NEW YORK — Organizers of the textile trade shows here during the next two weeks are upbeat that a better currency exchange environment for European vendors, coupled with solid product offerings, will make for a strong start to 2006.
Show managers expect European and Asian textile manufacturers exhibiting at the shows to be in a position to regain a share of the American market this year. Manufacturers have faced poor currency exchange rates, and lost business as buyers sought lower-cost production in China after the elimination of quotas on Jan. 1, 2005. This year, however, organizers expect many of those buyers to reap the benefits of dealing with smaller, more flexible manufacturers capable of producing higher-quality goods.
“The first challenge for our exhibitors is to recover their position in the American market,” said Jacques Brunel, general manager of Première Vision, which organizes the European Preview show. “The second challenge is to show that, despite the troubles of the textile industry, they are more creative than ever and more creative than their Eastern competitors.”
Brunel said the spring and summer season can be difficult in terms of the U.S. market, as many American consumers opt for a uniform of jeans and T-shirts.
The show generally features 125 to 145 European mills, which is near the capacity of the Metropolitan Pavilion. It has the added benefit of giving the show a boutique feel that organizers aren’t interested in losing.
“We do like the small space,” Brunel said. “We don’t want to be a huge exhibition.”
A beneficial exchange rate is another advantage that has been absent from the shows in recent years, Brunel said.
“The Europeans have realized in the past six to 10 weeks that business is getting better with the U.S,” he said.
Brunel noted that the 2007 winter collection at the last Première Vision show in September generated a strong response from the U.S. market, providing a confidence boost heading into next week’s show.
The show’s design directors have also spent a year working with European mills to collect and organize a collection of the most up-to-date fabrics to help guide buyers.
“The weavers are ready,” Brunel said. “They are coming with collections that are fully in the trends because they have worked with us. It’s tough to attract American designers, but I think they will be surprised.”
Related Galleries
The show has broken the trends into three categories: the Sting of Purity, the Eloquence of Nature and the Rowdiness of Nuance.
The 12th edition of European Preview will run Jan. 25-26 at the Metropolitan Pavilion and will give buyers a first look at summer 2006 offerings that will be available at the larger Première Vision show in Paris next month. The show is expected to draw 127 manufacturers from nine European countries. Of those, Brunel said 58 will come from Italy, 43 from France, 13 from Spain and the rest from Austria, the U.K., Germany, Portugal and Switzerland. About 3,000 people have registered, which is in keeping with past attendance levels, he said.
The 28,000-member Istanbul Textile & Apparel Exporters Association will host the ninth edition of the Turkish Fashion Fabric Exhibition today and Wednesday at the Grand Hyatt New York. This year’s show will feature 48 Turkish manufacturers.
The Turkish industry is facing significant challenges from China. Textile and clothing exports, which make up a large portion of overall Turkish exports, posted small gains in 2005. Textiles rose to $4.83 billion from $4.5 billion in 2004. Apparel exports increased 4 percent to $13.7 billion. However, for the first time, the automotive sector is overtaking textiles and clothing as the top export.
Like European producers, Turkey is counting on its ability to offer more flexibility and more specialty products to preserve its market share. The show has encouraged exhibitors to bring more finished products in an effort to show designers and buyers how the fabrics will look and perform when used.
The number of exhibitors at Direction, the international textile design show, has steadily grown. “We’re expecting about 153 exhibitors,” said Lisa Mainardi, producer of Direction.
The show has attracted 23 new exhibitors, and is approaching maximum capacity, Mainardi said. Direction will run today through Thursday at the Penn Plaza Pavilion.
Organizers want to harness the value of exhibitors with a new trend guide for buyers. The 40-page Direction Trend Edition will launch at the show, compiled with the cooperation of 15 trend-forecasting exhibitors. The show will also conduct 23 seminars during the three-day event.
“It’s a new thing for us that we’re giving out free at the show,” Mainardi said. “We’re printing 3,500 copies.”
Designers and buyers have shown an increased interest in embroidery and beading, Mainardi said. “It’s not necessarily over the top,” she said. “There’s more interest in high-end things for the masses.”
Mainardi has also seen the emergence of a new market, a contemporary look with a misses’ fit.
“It’s a whole new thing that some people are good at,” she said. “With the aging Baby Boomer that’s refusing to age, they want to have more stylish things. I think a lot of our exhibitors are trying to create things that will fit into that market.”
The Innovation Asia show will run Jan. 24-26 at Amuse on 18th Street. The show will feature 24 textile and clothing manufacturers, as well as a trend seminar.