TREND REPORT

A season opener for new trends and textile innovations, Heimtextil is a show to find everything in one place: interior textiles, interior design and interior trends

Innovations at Heimtextil 2019

Despite the economic downturn, Heimtextil saw an increase in the number of exhibitors with an extremely positive development. With 3,025 exhibitors from 65 countries, Heimtextil has a stronger and more international slant than it has had for 15 years. The 49th edition of the fair was showcasing many new concepts and the top themes of architecture, hotels, sustainability and sleep. The right combination of themes and product segments were revised in a better way for specific target groups. The show was also focused to support retailers by offering innovative concept solutions for the point of sale and inspiration for experience-based business models.

Trend Space

“Exhibitors and visitors accepted the new trade fair concept with great enthusiasm AnD ConfirmED tHE trADE FAIr’s posItIon As tHE worlD’s most important meeting place for the industry. The quality of the decision-makers impressed the exhibitors, as did the number of new business contacts from 156 countries, especially international ones – thus enabling Heimtextil to set a new benchmark,” says Detlef Braun, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt.

The inspirational heart of the fair was the new Heimtextil ‘ Trend Space’. With the title ‘ Toward Utopia’, it provides a preview of the design developments of the 2019/20 season as conceived by London’s FranklinTill Studio and staged by the Frankfurt studio Markgraph. Heimtextil is thus

bringing the progressive themes of trends, textile design and digital printing together on one hall level, creating an area full of inspiration and future technologies.

Textile Contract Furnishing

Focused on presenting solutions for textile contract furnishing that are individul, sustainable and functional, the visitors experienced an innovative presentation “Carbet by Heimtex”, a joint promotion by the Association of the German Home Textile Industry. The space was filled with high quality textile floor coverings by leading suppliers especially for the contract sector. The hall was the first point of contact for interior designers and hospitality industry partners with a total of 500 exhibitors presenting their products.

The Topic ‘Sleep’

With the title ‘Sleep’, ‘ The Future Forum’, a new information area in the foyer of hall 11.0 highlighted the themes of science & digital, sport, the hotel industry and sustainability during the four days of the fair. In hall 11.0, international market leaders presented innovations from the ‘Smart Bedding’ product segment: mattresses, bedding and sleep systems, etc. Well-known companies from all over the world were on board, particularly from Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Japan and Australia.

A new trend: Sustainability

A number of Heimtextil exhibitors presented progressive solutions to the water consumption in the textile industry and the problem of micro and ocean plastics. Christian Fischbacher, for example, produces decorative and upholstery fabrics made from used PET bottles. Erfal also uses recycled PET bottles to produce sun protection systems. And MHZ tackles the issue of ocean plastic and uses it to produce the innovative Greenscreen Sea Tex fabric.