where fashion is today and where it’s going in the future with eco, performance, special finishes, hand-worked details, and high-tech everything. Also, it was wonderful that so many suppliers indicated a willingness to respond to the needs of our economy with stock programs, lower minimum orders and faster deliveries.”

Exhibitor Statements

Bums Industrial Co., Harry Kim, General Manager, Korea: “Overall the event was a good investment for our company. Most of the attendees were coming to the event to purchase new fabrics. At least 30% of the people we saw were new contacts. We will be exhibiting with Texworld USA again in January.”

Chic Donor, Julia Zhang, USA: “We enjoyed our experiences and found the general attitude at Texworld USA to be very positive towards our products. I think we have gained a great deal by exhibiting and look forward to doing so again in the future.”

Elysium Textile Co., Ltd., Elisa Sellam, Sales Manager, Hong Kong: “As a first time exhibitor with Texworld USA, we were especially pleased with our participation. We did not realize that so many attendees would be interested in our fabrics. The activity was nonstop in our booth. We saw good representatives from many wholesalers as well as global brands.”

Evertex Dyeing & Finishing Co. Ltd., Tony Yeh, Sales Administrator, Taiwan: “We saw more attendees at Texworld USA than we expected. Key people from good brands and many private label companies stopped by our booth.”

Fabrix Plus, C.L. Wu, Taiwan: “The quantity and quality of buyers keeps getting better at Texworld USA. We received very good leads and saw the right sourcing professionals from some well-known brands.”

I.B International Corp/Joo Heung F&C Co., Ltd., I.B. Koh, President, Korea: “The event was quite positive. Even though the economy is sluggish, attendees at Texworld USA were very busy looking for new materials.”

Labtex Co., Ltd., Kristy Cheng, Sales, Taiwan: “The feedback from attendees was very good. We find Texworld USA to be the best event for meeting North American buyers, more so than other trade fairs around the world. We will exhibit again at the next edition.”

New Globaltex Co., Ltd, Leo Lee, General Manager, China: “This was a good show again this year. We always get orders at Texworld USA, and this year we did even better than last year. We definitely saw more buyers at this years show.”

PangRim Co., Ltd., B.J. Moon, Korea: “Participating in Texworld USA is meaningful for us as it provides a way to stay close to North American buyers. And this is a MUST in the current economy.”

Yagi & Co., Ltd., Haruna Shiratori, Sales, Japan: “The show has been great, we were very busy with record number of contacts - more than we have ever made before and we have been doing this show since 2006. We also wanted to promote our organic cottons and this years Eco-friendly Fabrics Map really helped.”

January 2010
The eight edition of Texworld USA will take place January 19 - 21, 2010 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.

For further information, please visit www.TexworldUSA.com.

About Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is Germany’s largest trade fair organizer. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 29 subsidiaries, five branch offices and 48 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events “made by Messe Frankfurt” take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. The North American headquarters in Atlanta is currently producing trade shows in the USA, Canada and Mexico across various industries. For more information about Messe Frankfurt, please visit our Web site at www.usa.messefrankfurt.com.
 
Press Contacts:
Stephanie Everett
Group Show Director
Tel: 770-984-8016 ext 424
E-mail: stephanie.everett@usa.messefrankfurt.com

Alex d’Archangelo
Marketing Manager
Tel: 770-984-8016 ext 417
E-mail: alex.darchangelo@usa.messefrankfurt.com

Messe Frankfurt textile trade fairs around the world:
Group of Interstoff

• Intertextile Pavilion at Shenzhen International Apparel Fair
  (9 - 11 July 2009), Shenzhen, China
• Yarn Expo Autumn
  (25 - 27 August 2009), Shanghai, China
  Texworld
  (14 - 17 September 2009), Paris, France
• Interstoff Asia Essential − Autumn
  (7 - 9 October 2009), Hong Kong
• Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics
  (20 - 23 October 2009), Shanghai, China