Interstoff Asia will be re-branded as “Interstoff Asia Essential” from 2007 onwards, reflecting the fair’s position as the home of original, innovative and niche fabrics in Asia. With a strong focus on functional fabrics and ‘eco-textiles’, Interstoff Asia Essential will differentiate itself from other textile fairs by concentrating solely on those fabrics that are new to the market and occupy a special niche in the fashion industry. The first edition of Interstoff Asia Essential will take place from 14 - 16 March 2007 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

“We want buyers to think of Interstoff Asia Essential as the place they go to for something new, something pioneering,” says Katy Lam, Director of Trade Fairs for Messe Frankfurt in Hong Kong. “The show has been running for 20 years, and has not diminished in status; it continues to be a valued and important and trade and information platform for the textile and garment industry. But over the past few years the show has changed, and we see an increasing number of specialist fabric suppliers participating. We feel it is important to reflect the changes in the show’s concept and the product offering - hence the new name, ‘Essential’.”

A number of new initiatives are being introduced to further reinforce the idea of the fair as the number one venue for innovative and modern textiles.

21st Century Wardrobe:
Where Fashion Meets Function

A special display area, “The 21st Century Wardrobe”, will showcase ground-breaking, multi-functional textiles from some of the world’s leading suppliers. The 21st Century Wardrobe will contain fabrics from market-leading textile producers from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, France and Italy. These producers will also be invited to elaborate on end-uses of their fabrics as part of the Interstoff Asia Essential seminar programme.
 
Eco-Textiles: Fabrics That Care

For the past two years, fabrics that are made from natural and environmentally-friendly materials, or by an environmentally-sound process, have been identified at Interstoff Asia with a green or silver leaf logo. The increasing number of such fabrics at the fair has led to the creation of “Eco-Textiles: Fabrics That Care”; a special trend area that highlights colour and style trends in these types of fabrics.

“The ‘Fabrics That Care’ display will be a part of the main Trend Forum at the show, and will give buyers an opportunity to see all available eco-friendly products in one spot,” explains Katy Lam. “Eco-textiles are a major new trend in the fabrics industry, and we now have a suitable volume of exhibitors showing these types of fabrics, such that they deserve a showcase of their own.”

In Spring 2007 the ‘Fabrics That Care’ trend forum will be supervised by Sachiko Inoue, a renowned trend forecaster and long-time member of the Interstoff Asia Directions Trend Committee from Tokyo.

Interstoff Asia Essential - Spring 2007 will prove that it is the most comprehensive and modern-thinking textile trade fair in the Asia region. With exhibits presented in three thematic groups - creation, function, and fashion - the fair will reflect the contemporary trend towards vertical integration in the textile and garment industry, catering to the needs of today’s buyers. It will also feature a replete seminar programme covering hot industry topics under three broad headings: design & trend, business strategy, and technology.