Intertextile Shanghai to Focus on Athleisure

Future of Athleisure and Sustainable Fast Fashion are among many interesting issues to be debated at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics - Autumn Edition during October 11-13 in Shanghai. As the industry’s most important event, the trade fair is the widest product sourcing platform and a stage for the industry to discuss the pressing issues and solutions.

Athleisure is now a widely accepted term in the apparel industry’s dictionary, but what does the future hold for this trend now it is no longer just a buzzword? On one side, there are those such as market research firm the NPD Group who believe it is not just a passing fad, but a fundamental shift in the way people dress.

On the other side are those who believe that wearing athletic clothes and shoes in formal contexts will become less common in the coming seasons, including Stephen Tierney from WSA magazine and sportstextiles.com who will moderate the Athleisure panel discussion. “The fact is, people like dressing up. We are beginning to see some signs that the practice of wearing athletic shoes for all occasions may be dwindling because the numbers are down for Foot Locker and others, and Stella Group is one that says sales of more formal fashion shoes are increasing again.” Joining the panel will be a number of speakers, including Nilit, to discuss the topic ‘Athleisure – is it more than a buzzword in the fashion industry? Understanding the impact of athleisure and how to respond’.

Another event sure to draw the crowds is the Sustainable Fast Fashion panel discussion. While Fast Fashion implies unsustainable, low-cost, low-quality clothing that has been rapidly produced to replicate catwalk trends, can it transform into a sustainable option? This vital issue currently facing the industry will be debated in the Sustainable Fast Fashion panel, which is moderated by Redress, and includes panellists Sustainable Apparel Coalition and DuPont who will share their insights on which aspects of the supply chain can be fine-tuned to make fast fashion sustainable.

There will be panel discussion on various topics such as `Sustainable Denim: A Holistic Approach’, which will be moderated by Archroma, and have Advance Denim and Lenzing as panelists.

Other topics to be discussed include Global Organic Textile Trends & Certification, Linen: Innovation for Autumn & Winter, Innovative Technology in Fashion Industry, and Trends and New Opportunities in Bangladesh Textile Industry.

Besides panel discussions, fairgoers will also be able to learn the upcoming trends and latest developments through the comprehensive seminars including Fall Winter 2018-2019 Trends, by the NellyRodiTM Agency, Textile Softness Analyser, by emtec Electronic, OEKO-TEX product portfolio 2017, by Hohenstein, and Introduction of Global Recycled Standard New Version 4.0 & Recycled Claim Standard New Version 2.0, by Control Union.

Studying next seasons’ trends is one of the first and most important steps for buyers to identify the right products to source. Visitors to Intertextile Shanghai will have eight trend forums to browse, which will demonstrate the A/W 2018-19 domestic and international trends in different market sectors.