With over 2,800 exhibitors from 60 countries and a 95-percent level of internationality, this year’s Heimtextil continues to grow. At a panel discussion during the opening press conference, the leading trade fair for home and contract textiles put the spotlight on the significance of artificial intelligence (AI). How is AI speeding up the design process? Which tried and tested pro-cesses have already been introduced in the home textiles sector? What measures are necessary to prevent copyright infringements? Experts discussed a variety of ideas and solutions – from tool combinations to integration in corporate guidelines.
With more than 2,800 exhibitors from 60 countries and a 95-percent level of internationality, Heimtextil 2024 marks the beginning of the new trade-fair year. And, with a 25-percent increase in the number of exhibitors compared to the last edition, the leading trade fair for home and contract textiles continues to grow across all product segments and attract many different nations.
“Our trade-fair brands are back and more resilient than ever before. Moreover, they offer small to medium sized companies in particular a high level of international stability. Despite a gloomy economic backdrop, Heimtextil continues to expand and offer a market overview of the latest global trends in the home and contract textile sector”, said Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, in his opening statement.
At the opening press conference, panel participants Anja Bisgaard Gaede, founder of the Spott trends & business agency, Danny Richman, AI consultant and inventor of the AI‑based Fabric Genie design app, and Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies of Messe Frankfurt, discussed the potential of artificial intelligence for textile product design. The discussion was chaired by Alexandra Bohn, Style Content Director of F.A.Z. Quarterly.
Artificial intelligence in textile product design
ChatGPT, Midjourney, Dallee: powerful tools for text, image and design generation have been very easily accessible for companies and private individuals since 2023. Today, they are a fixed part of everyday life and are leading to enduring changes in working processes. The panel discussion focused on how artificial intelligence is speeding up creative processes, enabling the rapid production of designs and transcending time‑consuming drawing processes on computers. Moreover, AI offers recommendations for material choices – based on specific criteria and the desired properties of the final product, whether for sustainability or in the contract business.
Source: Heimtextil