Dates of Shanghai's textile/apparel trade shows brought forward to September

No more mid-October dates. Shanghai trade shows Intertextile, Chic, Yarn Expo and PH Value will be next held at the end of September, in order to keep up with the changes taking place in the fashion week and sourcing calendars.

The decision was taken "following close consultations with stakeholders during the past year," said Wendy Chen, General Manager of Messe Frankfurt, the co-organiser of Intertextile. "Sourcing for the autumn/winter season has gradually shifted towards the start of the season, and changing the dates is necessary to ensure that Intertextile Shanghai remains the leading event for both suppliers and buyers in the worldwide market for textile and accessories sourcing."

China's main textile/apparel show will therefore be held only a few days after Parisian shows Première Vision Paris, scheduled from Wednesday 19th to Friday 21st September, and Texworld, also organised by Messe Frankfurt, running from 17th to 20th September. The Apparel Sourcing show, held in parallel with Texworld and, like Intertextile, jointly organised by Messe Frankfurt and CCPIT (the Chinese Textiles Chamber of Commerce), will draw closer to its Chinese counterpart, whose exhibitors have also come out in favour of bringing the dates forward.

It is a significant change for the Shanghai calendar, only three years after the Chic show left Beijing to slot in with Intertextile inside Shanghai's huge National Exhibition Center, then newly built. The date change will however apply only to the autumn session, since the organisers believe that the March session, the latest of which ended on 16th March, still remains relevant for the manufacturers' and buyers' calendars.

"To be honest, there have even been some who asked to hold [the show] ahead of the European events," said Olaf Schmidt, Vice-President in charge of textile events at Messe Frankfurt. "Dates are a constant issue for every show. For us, March works better. As for the discrepancy that there will be in the autumn with the Shanghai Fashion Week, I don't think the impact will be significant. But it's undeniable that we needed to draw closer to the European dates."

At the last October edition, Intertextile featured 4,538 exhibitors from 32 countries, and attracted 77,883 visitors. Chic, whose autumn session is traditionally smaller, hosted 783 exhibitors and welcomed 65,700 visitors in the same dates.

Dates of Shanghai's textile/apparel trade shows brought forward to September

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