SPINEXPO^TM Shanghai, held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center in Pudong, Shanghai, March 9-10-11, 2015 was the first exhibition to take place in the venue after the very late China Lunar Calendar vacations. Considering this obstacle and the stagnating economy that is still affecting the textile industry, the exhibition registered a record high number of visitors on the second day, in a climate of business, research and professionalism. Visitors and exhibitors placed the target very high, and the goal to find interesting quality products at a correct price.

With a consolidated visitors’ attendance, the 25th session of SPINEXPO^TM Shanghai hosted 155 exhibitors and welcomed 9,364 visitors, a 7% increase on the past Spring/Summer session and a decrease of 5% on the past Autumn/Winter session. Mainland China visitors totalled 7,825, 86% of the total figures; foreign visitors totalled 1,539. SPINEXPO^TM witnessed a significant lower number of attendees from Hong Kong and Taiwan, a stable number from Japan, a higher record from Korea with Europe, and USA visitors slowly but regularly increasing their attendance, thanks to the intensive presentation of the exhibition to key buyers in both continents. These two continents, including South American and countries outside the EU now represent 10% of the visitors’ attendance. We welcomed 306 visitors from major brands who were upgraded to the status of VIPs.

If the spinning sector perseveres to be dynamic despite the unstable economy, it is more difficult for the knitwear manufacturers to continue their market developments. This was reflected by the smaller number of knitwear manufacturers exhibiting this session, but most of whom reported quite good results. More and more spinners partner with knitwear manufacturers, proposing an easy formula to visitors looking for a global solution. The knitwear sector has to adapt to smaller series, more differentiated styles, and reduced quantities in some colours, which does not always make it easy to adjust at a time of economic stagnation. Many companies are now seeking clients outside China, with the challenge that the EU and USA markets already have their suppliers and will not change overnight.

SPINEXPO^TM has established itself as a unique exhibition by virtue of its strategy and its vision of a world moving rapidly towards globalisation and innovation. This is now reflected by the new technologies in knitwear machinery and particularly circular knit machinery and whole garment solutions. This is the reason why SPINEXPO^TM added up a new direction to its trend proposals this season, in partnership with Santoni, ncluding research on active wear. SPINEXPO^TM strongly believes that knitwear now meets technology, and that this will be the strong trend direction in the coming years, as more and more knitwear manufacturers are investing in the latest circular knit machinery and will improve their skills, their understanding of what the machine can bring, to become an alternative solution to flat bed knit.

The interlinking of activewear and fashion is seen in the latest fashion influences, and SPINEXPO^TM wanted to ask exhibitors and visitors “what would be the impact of these developments on their collections?” Under the umbrella of Eva de Laat, a Chinese/Dutch research studio, this direction will become more and more prominent in our trend area in the coming seasons as we continue looking at innovation. This display was completed with a space dedicated to Future Lab, where research targeting the use of yarns on new innovative machine techniques was featured, including ideas for home textiles. This area was presented by Borre Akkersdijk working as a team with Eva de Laat and Santoni.

The trend area featured the usual mix of creative swatches and garments, as well as a hybrid of yarns dedicated not only to knitwear, but also to weaving and jersey. New stylists were added up to the style team, bringing their personal handwriting and completing the trend presentation. Danish knitwear designer Iben Hoej showed some arachnean styles, British trend jersey stylist Felicity Brown focused on a very personal use of jersey fabric. Two knitwear manufacturers completed this display, with exquisite garments proposed by Shanghai Delian and exhibiting company South Asia Knitwear. A large range of accessories made by Bali-based style office Balibab put the finishing touches on this trend proposal.

One of the key presentations this season was the display dedicated to the colour Green, and in particular garments made by exhibiting companies, designed by their individual styling teams, such as Yarns and Colors, Consinee/Top Line and UPW, among others. The display included trimmings, embellishments, embroidery, foiling and embossing-a large number of techniques that can be applied to all aspects of fashion.

The graduates’ work from Nottingham Trent University was on view as a global perspective presented by the MA fashion knitwear design graduates, sponsored by exhibiting spinners at SPINEXPO^TM. The BA students participated in the ‘Green is the Colour’ area, bringing experimental textile processes with the freshness of the students’ sensitivity.

Yarns in focus for this Spring/Summer session were clearly moving away from commodity products, and even the larger visiting brands were looking for products with more individualism, design and newness at a correct price. Trends showed an interest in yarns that are sandy and rustic, sustainable, technical and stretch, with colour effects. Another strong trend showed yarns that are translucent and sheer, watery and fluid or spongy and foamy, a trend that will surely be strong for the next Autumn/Winter session as well.

The most important addition that SPINEXPO^TM presented at this session was SPINEXPLORE, our new blog focusing on the evolving interests and inspirations of our stylists, passionate about knitwear, weaving, accessories and crafts. Under the direction of Teresa Brown, former knitwear trend stylist from Stylesight, the blog is divided into seven sections: Fashion, Edited – highlighting the best knitwear editorials; Trend Studio - showing the scenes of trend directions for the upcoming season; R & D – looking at new developments inspiring and influencing the future directions of yarns, jersey and knitwear; Crafted – a celebration to hand craft; The Arts – work from artists, photographers, that inspire us; Places – interesting places to stay and explore; Market Place – our shopping of the market focusing on our favourite shops and stores that we find inspirational.

With the increasing hybridization of garments, mixing knitwear, jersey, wovens, lace, embellishment, embroidery, fringing, creating garments inspired by the world of sports applied to couture, couture applied to sports, knitwear looking like wovens and wovens looking like knitwear, SPINEXPO will revise its way to look at trends and propose a trend area with a fresh new look for the coming seasons.

The next session will see SPINEXPO^TM New York moving to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a location chosen to exhibit in a brand new venue in an area of New York that is becoming more and more style oriented. The show will take place July 21-23, 2015 at the Brooklyn Exhibition Center.

It will be followed by SPINEXPO^TM Shanghai, always held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition Centre, the larger session of the Shanghai Show, with a proposal of knitwear manufacturers, spinners and fibre promoters, on September 1-2-3, 2015.