#Techtextil 2019

2019-04-04

Techtextil and Texprocess look ahead to the city of the future

By 2050, almost 70 percent of the world’s population will be living in urban regions, metropolises and megacities, according to the United Nations. This poses new challenges for construction, mobility concepts and health services, as well as for smart fashion and functional clothing. With the special event “Urban Living – City of the Future” from 14-17 May 2019, Techtextil and Texprocess are dedicating a separate themed area to life in the city of the future.

From 14-17 May 2019, “Urban Living – City of the Future” will be the key theme of Techtextil and Texprocess 2019 in Frankfurt am Main, the leading international trade fairs for technical textiles and nonwovens, and the processing of textile and flexible materials. Taking centre stage this time are the Netherlands: supported by Creative Holland, an initiative of the Dutch creative industries, a special presentation area will examine the role that textiles and textile composites can play in the future of cities and highlight an array of outstanding examples of urban textile innovations from the Netherlands.

“With “Urban Living – City of the Future” as the guiding theme, Techtextil and Texprocess are creating a shared interaction space that brings the application areas of Techtextil and Texprocess even closer together. “After embarking on a journey into outer space and into the future for the previous edition of Techtextil and Texprocess, with Urban Living we’re now coming back down to earth and into the here and now,” explains Olaf Schmidt, Vice President of Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt. “And with the Dutch creative industries, we have been able to bring the ideal partner on board to do this: on the one hand, textiles are firmly anchored in the history and national DNA of the Netherlands. And on the other, the country is practically its own metropolitan region. The design orientation of the Dutch creative industries and the innovative, forward-looking and sustainable ingenuity that sets our neighbouring country apart are perfectly in line with the positioning of Techtextil and Texprocess.”

On an area of more than 500 m2 in the foyer of Hall 4.2, which is being shared by Techtextil and Texprocess for the first time, selected examples will be showing how textile innovations can already improve the way people live together in urban surroundings today. They will refer in particular to Techtextil’s spectrum of textile solutions that are of great relevance within the context of the urbanisation megatrend: architecture & construction, mobility, medicine and clothing. Selected innovations will be shown in a disruptive architectonic landscape. The inspiring exhibition area will be accompanied by a Material Gallery showing related best-practice solutions from exhibitors and the presentation area of the Techtextil student competition, Textile Structures for New Building.

Curated by the Stijlinstituut Amsterdam and structurally implemented by Dutch architect firm Refunc, “Urban Living – City of the Future” is proving the Netherlands’ expertise in providing answers to current, social and global challenges associated with the urbanisation megatrend. Awaiting the visitors are exhibits from, amongst others, the textile upcycling pioneers DenimX, research institutes like the Hyperloop team from Delft Technical University (TU Delft), contributions from the Next Nature Network as well as independent representatives of the Dutch creative scene like textile architect Samira Boon.

In a cross-sector, collaborative and innovative way, the representatives of the Dutch creative industries will be presenting pioneering solutions to global challenges. Along these lines, they will be showing how a future urban narrative can be told from a Dutch point of view that also reflects the country’s own identity: open and transparent, bold and original, inclusive, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary.

In 2017, Techtextil and Texprocess attracted a total of 1,789 exhibitors from 66 countries and over 47,500 visitors from 114 countries.

Messe Frankfurt and Supima introduce Prefab – a new curated fabric sourcing event in New York City

Messe Frankfurt is expanding its international textile network with the launch of Prefab, a new boutique-style sourcing event dedicated exclusively to high-quality fabrics. Taking place 19-20 January 2027 at the Altman Building in New York City, the event will bring selected Supima member fabric mills together with senior designers, fabric directors, product developers and sourcing decision-makers from premium and luxury brands. With a carefully curated exhibitor line-up and a targeted visitor approach, Prefab is designed to create a focused business setting in which material quality, expertise and meaningful exchange take priority over scale.

Heimtextil expands Bed, Bath & Living with new ‘Comfort & Connect’ area

Heimtextil is expanding its product range for Bed, Bath & Living in a targeted manner: ‘Comfort & Connect‘ is creating a new meeting place in the foyer of Hall 5.1 for high-quality bed, bath and lifestyle collections. Following on from ‘Sleep & Meet‘, this is now the second area where Heimtextil is further refining its offering for exhibitors and buyers. The new area brings together established brands, high-profile returning exhibitors and international buyers in a central location with easy access.

Global carpet industry smartly connected: Heimtextil 2027 sharpens Carpets & Rugs with new structure and premium segment

Even more efficient, more targeted and closer to the market: Heimtextil 2027 strengthens its position as the leading meeting place for the global carpet industry and further expands Carpets & Rugs in line with market needs. With a stronger focus on distribution channels, the segment integrates into Heimtextil’s product worlds.

Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris highlights evolving global sourcing landscape

From 31 August to 2 September 2026, Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris will bring together more than 1,000 international exhibitors at Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Centre. This edition reflects the new global balance of textile and apparel sourcing, highlighting a strong diversity of sourcing countries — some unexpected.

PERFORMANCE DAYS announces new focus topic & forums for October 2026

With its upcoming October 13–14, 2026 edition, PERFORMANCE DAYS is placing the spotlight on one of the textile industry’s most important transformations: “Bio-Based Materials – From Fiber to Fabric”, a two-part Focus Topic exploring the future of bio-based innovation across the textile value chain. Part 1, presented in October 2026, will focus on fibers and next-generation material developments, while Part 2 at the March 2027 edition will shift the perspective toward dyeing, finishing, additives, and processing technologies.

Febratex 2026 to be the largest edition of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas with 10 exhibition halls

Febratex 2026 will be the largest edition in the history of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas. Dedicated to the textile and apparel manufacturing industries, the event will take place from August 18–21, 2026, in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil, with a strong focus on technology, sustainability, and business generation.

Cotton Brazil Dialogues field trip brings international stakeholders closer to Brazil’s cotton production chain

How do you build trust across the global textile value chain? By opening the farm gates. This is the principle behind the Cotton Brazil Dialogues. At the end of July, the programme welcomed its first group of international participants for a five-day immersion into Brazilian cotton production, combining field visits with technical workshops to showcase the quality, sustainability, innovation and traceability behind one of the world’s leading cotton origins.