Being held concurrently with Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition 2014 which brought synergistic effects, the pavilion saw a growth of over 200% in its visitor number from last year, while the top five overseas visiting countries and regions were Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, and Turkey.
This designated yarn zone featured 233 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions – including China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Pakistan, Portugal, Singapore, Switzerland, the US, Turkey and Uzbekistan – up 20% from last year.
Domestic man-made fibre supplier – Shenghong Group – said they can foresee a more prosperous foreign trade environment coming from the fair. “We saw more interest from foreign buyers at the fair for our man-made fibres, like polyester,” said the firm’s Sales Manager Jia Miao, stating the export volume of their polyester products has increased recently, especially to Southeast Asia, while prices have remained stable or gone up slightly.
Exhibitors were mostly optimistic about the future of the yarn market in Mainland China despite the Chinese government’s plan to terminate the current cotton stockpiling policy. “We have talked to exhibitors and many of them expect to see more new orders coming in soon, and this fair has provided them with an ideal platform to connect with potential customers,” said Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, the organiser of the fair.
Although the abandoning of the current cotton purchasing policy has caused a nationwide cotton price drop in China, many exhibitors are expecting to see the positive effects of this move within six months. “China’s cotton price is much higher than the rest of the world.
"If the Chinese government ends the current cotton stockpiling policy, the price in China will drop, and this will weigh on the global cotton price within six months. This means we can save more on our raw materials at that time,” said Ravindranathan Narayanasamy, Joint Director of the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council in India.
New Shanghai location attracts more buyers
Having moved to Shanghai from Beijing this year, Yarn Expo Pavilion offered even more business opportunities to both exhibitors and buyers. “Having the fair held in Shanghai is better as we saw more customers this year,” said repeat exhibitor Muhammad Abid Mehmood, Marketing Manager of Hussain Mills Ltd in Pakistan.
Another returning exhibitor, Bhavesh Kapoor from Envision Exports Pvt Ltd in India also agreed. “Our target customers are mostly based in southern China, like Ningbo and Guangzhou. Moving the fair to Shanghai is easier for usto approach them,” he said.
Buyers also welcomed the new location as it added more convenience to their sourcing trips. “This is the only fair that attracts so many buyers and suppliers under one roof. Having it in Shanghai is even better as the location is more convenient for us and other buyers to visit the show,” said Ejaz Ramzan from Textiles Sourcing (Asia) Ltd, a visitor from Hong Kong.
Alan Clarke, Fabric Sourcing Manager of Prominent in England also agreed the new location provided him with even easier access to a wide selection of good-quality suppliers. “This is the best sourcing place in the world. I have found several good suppliers so far and I am happy with the outcome this year,” he said.
A repeat visitor from Mainland China, Vincent Luo – Sourcing Assistant from the Import & Export Department of Texhong (China) Investment Co Ltd, also praised the fair as the best channel to find suppliers: “the fair is great as we can use this platform to meet many suppliers from around the world. This event plays an important role in our company’s expansion as we can not only source here, but also gain useful market information too.”
Debut yarn fashion show reveals next season’s trends
A debut yarn fashion show was successfully held on the first day of the fair, drawing a large number of visitors. The show – ‘China Fibres’ 14 Shenghong Creative Works Show’ – was co-organised by the China Chemical Fiber Association and Wu Xuekai, a Golden Designer Award winner. The audience were treated to a display on how fibres can be used to make different types of apparel fabrics.
In addition, visitors could also gain inspiration and market guidance in the Trend Area and through a series of seminars. “I came to the fair to learn about the latest trends and I also participated in some of the seminar sessions to gain market insights. This fair is more than just a sourcing platform to us; it is also a place where we can learn about what will be in style next season,” said Xiaohong Ge, Assistant Chief Engineer of De Zhou Heng Feng Group.
Yarn Expo Pavilion is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; China Cotton Textile Association; China Wool Textile Association; China Chemical Fibres Association; China Bast & Leaf Fibres Textiles Association; and China Textile Information Centre.