California Apparel News

As many industry events that serve the apparel business head back to on-site models, Texworld New York City maintained its virtual presence established during the COVID-19 pandemic while returning to an in-person model. Texworld New York City, Apparel Sourcing New York City and Home Textiles Sourcing saw thousands of attendees as it introduced its Sourcing Showroom, a virtual and on-site offering. The virtual showroom afforded opportunities to connect attendees and exhibitors from regions around the globe including China, Pakistan, Korea, Taiwan, India and Turkey.

“The opening of this edition has been filled with excitement as we brought our new concept to market. As the first textile event to offer this new way to source fabrics and apparel, we are pleased at the positive feedback we have received from visitors and exhibitors alike,” said Jennifer Bacon, show director of fashion and apparel for the shows’ parent company Messe Frankfurt Inc. “The Sourcing Showroom brought together the traditional ‘touch+feel’ experience with the virtual-platform technology to give our buyers a whole new way to do business.”

Hosted at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in New York City’s West Chelsea neighborhood and online, Texworld was held July 20-22. Over the course of the show, attendees were able to not only discover the latest trends in textiles and innovations in fabric but also engage in educational opportunities and access trend forecasts. Programming for the educational components of Texworld included sessions that addressed issues such as sustainability, climate change, post-COVID-19 business and global trade.

“It has been refreshing to meet in person with brands and retailers attending Texworld NYC. I was amazed to see the strong attendance and interaction at all three days of the showcase,” said Tricia Carey, director of global business development at Lenzing. “The extensive display of trend forums by Tobe TDG, and the curated garment collections and education series supported by Lenzing were inspiring and on-point. Linking the fabric suppliers and buyers through QR codes integrated digitalization tools for access to global sourcing. Lenzing was pleased to feature Tencel-branded fibers during this impressive showcase organized by Messe Frankfurt.”

Another key component of this edition of Texworld was a presentation of Autumn/Winter 2022–2023 collection trends from The Doneger Group’s Kai Chow. During the presentation, Chow presented trends that served four themes—quiescent, remoteness, dissonance and virtualize. Following the presentation, attendees were led along the show floor for a Trend Tour, which highlighted the season’s most-influential colors and textiles.