Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition 2014 opens this week in what is also a celebration of its 20^th anniversary. A record 13 halls and 150,400 sqm will be in use, with around 1,350 exhibitors from 31 countries and regions taking part. The three-day fair, held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre from 27 to 29 August, is expected to attract around 40,000 buyers.

Country pavilions from Belgium, Italy and Turkey will feature in the European Hall (hall W1), while leading manufacturers and premium editors from 13 other countries from Europe can also be found here. In the International Hall (hall W2), pavilions from India, Korea, Morocco (new), Pakistan and Taiwan add to the diversity of suppliers on offer.

Nearly 1,000 domestic exhibitors will also feature at the fair in 11 halls. Chinese regional pavilions from Binzhou, Gaoyang, Haining, Huzhou, Nantong, Pujiang, Shaoxing, Tongxiang and Yuhang will group exhibitors together for ease of sourcing in halls E3 to E7, while individual exhibitors are located in halls N5 and W4. And in halls E1 and E2, domestic branded upholstery fabrics suppliers can be found.

Expanded home textile product range on display at the fair
To meet the needs of the industry in Asia, particularly in China with its rising middle class, the fair now offers a broader product scope than in the past. Bedding and towelling, upholstery fabrics, carpets and rugs, wall coverings and non-textile accessories will all be on display. And a number of the industry’s leading editors will showcase their premium overseas brands to a domestic market eager for high-end products.

To fill the needs of the design-conscious domestic market, the wall coverings exhibitors at the fair this year are focused on providing design-oriented products. This is also the case in the Intertextile Design Boutique (hall W1), where studios will display their original designs and artwork for fabric and product development. A design resource lounge is also featured there.

More design events in this year’s fringe programme
This year sees a greater number of design-related events in the fair’s fringe programme, in addition to those on the topics of market information and technology. The 2015 Intertextile International Lifestyle Trend Forum (hall W1) presents four themes for next year’s overseas trends, while the China Home Textile Trend Forum (hall W3) provides a snapshot of what will be popular in the domestic market. And the debut Home Decoration Trend Area (hall W2) illustrates the ‘whole-home design’ concept using a complete range of home textile products.

A number of design and trend seminars led by the industry’s leading proponents also feature in the fringe programme. And the Interior Design and Soft Decoration Forum is the ideal platform for interior and soft decoration designers to learn about the domestic trends. In addition, seminars on market information and testing and certification will also take place.

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition is organised by the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; China Home Textile Association (CHTA) ;and  Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd.