Heimtextil to enjoy promising start: Europe a major contributor to growth

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Frankfurt am Main plays host to textile interior design: from 10-13 January 2017, the international home textile industry will present its wares at Heimtextil, the world's leading trade fair for home and contract textiles. With 2,963 companies from 67 countries, Heimtextil once again exhibits clear growth (99 exhibitors more than last year) and will launch the new furnishing season with all indications pointing to success. Numerous events will accompany the industry meet-up and provide valuable stimulation in terms of design, trends and new textile products.

'With its high density of global market leaders and the huge variety of its product portfolio, Heimtextil is unique and highly attractive for the international industry. For the seventh time in a row, the trade fair has grown, both in terms of the exhibitor numbers and surface area, underlining its globally leading position', says Detlef Braun, member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt. European companies, particularly from Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Turkey, are key contributors to the qualitative growth of the trade fair.

Martin Auerbach, Managing Director of the German
Association of Home Textiles Manufacturers, has noticed a trend towards more materiality in interior design over the past year. 'This development was also reflected in the industry figures over the course of the year. Upholstery fabric in particular is currently experiencing a comeback. Last year's turnover in Germany increased by 2.7 per cent. Companies also appear satisfied with what is happening in the bed segment and have achieved an increase in turnover of 3.9 per cent. The exceptionally positive attitude of companies towards their world-leading trade fair Heimtextil 2017 in Frankfurt with its high degree of internationalisation is something we are taking as an indicator of the mood of the industry in relation to the global markets'.

Eva Padberg and additional star guests
Heimtextil will present model, musician and designer Eva Padberg (pictured), who celebrated the launch of her own home collection last year, as its honorary guest. During the press conference to open the trade fair, she will give insights into her work as a designer and tell us about the creative and craft-related challenges she faced with her first collection. Additional prominent guests at this year's Heimtextil include Wolfgang Joop and Michael Michalsky who, together with A.S. Création, have brought out new wallpaper collections, as well as Harald Glööckler, who will present his 2017 collection at Marburger Tapetenfabrik.

Internationally unique offer of upholstery and décor fabrics
The trade fair is continuing to experience very positive development across all product groups. The product group "upholstery", which offers décor and upholstery fabrics as well as upholstery and imitation leather, has experienced considerable growth over the past three years. Halls 4.0, 4.1 and 3.0, which present primarily décor and upholstery fabrics, are fully booked. New suppliers have also attended, particularly from Italy, Spain, Poland and Turkey. This makes the segment an ever more important point of contact for contract furnishers and architects.

Growth in the "bed" segment
Another driver of growth is the product segment "bed", which is comprehensively showcased at Heimtextil. From the machine via the fibre to the end product of a mattress, bed cover or pillows – at Heimtextil, you can find everything relating to beds. New to the offer provided by numerous exhibitors are accessories such as lamps or bathroom items that complete the portfolio and thus also offer an opportunity for dealers to expand their product ranges.

"Design live": creative hotspot for textile design
Hall 4.2 is transformed into the world's largest platform for textile design. Under the roof of "Design live", 230 international studios present their new designs. "Design live" has gradually become one of the core elements of Heimtextil over the years and is a hotspot for creativity and design from all four corners of the world.

New to hall 6.0: "Digital Textile Micro Factory"
The product group "digital print technology" with its machine suppliers for digital print processes continues to be a focus. A variety of international market leaders are once again on board, such as Epson from Japan, Hewlett Packard from the USA, Mimaki from the Netherlands and MS Printing from Italy. At the upcoming Heimtextil, the product group will be presented in hall 6.0. In partnership with the German Institute for Textile and Fibre Research, a "Digital Textile Micro Factory" will be installed here for the first time. Visitors will experience a complete digital production chain live, from the design, digital printing and finishing to automatic cutting and confection.

"New & Next": Heimtextil welcomes industry newcomers
More than 30 new companies are waiting to exhibit their fresh product and design ideas as part of the start-up programme "New & Next" – spread out over the product groups Design live, floor, bed, bath and table in halls 3.0, 4.2, 9.0, 11.0 and 11.1. Many of the new exhibitors come from Europe. However, companies with creative design concepts from Japan, Iran and Korea are also represented.

Heimtextil "Theme Park": Trend showcases with an extra special something
The programme highlight for those interested in design is the "Theme Park" in hall 6.0. In this trend and inspiration area, visitors and exhibitors alike can look forward to a passionate explosion of new design products. The overarching theme is "Explorations". An accompanying programme of talks and guided tours give far-reaching insights into new design projects. For the 2017/18 season, a team of six international design studios have isolated the most important themes from various general trends. The French agency Carlin International with its Berlin partner Exalis took on the main responsibility for doing so. The design of the "Theme Park" was also managed by Carlin International and Exalis.

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