#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2024-07-04

The 7th Avantex Fashion Pitch competition prize goes to Materra

The Avantex Fashion Pitch jury has awarded the 2024 prize to Materra. This young British company, founded in 2019, designs solutions to support the cultivation of cotton adapted to climate change on a fair trade model. At the other end of the chain, it encourages fashion companies to source from the producers it supports, offering brands (Mango, Ecoalf, Positive Materials...) a service designed on a Cotton-As-A-Service model, guaranteeing a totally transparent supply chain with full traceability.

"Our teams at Messe Frankfurt, like the members of the jury, were very impressed by the quality of the models presented at this 7th edition of the Avantex Fashion Pitch. In singling out Materra's project, the jury chose to support an ambitious response to an urgent problem facing the fashion industry. It's a decision we can only applaud", said Frédéric Bougeard, President of Messe Frankfurt France.

The final of the 7th Avantex Fashion Pitch competition, organised by Messe Frankfurt France, rewards the most innovative, sustainable and relevant projects for the future of fashion. Each of the eleven finalists - Darwie, Drippy, Finds, GoldenEye Smart Vision, Imki, Materra, Podium, Style Shifter, Swyco, Synovance and Trace For Good - was given five minutes to convince the jury, which was made up of Claudia Cesiro, start-up mentor and founder of The Ace Project agency, Élodie Lemaire Nowinski, historian, specialist in innovation and sustainable development in fashion and researcher at the Glasgow School of Art, Jayne Simone Estève-Curé, expert fashion and luxury consultant and Yoobin Jung, ventures associate sustainability at Plug and Play Tech Center.

Materra will benefit from a stand worth €2,800 at Avantex Paris 2025 courtesy of Messe Frankfurt France, plus €2,000 from Texpertise Network, the textile network of the Messe Frankfurt group, and 1 year's incubation at Foundry courtesy of IFA Paris, official partner of the competition.

Messe Frankfurt commits further to East Africa: three textiles trade fairs during Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week from 2027

Messe Frankfurt and its Texpertise Network continue their steady, successful trajectory in the region. As Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) opened today, Member of the Executive Board Detlef Braun announced that Messe Frankfurt is licencing its three leading international trade fair brands Texworld, Apparel Sourcing and Texprocess to Nairobi, Kenya for the first time in 2027. From now on, they will take place annually as part of the Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) Nairobi.

Speed and connectivity: Techtextil and Texprocess provided market-ready solutions for industries under pressure

With more than 36,000 visitors and 1,700 exhibitors from a total of 112 countries, Techtextil and Texprocess 2026 demonstrated how innovation comes into industrial use. The convergence of research, industry and application proved to be a breeding ground for new material solutions, manufacturing and processing technologies. Natural fibres, performance apparel, connected systems and AI-driven processing technologies emerged as key growth and future markets.

“We Believe in the Value of Textiles”: Successful Opening of the KARL MAYER TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER

KARL MAYER inaugurated its new, state-of-the-art TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER (TIC) with a four-day opening week from April 21 to 24. The highlight of the week was the grand opening on Thursday, which drew a strong turnout from the international textile industry: around 220 customers, brands, and partners from across the textile value chain came to the company’s headquarters in Obertshausen for a first-hand look at the new high-tech development environment and lively exchange with industry peers.

Texhibition Istanbul signals stability and global connectivity

From 4 to 6 March 2026, Texhibition Istanbul once again brought together the international textile industry at the Istanbul Expo Center. Organized by İTKİB Fuarcılık A.Ş. in cooperation with the Istanbul Textile Exporters Association (İTHİB), the fair confirmed its role as one of the most important international sourcing platforms for fabrics and textile innovation. With 500+ exhibitors across 5 halls on 42,850 sqm, the trade fair attracted 19,325 visitors. Among them, 5.565 international visitors represented Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, North America, and other regions, underlining the show’s expanding global reach.

Val:ue Milan unveiled – a curated boutique business hub for high-end apparel textiles

Messe Frankfurt continues to expand its international textile network with the announcement of Val:ue Milan. Moving beyond the traditional trade fair model, Val:ue Milan debuts as a prestigious, boutique-style business hub exclusively dedicated to elected fabrics and accessories for apparel. Taking place from February 3 to 5, 2027, at The Mall in Porta Nuova, the event breaks away from conventional formats through a strictly curated environment designed for strategic networking. By bridging the gap between high-end international manufacturers and top-tier segment buyers, Val:ue Milan further strengthens the Group’s global portfolio with a unique, high-impact concept built around a refined and carefully selected offering.

Itema to showcase weaving excellence at ITM 2026

From June 9 to 13, Itema will exhibit at ITM 2026 in Istanbul (Hall 8 – Stand 806D), unveiling a distinctive exhibition concept designed to highlight the Company’s expertise across the entire weaving value chain. For this year’s edition, Itema will introduce an innovative stand experience built around two core areas: advanced weaving and spare parts solutions and an immersive textile gallery featuring fabrics produced by Itema Customers worldwide.

Last chance to apply: ITMA 2027 Start-Up Valley closes tomorrow

Applications for the Start-Up Valley at ITMA 2027 close tomorrow, offering young technology companies the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of several successful participants from the 2023 edition. The initiative, organised under the CEMATEX Start-Up Grant programme, has already helped a number of textile start-ups accelerate their transition from early-stage concepts to industrial partnerships, funding rounds and commercial deployment.

Jeanologia brings “Billy” to China, the AI transforming denim design

The denim industry is turning its attention to Hangzhou this week, where a new edition of Kingpins, the leading international trade show for the sector, takes place on May 21 and 22. There, the Spanish company Jeanologia, a global leader in sustainable technologies for the textile industry, is introducing its latest innovation to the Chinese market: “Billy”, the first artificial intelligence specifically developed for denim finishing design.