Sector Browser / Fabric Outlook / PART I Commentary

Spotlight: Fabric Outlook

The Relevance of it All

What does it take to stay relevant in this ever-changing world? From a business standpoint, this may well be the central question of our time. Relevance versus redundancy seems to be the modern-day dichotomy, as if there is no room left for naive yet stable growth with the aim of becoming relevant, or as if there is no forgiveness for recognizing and reversing obsolescence early enough.

Sebastian Klinder

10 July 2023

6 minutes

Long Story, Cut Short

The textile-fashion industry is currently witnessing a shift away from international flagship events toward agile, niche, & more tailored formats that align optimally with the specific characteristics of the targeted market.
Contemporary trends are increasingly being influenced by a distinct zeitgeist.
The fashion fair market is not a puzzle that perfectly comes together by assembling all the pieces. It's more like a tangram. The market therefore as a whole benefits from having diverse events that differentiate themselves and allow for distinctiveness.

One among the leading European textile trade shows, twice a year, Munich Fabric Start presents a qualitative portfolio of international fabrics and accessories manufacturers showcasing their newest developments and innovations in Munich to up to 20,000 visitors.

On a Fabric Hunt One among the leading European textile trade shows, twice a year, Munich Fabric Start presents a qualitative portfolio of international fabrics and accessories manufacturers showcasing their newest developments and innovations in Munich to up to 20,000 visitors. Sorin Morar / Munich Fabric Start

NB: texfash.com is a Media Partner at Munich Fabric Start Autumn/Winter 2024/25.

In the textiles and fashion world, relevance takes on even greater significance. Relevance in our industry is deeply intertwined with another phenomenon: trends. Trends come in two predominant forms: aesthetic and technological. While aesthetic trends may be subject to debate due to their subjective nature, technological innovation appears to be indisputable in today's times. Either you, your process, and your product are future-ready by meeting the requirements of sustainability and digitisation, the two formative mega-trends, or you are not.

Aside from aesthetic trends, which undoubtedly maintain central relevance, transparency and traceability have become defining inherent trends. This is driven by two parallel factors: first, legal obligations such as the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, and second, evolving moral expectations. Transparency has become a "hygiene factor" for brands, providing answers to how products are produced. However, we also observe that contemporary trends are increasingly influenced by a distinct zeitgeist. The way we live and our modern daily routines, characterised by speed and digitalisation, play a significant role. Functionality is key. On the other hand, trends influenced by street culture, in the classical definition of the term, are becoming increasingly homogeneous, posing a challenge when discussing sustainability. The courage to embrace individuality, paradoxically deemed imperative, is diminishing.

For a successful fashion business, these observations mean that it can only remain healthy by reflecting constantly evolving and highly personal aesthetic standards, while incorporating continually advancing innovative production technologies into its processes to stay relevant for its clients. As Munich Fabric Start, we identify ourselves as a fashion business, and there are truths between the lines above that may be of significant interest for the entire fashion trade show segment, as trade shows mirror the market.

The fashion fair market is not a puzzle that perfectly comes together by assembling all the pieces. It's more like a tangram, where the pieces are constantly rearranged to create a new and larger whole. [NB: A tangram is a dissection puzzle consisting of seven flat polygons, called tans, which are put together to form shapes.] More collaboration to form the overall picture would certainly be desirable. Currently, a consistent unity among all partners often fails because events perceive themselves as being in competition with each other. Moreover, sourcing habits and needs regarding timings, collections, and trends vary too much for a single date and format. This is why I believe that the market as a whole benefits from having diverse events that differentiate themselves and allow for distinctiveness.

Sebastian Klinder

Sebastian Klinder is Managing Partner, Munich Fabric Start.

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Munich Fabric Start, the international fabric trade show, remains a set date in the trade fair calendar. The positive, motivated and ambitious mood of the trade show will showcase inspiring new products, innovative contents and future-oriented themes.

Setting the Mood Munich Fabric Start, the international fabric trade show, remains a set date in the trade fair calendar. The positive, motivated and ambitious mood of the trade show will showcase inspiring new products, innovative contents and future-oriented themes. Sorin Morar / Munich Fabric Start

Certainly, the feeling of a hectic schedule and the fear of missing out could be addressed by having fewer but larger and international events. And while there may be fewer fairs overall in the future, we are currently witnessing a shift away from international flagship events toward agile, niche, and more tailored formats that align optimally with the specific characteristics of the targeted market. Ultimately, I believe this development is not entirely misguided because, in my opinion, it is less contemporary to see everything—instead, the focus should be on seeing the right thing at the right time, tailored to individual needs.

At Munich Fabric Start, we strive to achieve this balance by building a kaleidoscope of areas that focus on specific needs. As mentioned above, our goal as a trade fair platform is to reflect the needs of our visitors and exhibitors. It is evident that a central place where everything necessary for productive work comes together in a concentrated form and a professional atmosphere is precisely what the market is seeking. Our eight areas—Fabrics, Additionals, the Bluezone, the Design Studios, Re:Source, The Source, the Keyhouse, and Sustainable Innovations—represent the essence of what fashion professionals need as sources of inspiration and guidance to successfully work on their next collections.

Ultimately, we aim to provide a cross-section of the relevant ecosystem within the fashion industry. For us, it's not about universality or sheer size, but rather about delivering genuine added value. Our concept, The Source, which is taking place for the second time this summer, is a logical response to the ongoing process of progressive backward integration. The consistently high frequency in the Keyhouse over the years is proof that the entire industry is actively engaged in exploring its medium and long-term future prospects.

Digitalisation is not just a technological innovation; it also exemplifies how these areas synergistically interact. In fact, digitization can help the industry address its biggest challenge – overproduction. By leveraging specific data and harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, we can preselect quantities, sizes, and themes more accurately. We can become incredibly fast and ultimately realize the concept of a fashion equivalent to Netflix. If we, as an industry, manage to produce closer to the actual market demand, there would be no need to shred new merchandise to make room for the next season. Furthermore, new digital technologies allow us to adapt processes and handle content and structures with much greater precision, offering the potential to become more sustainable.

The Event

It's going to be a festival of trends—those of colours and fabrics, spread over innovations and technologies at next week's Munich Fabric Start. This would be a curtain-raiser for Autumn Winter 2024/25.

The Numbers

Over 42,500 sq m of event space has been divided into eight areas, showcasing over 1,300 collections from around 900 international suppliers. Over 14,000 visitors from 58 countries are expected to converge.

Buyers, product managers and designers will flock to the trade show beginning July 18 at Munich to source innovative fabrics, spot trends for the next season, network and conduct business in the course of the three days.

Fash Frats Buyers, product managers and designers will flock to the trade show beginning July 18 at Munich to source innovative fabrics, spot trends for the next season, network and conduct business in the course of the three days. Sorin Morar / Munich Fabric Start

Transparency and circularity are crucial parameters in this endeavor. Each season brings exciting material alternatives from natural or regenerative sources, but we are far from achieving it all without leaving a negative footprint. Although it might still be a long way to go in terms of making this a reality, visitors and exhibitors of Munich Fabric Start can browse through some of the latest textile technological developments and explore potential application scenarios in our various areas, as well as in our dedicated trend areas and our broad fringe programme. This programme includes talks, master classes, and round tables presented by international experts and is brought to life in cooperative collaboration with some of our globally interconnected competitors, such as the Transformers Foundation, for instance. Edutainment is far more than just a buzzword for us; its importance cannot be emphasised enough. The need to find orientation and inspiration in this multipolar and highly complex present will only continue to grow.

Our guiding theme this summer—"each other"—is a very clear theme that, in our opinion, leaves little room for interpretation regarding the decisive factor influencing the trends of the upcoming season: the importance of personal contact, exchange, being there for one another, attentive listening, and paying close attention.

There is an underlying meta-level that resonates with us and is of great importance. In these times, it is about not getting discouraged, but rather gaining courage, recognizing our own scope of action, and using it to create something beautiful with our profession's unique forms of expression—elegance, aesthetics, quality—and thereby making a positive contribution to this world. But it goes beyond that: everything is interconnected today. And everything fits perfectly this year. Therefore, "ConneXXion" is not just any theme but precisely the right one for our anniversary Bluezone this year—after all, we are celebrating the 20th birthday of our dedicated and thoroughly blue-blooded denim trade show this summer.

We truly believe that it is of paramount importance to bring fun back into our beloved denim, fashion, and textile world. And that's why we all need to reconnect: reconnect with our personal goals and convictions, reconnect with our companies and values, reconnect with what truly matters, and last but not least, reconnect with each other.

If we succeed in doing so, we will remain relevant even in these unpredictable times. And if we, as an industry, manage to bring fun back into fashion, then fashion will remain relevant for us as a society on a global scale. In my opinion, it should definitely be relevant—not just for self-interest, but because it has so much to say, because it can bring positivity into the world, and because, when done right, it can make the world a better place. In that spirit: Let's bring the fun back into fashion together!