Survey of the European Fabric Fairs for Spring/Summer 2009

15 pages, published in Issue 135, May-June 2008   Report price: Euro 395.00; US$ 520.00

For some years European—predominantly Italian—mills have moved steadily upmarket and concentrated on producing cloth of the highest quality. They have striven to add value through technical advances in the making of the fabric and in its finishing. This policy has helped a core of European textile manufacturers to survive during a period when their survival has been threatened by competition from countries with lower wage costs—exacerbated by the high value of the euro against the US dollar and other currencies. Despite these difficulties, the outlook for the longer term is encouraging. One favourable pointer is that exports of European fabrics to newer, developing markets, particularly China, have grown at a strong pace in recent months.

The industry in Italy is proving to be particularly resilient. According to the president of the Milano Unica textile fair, the Italian textile industry base is stronger today than in 2001, when the greatest losses occurred. Significantly, the value of Italy’s fabric exports to China now exceeds the value of its fabric imports from China.

For the spring/summer 2009 season, European fabric manufacturers have produced a bright, fresh, colourful look for women’s wear. Fabrics on offer for the season display a degree of embellishment—such as embroidery, pleating or crushing—which illustrates the amount of creativity and craftsmanship that has gone into their manufacture. Strongly in evidence, particularly from Italian mills, are lustrous, luminescent surfaces in subtle, silky finishes.

European fabric manufacturers are also embracing new fibre developments. For example, Wicking Windows—a new process for finishing pure cotton introduced by Cotton Incorporated—helps to reduce a cotton fabric’s tendency to stick to the skin by 50% while keeping the wearer dry and comfortable. Coolmax with Wool fabric from Advansa has been created to provide “comfort control” in sportswear—especially clothes for golf and riding.

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• Survey of the European Yarn Fairs for Spring/Summer 2009, (March-April 2008)
• Survey of the European Yarn and Fabric Fairs for Autumn/Winter 2008/09, (September-October 2007)
• Survey of the European Fabric Fairs for Spring/Summer 2008, (May-June 2007)

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