“A win for all parties”
The highlights of the 51st INNATEX international trade fair for Green Fashion are intended to inspire, motivate and energise
Frankfurt am Main, January 13, 2023 A fully booked exhibition centre, with over 200 Green Fashion brands and a range of experts, awaits the trade visitors to the 51st INNATEX which takes place from 21 to 23 January 2023. The international trade fair for sustainable textiles held in Hofheim-Wallau, Germany will devote itself each day to topics that open up space for debates, ideas and solutions.
‘Sustainable fashion as a success factor in retailing – how to get started’ is the title for the Business Panel discussion arranged for the Monday by the fair’s organisers, MUVEO GmbH, in collaboration with the Hessen Retail Federation (HDE Hessen). As one of the event highlights, the Panel is intended to provide retailers with practical information on entering the sustainable sector, on sales argumentation, credibility and other strategies.
Panel members include the head of HDE Hessen
“We know from our discussions that the conventional retail trade is still hesitant about making a move towards Green Fashion,” says Jens Frey, Managing Director of event organisers MUVEO GmbH. “This conceals a lot of unexploited potential – of that we are convinced. The discussions surrounding the German Supply Chain Act are the latest evidence that there is no avoiding sustainability – and it’s good that this is so! There are wins for all parties here if we come together today and design the sector creatively.”
The Business Panel, moderated by Mirjam Smend, the founder of Greenstyle Munich and co-publisher of PUREVIU magazine, comprises experts and representatives of various parties, such as Silvio Zeizinger, MD of HDE Hessen, Boris Hedde of the Institute for Retail Studies in Cologne, Dr Simone Spranz of Trachtenspranz in Limburg, Laura or Ulrike Ott of Marlowe Nature in Hamburg, and Heike Hess of the International Association of the Natural Textile Industry (IVN), who is also the patron of INNATEX.
New Community Lounge brings together expert knowledge and creativity
In addition, on the Saturday and Sunday, Mirjam Smend will be moderating Lounge Talks on the topics of greenwashing, materials, circular fashion and the Supply Chain Act. These talks, each involving a number of participants, take place in the new Community Lounge. This is a new area on the upper floor, where DesignDiscoveries and the stands of selected knowledge transfer providers are also located.
“With the new Community Lounge we are aiming to provide a space where creativity, passion and the fundamentally optimistic spirit of the sector can reinforce one another,” explains Alexander Hitzel, who is in charge of the show at INNATEX. “We can see a general upward curve in the sector and it is just waiting to be exploited. We have therefore rearranged things in our planning of the space available, to produce a distillation, as it were, of the INNATEX highlights.”
From boots made of wool felt and certified bags of various kinds to businesswear for women
One of the high points is the large number of newcomers who applied to join the DesignDiscoveries support programme. There was a distinct focus on footwear and accessories here, which is reflected in the selection of two shoe labels, Ways and LEV’01, and bag designer Alexandra Svendsen. The other three of the total of six DesignDiscoveries are Lotta Ludwigson with business suits for women, Christiane Strobel with minimalistic womenswear from Marrakesh, and yoga-wear from Wellicious.
Another campaign taking place for the first time is, says Hitzel, similarly close to the hearts of the INNATEX team: the organisation Europe Cares, which provides humanitarian aid for “people on the move” (POTM), will be accepting donations at the fair. Goods in mint condition that exhibitors as well as visitors can hand over at specified times will be used for the benefit of refugees from Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine.
“There could hardly be a better way to represent the motto of the 51st INNATEX, ‘One Goal, Endless Styles.’”, says Hitzel. “The community is not only endless in its drive – even, or indeed especially, in times of turbulence – but is also in the direction of diversity, the spirit of invention and solidarity. Over 200 brands, some with expanded stands, will be demonstrating this at our event in January.”
For more information go to INNATEX.de and select VISIT US, PROGRAMME, DESIGN DISCOVERIES and BRANDS.
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