Frankfurt am Main, 25 November 2021 The winter edition of INNATEX is back: the 49th international trade fair for sustainable textiles takes place between 21 and 23 January 2022 at the Messecenter Rhein-Main in Hofheim-Wallau, near Frankfurt. Instead of celebrating the start of the event on a Saturday, for the first time the largest ordering platform for Green Fashion opens its doors on the Friday. Over 200 labels, as well as relevant initiatives and representatives of standards bodies have registered to take part so far.
“The new start day was decided in close consultation with the exhibitors,” says Alexander Hitzel, Project Manager at event organisers MUVEO GmbH. “It means we follow on directly from Frankfurt Fashion Week, which takes place earlier in the same week in nearby Frankfurt and the surrounding region. With a Preview Night on the Thursday evening, we we want to pick up the industry, and herald the transition to the INNATEX trade fair. It also fits with the notion of networking.”
Alongside the Preview Night, INNATEX is presenting other new concepts including the Community Area and a new collaboration with the ‘Fairmodels’ agency. In the Community Area initiatives from Green Fashion will have their own space and will address questions from the audience. Interested participants can book in advance for a ten-minute ‘Ask me anything’ slot.
“Progress comes out of discourse,” says Hitzel. “We think of INNATEX as a family community with a consciously inclusive mission where sustainability is key, but which in other respects avoids any form of discrimination. The broadest range of tastes, perspectives, generations and nationalities comes together under the roof of the exhibition centre. This relates to more than just the differences between the labels – initiatives and standards bodies represent another side of this spectrum and bring with them a lot of knowledge.”
The experts in the Community Area will include the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Fairtrade Deutschland, the Femnet association with a major campaign, the start-up Circular Flow, and the International Association of the Natural Textile Industry (IVN), patrons of INNATEX.
Many new exhibitors have registered, too, including Italian label Rifò, which follows the principle of circular fashion. Grenz/gang, a business from the Allgäu region, uses materials such as loden and merino wool and is committed to the principles of organic, local and fair production. The Italian brand Native Shoes uses algae as a raw material and intends its operation to be fully circular by 2023.
“To extend its range further, INNATEX is always on the search for new brands with innovative ideas,” says Hitzel. “But we are not solely about innovation. Traditional natural textiles and their production methods, carefully developed over the years, have an absolute right to be here and have been enriching the range at INNATEX ever since it was first launched. Here people can always learn from one another, find inspiration and adopt new ideas.”
This is also, says Hitzel, a reason to look forward to the comeback for DESIGN DISCOVERIES, which had to be dropped during the pandemic. The motivation at the heart of this project is to support young labels and help them enter the market. Anyone wishing to apply can send an email to service@innatex.de and they will receive a link to the application form. Application deadline is 17 December 2021.
As far as exhibitors are concerned, INNATEX has space only for a few more. Information is available at INNATEX.de.
Images in a high-quality print resolution: https://innatex.muveo.de/download/
When using photo images, please add the following copyright notice: “Photo: INNATEX – International Trade Fair for Sustainable Textiles”.
Press Release as PDF
