With 44,000 visitors and 2,400 exhibitors from 129 nations, the global textile industry was a guest in Frankfurt for four and filled the exhibition halls. With numerous workshops, tours, lectures and networking formats, buyers also explored circular approaches, the important role of certificates and new applications for textile materials and experienced wholly integrated sustainability at Heimtextil. As the leading global trade fair, it also mapped market changes with its focus on the themes of Interior, Architecture, Hospitality, range of products for interior designers and hospitality experts, and on the megatrends of sustainability and healthy sleep.
Textiles Matter themes
Curated by an international trend council, this theme highlighted the importance to achieve significant and meaningful change in the textile industry by exploring four key routes to circularity. The technical cycle, ‘Make and Remake’, considered how we can extend the lives of existing materials and showcased how beautiful reclaimed and remade textiles can be. ‘Continuous’ highlighted innovative approaches to closing the loop, alongside zero-waste textile regeneration and low-impact product life cycles. The biological cycle, ‘From Earth’, explored textile design that reconnected us to nature, and revisited traditional natural fibres and dyes. ‘Nature Engineered’revealed how nature and engineering can come together to create textiles and materials that are simultaneously smart, functional, and kinder to the planet.
Guided tours, lectures and library on Interior, Architecture and Hospitality
Under the title ‘Interior. Architecture. Hospitality’, Heimtextil brought together a special range of textiles for use in the contract sector. Here, interior designers, architects and hospitality experts could explore a wide selection of contract textiles and customised services.
One new highlight of Heimtextil was the Library that showcased a specially curated selection of products from the exhibitors with particular functional properties. It provided a library of textile materials for use by interior designers, architects and hospitality experts. This offered the opportunity to experience the selected materials onsite.
Experience healthy sleep & more
Numerous keynotes highlighted the important issues in the green future of the hotel bed. The new concept format ‘Sleep & More’ also provided valuable orientation for hotel industry decision-makers and shed light on hospitality trends, particularly from the perspective of sustainability: How can mattresses be part of the circular economy and what will the sustainable hotel room of the future look like? Hospitality and sustainability experts pooled their collective knowledge of the industry and provided visitors with inspiration and impetus on their future actions.
Promotion of fair and sustainable textile production
‘Green Village’ offered a platform to meet seal providers, certifiers and companies that have made a holistic commitment to sustainability. The new ‘Green Lectures’ on the stage of the Green Village, certifiers, industry experts and NGOs talked about solutions, best practices and challenges around sustainability in the home and contract business. The one-hour ‘Green Tours’ was guided by an independent consultant – enabling an in-depth exchange between visitors, exhibitors and experts on the latest green textile innovations.
Overall, Heimtextil 2023 ended with concentrated intercontinental strength and set the course for a successful trade fair year.
