The world's largest international apparel fabrics and accessories trade fair, "Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics Spring Edition 2015," was held for three days from March 18th to 20th, achieving record-breaking success.

This year, the venue moved to the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) for the first time, and three apparel and textile-related trade fairs—Yarn Expo, PH Value, and China International Apparel Fair (CHIC)—were held simultaneously. A total of more than 62,000 visitors from 88 countries and regions attended the event, achieving great success. A total of 2,637 exhibitors from 24 countries and regions gathered at the 100,000-square-meter venue, nearly double last year's.

Japan made its first appearance at the Spring Exhibition as the Japan Pavilion, bringing together 19 companies. The number of exhibitors from South Korea and Taiwan also increased, with 101 and 49 companies participating respectively, and their space expanded accordingly. In response to the success of this year's event, Milano Unica, the Italian textile trade fair, has decided to extend its partnership agreement with Intertextile until spring 2017.

Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt Hong Kong, which organizes the fair, said, "Intertextile is quickly becoming the best platform in Asia for obtaining high-end apparel materials and accessories. I think this is the result of their efforts to attract more premium suppliers by creating categories such as the Premium Wool Zone and Design Zone." Akira Kawashima, Executive Director of the JFW Textile Business at the Japan Fashion Week Organization (JFW), the organizer of the Japan Pavilion, said, "We attracted more visitors than we expected. I believe the synergy with CHIC and other trade shows was also a factor. While the Chinese market appears stagnant, Japanese manufacturers are turning to expensive but value-added materials to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Small-lot orders (which Japanese manufacturers can handle) are also on the rise, creating favorable conditions for Japanese manufacturers. As business trends change, flexibility, quality, delivery reliability, and safety can also be valuable assets for Japanese manufacturers." Uni Seni expanded its color lineup for this trade show and established a system for short-term shipping and delivery of dyed and printed products. Sunwell (Shanghai) saw double the number of visitors compared to last fall, with 200 to 250 buyers visiting daily from not only China but also Europe and the United States. Furthermore, several companies focused on proposing men's products, anticipating the future expansion of the men's market in China.

The next autumn exhibition will be held at the same venue from October 13th to 15th.