The 34th edition of T Spinexpo™, was held at Shanghai World Expo & Exhibition Centre in Pudong. In terms of the number of exhibiting companies, this latest edition was the biggest since the event was launched, bringing together 229 exhibitors from 13 countries, including three knitting machine manufacturers, two fibre promoters, five textile design companies and 28 knitwear manufacturers, all chosen for the creativity and quality of their products and focusing mainly on export-oriented markets.
The event took place shortly after the announcement of tax increases in the United States, the tensions around Brexit and the protests in Hong Kong, in gloomy weather with driving rain and in a highly conservative climate. Yet still the buyers turned up and by all accounts the event was positive and, as ever, provided the backdrop to productive business appointments and meetings. Although some exhibitors expressed their concern about the increase in American taxes, most of the exporting exhibitors already have solutions to get around the problem, the majority having production units outside China, and the organisers were surprised by the lack of impact that this announcement had on the atmosphere of the event. The quality of both foreign buyers and Chinese brands continues to increase and the organisers have a clearer view of the domestic market, its organisation and its many challenges. Although the Chinese market is now well structured, it remains complex in terms of payments and stock management, with many companies preferring to strengthen their export market, which is more demanding in terms of quality, but more secure as far as payments are concerned.
SPINEXPO welcomed 10,580 visitors over three days, with 2,364 multiple entries, resulting in 12,944 visitors from 54 countries, compared with 10,322 visitors in 2018. There was a slight increase in Chinese visitor numbers with 8,954 visitors compared with 8,677 in the equivalent 2018 season and 1,626 foreign visitors compared with 1,645 in 2018. There was a slight fall in the number of visitors from Hong Kong and Taiwan because of the events in Hong Kong (454 visitors from Hong Kong compared with 525 in 2018 and 75 visitors from Taiwan compared with 90 in 2018). All the other countries and continents saw a rise in visitor numbers, particularly Japan and Korea, with a steady increase in the number of visitors from Bangladesh as well as South America. Visitor numbers from Europe and the US were stable, with 197 and 52 visitors respectively.
The atmosphere at the event was slightly less energetic than at previous editions, more reflective, tending towards a more cautious and forward looking approach and taking into account market and consumer developments. The spinners and knitwear manufacturers who develop their products to match a demand that takes account of environmental concerns and the change in fashion towards more functional and easy-to maintain products are
increasingly popular compared with manufacturers of more conventional products. The new products that incorporate synthetic materials, mixtures of recycled and healthy products are increasingly sought-after, and the “eco” or “sustainable” labels are no longer simply marketing tools, but markers of choice for consumers who demand better quality and think before buying, for whom sustainability and the quality-price ratio are key and whose aim is to halt any further slump in sales.
Buyers want high-quality products, both in terms of the materials used and of workforce, innovation and design. The focus is no longer on fashion trends but on the longterm market. There is still the issue of balancing price with quality, because although the buyers want better quality, they are not prepared to accept rising prices. Another aspect of the change in the market is the demand for stock service which is becoming essential and more and more spinners (and even some knitters) are taking this demand into account when designing their collections. Because of the lack of space in the exhibition hall, the marketing, innovation and activewear trend spaces, as well as the VIP lounge that hosts the foreign clients, were situated outside the hall, which was a challenge but worked well after signposting on the first day.
The two trend spaces inside the hall completed the range for this Autumn/Winter 2021 season and the new space dedicated to indoor fashion and more specifically to the generation of 20-25 year-olds who spend more and more time in their home environment, attracted a good deal of interest after the Paris and New York presentations. The organisers will continue with this space for the next edition in Shanghai which will take place on 25th, 26th and 27th February 2020 and next season’s trends will be centred around a selection of spinners who are partners of TM SPINEXPO and participate in all the editions.
The exhibition hall are getting too small, and although the organisers don’t want to get any bigger in terms of size, the organisers think it is important to strengthen their ties with the companies who are regular exhibitors to our event and who don’t spread themselves over all the rival exhibitions. Because the Chinese New Year falls very early, the organisers thought it best to cancel the next edition of TM SPINEXPO Paris, because the possible dates were too close to the Christmas and New Year holidays in Europe and to the dates of the Chinese New Year. For the Autumn/Winter 2022 season, the Paris event will therefore take place on 30th June and 1st July 2020 and the New York event will be held on 14th, 15th and 16th July.
