Color and fabric trends, the impact of duty-free trade, sustainability and performance textiles are some of the key topics that will be discussed at seminars and roundtables at this year’s Texworld USA.
For attendees on a tight schedule, there will be “floor sessions” on a variety of topics and themes, organized by StartUp Fashion and Lenzing Fibers Inc.
There will also be educational programs at the launch of the digital-printing focused trade event, Avantprint USA, organizers noted.
Jennifer Bacon, show director at Messe Frankfurt North America, said the Lenzing team “have organized a series of topics and speaker panels that will appeal to all levels of the industry — everyone from start-up designers to seasoned industry veterans [who] will be able to take advantage of our educational opportunities this summer.”
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Bacon said the return this year of the floor sessions “will ensure that even those strapped for time will have the chance to pop into one or more of our more casual expert discussions right on the show floor.”
With the floor sessions, Lenzing Innovation will present “Textile Talks,” which aims to tackle “timely topics of trend forecasting, sustainability in textiles and sourcing options through the Le Souk marketplace,” show organizers said. StartUp Fashion will feature “Independent Designer Discussions” that have been “designed specifically for independent designers and start-up brands looking for more insight into growing their young fashion brands through branding, public relations and consumer research.”
Texworld USA will be hosting “Performance Pitches,” which the organization said are a “series of five-minute quick-pitches on the show floor” that spotlight new and innovative products and manufacturing services “for all high performance apparel and active wear applications.”
Event organizers are also debuting a new series of textile industry roundtables. Jeff Wilson, director of business value strategy and development at the Textile Exchange, and Isaac Nichelson, from Recover Fabrics, will present, “Fiber and Materials: Post-Consumer Recycled Fibers: Where Are We Today? What’s the Outlook for Tomorrow?”
Other roundtables will focus on recycled textiles and post-consumer textile collections as well as production process from the perspective of an emerging brand.
Other sessions and seminars include:
• “Shifting Consumer Purchasing Patterns Spell Opportunity for the Nimble Retailer,” which will be presented by Judith A. Russell, global marketing strategist at Nilit America, and Bob McGee, from Formula4 Media LLC & Sports Insight Extra.
• “Fashion 101: How to Start a Fashion Line,” with Mercedes Gonzales, founder of Global Purchasing Cos.
• “Sustainability — Water Use, Conservation & Pollution” with: Tricia Carey, director of global business development, Denim at Lenzing Fibers; Jeff Wilson from the Textile Exchange; John Mowbray, founder and director, EcoTextile News/MCL News & Media, and Tara St. James, from Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator.
• “Where Are the Duty-Free Opportunities and What Can We Expect for Trade Under the Trump Administration?” with Gail Strickler, president of global trade at Brookfield Associates LLC.
Also on tap is the “Ex-Aequo — A/W 2018 Fashion Global Trend Forecasting” seminar hosted by Louis Gerin and Gregory Lamaud, who serve as art directors at Texworld USA.
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