California Apparel News

The end of quotas for World Trade Organization members is two months ways, but the effects are already being felt in the textile sector, according to some exhibitors at the International Fashion Fabric Exhibition (IFFE). Several noted there were fewer domestic peers and a greater number of textile exhibitors from Asia at the show.

“There is no question that I would rather see all of my production done in North America, but the times dictate that we can create the same thing in different parts of the world,” said Freddie Enbom, vice president of D. Zinman Textiles Ltd. of Montreal, a longtime IFFE exhibitor.

Enbom was one of 275 exhibitors at the textile, trim and leather trade show, held Oct. 5–7 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York. Attendance was roughly on par with that of the last show, according to show director Amy Bonomi, though 50 percent of the exhibitors at the recent show were new.

Show producers did not release attendance figures, but Bonomi said the numbers showed a 15 percent increase over the previous trade show. She attributed the increase to the unwillingness of many U.S. companies to send employees overseas to source fabrics. “They’re looking for fabric resources here in the U.S., from both domestic suppliers and from the rest of the world,” Bonomi said.

Despite the appearance of a greater percentage of international exhibitors, show organizers said domestic participation at IFFE was on par with previous shows. “I think the perception is the international participation is increasing because they are doing a better job of presenting themselves with cohesive booth decoration [and other marketing strategies],” said Bonomi. One of the leading trends driving the industry is the quest for quality fabrics at affordable prices, Bonomi said. “We also saw the return of the Japan Silk & Rayon Weavers Association, which has some of the most creative fabrics in the market.”

Even for longtime IFFE exhibitors, such as Michael Shapiro of Los Angeles–based D&N Textiles Inc., the show continues to be a venue for scouting new business.

“I go there to find new customers,” said Shapiro. “I already know where to find my existing customers.”

Enbom was also pleased with the business and prospects he discovered at the show.

“I met many new people and feel more positively toward these types of shows,” he said. “Bottom line is I’m very satisfied [with the business done at the show].”

IFFE also hosted a variety of trend seminars and a design lounge featuring students from the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising and the Art Institute of Technology.

“Students from these schools have been volunteering at the show for several seasons now, so we thought it was about time to show off some of their designs,” Bonomi said. “This is the design talent and inspiration of the future.”

The show has formed a number of strategic alliances, including cross-promotion agreements with IFEMA/TextilModa, the leading textile trade fair in Spain, and Direction, The International Textile Design Show, for which the California Apparel News is one of many co-sponsors.

The twice-yearly IFFE, launched in 1992, is produced by Advanstar Communications Inc., which also produces MAGIC International. The organization now produces two fabric shows: IFFE for the East Coast and Fabric@MAGIC for the West Coast. Advanstar will present Fabric@MAGIC Feb. 14–17 in Las Vegas and will follow up with the April 18–20 run of IFFE in New York. For more information, visit www.fabricshow.com. —Christian M. Chensvold