Well-Being and Textiles – Heimtextil 2016

This week it’s all about textiles in Germany! Held at Messe Frankfurt, in Frankfurt Germany, Heimtextil is the leading international trade fair for home and contract textiles and the global benchmark for quality textiles of design and innovative functionality. Different from other years, the event will be held Tuesday through Friday, January 12th to 15th, 2016, to better accommodate visitors’ busy schedules. The new sequence has raised the new motto: Break the Date, Save the Date.

Heimtextil is expecting more than 65,000 visitors and 2,700 exhibitors. Over 2,300 international exhibitors will present their products, making Heimtextil a must-attend trade show to strengthen business and reach new customers. Additional to highlighting textiles, the show will offer lectures, workshops and competitions for the visitors. Here are the reasons we like Heimtextil…

TRENDS:

Each year, six leading international trend agencies work with Heimtextil to discuss the latest textile trends and decide upon one overarching theme: a major topic and the over-riding influence on these trends.

This year, “Well-Being 4.0” is the key overarching theme at Heimtextil. Textile furnishings that exude an aura of relaxation and calm. Everything will be geared towards offering a better life and greater well-being. At the same time, technology and science intertwined with textiles play a key role. The number “4.0” echoes ‘industry 4.0’ and stands for smart, digital and customized solutions. The idea is to trigger positive feelings and responses to stimuli at the touch of a button or swipe of a finger.

Following the kick-off trend meeting, WGSN trend agency will deliver all of the components of the trend platform theme. There will be a trend book, a dedicated web environment to give real-time access throughout the year to stories and news related topics on trends, and an updated version of the Trend Forum in Hall 6.0, a new location in the heart of the Heimtextil exhibition.

Bring it on!

 

CREATIONS

Push that creative button, make your own motifs with hand screen printing by Frohstoff. If you love rabbits, hedgehogs or deer motifs, you can do this and more (we love giraffes!). Frohstoff even has workshops to let you try your hand at the screen printing process. The experience of screen printing itself and the happy motifs we create, triggers for us the feeling of well-being and calm, hearkening back to the theme of Heimtextil 2016. Yay!

 

SUSTAINABILITY

There’s been an uptick in the demand for organic cotton. Organic cotton has increased by 10% in production according to a non-governmental organization, the Textile Exchange. Why you ask? Two significant factors are: On the one hand, the strong increase in demand for organic cotton based on market operators who implement sustainability programs, and on the other, considerably improved connections within the textile supply chain between cotton farmers, labels and distributors. It’s become chic to use organic cotton. Some noteworthy brands that are putting organic cotton back on the market are SkunkFunk, Tchibo and Nudie Jeans. We’re excited to see what happens with organic cotton in upholstery textiles in 2016.

These are just a few reasons to pay attention to Heimtextil Frankfurt and keep your eye on the pulse of the textile industry for 2016.

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