The biggest textile trade fair in the world, Heimtextil runs from January 12 to 15 in Frankfurt, and introduces the world to the latest upholstery, drapery, wall coverings and household fabrics. Here are three top highlights of the upcoming show.
1 The latest textiles and wallpaper
Above all, Heimtextil is a massive trade fair featuring well over 2,500 exhibitors of hospitality, contract and household textiles. Brands from Europe and Asia dominate, and high-design manufacturers, such as A.S. Création, NLXL, Graham & Brown and Marburger, present the most exciting textile and wallpaper lines. This year, NLXL continues its collaboration with Piet Hein Eek, showcasing the Dutch designer’s Materials Wallpaper collection with new marbled patterns.
2 The trends forum
Besides showcasing new product, Heimtextil’s major calling card is its annual trends presentation. Every year, the show puts together a mesmerizing installation that brings together the biggest design directions that materialize across the fair’s many halls. This year, the Heimtextil Theme Park is devoted to Well-being 4.0, and it consists of four concept groupings – Protect: good for us, Energize: digital dreams (shown), Nourish: sensory design, and Enrich: appealing to senses. The digital focus of the Energize trend will also be elaborated on in an entire section at the fair devoted to digital printing technologies for textiles and featuring Hewlett Packard, Epson, Reggiani and other companies.
3 The speaker series
Fairgoers who want to get behind the curatorial process of the trends forum might wish to check out the lecture by FranklinTill Studio, which has helped the show conceptualize its trends forum and book. Founded by Kate Franklin and Caroline Hill in 2010, the London studio collaborates with many brands, including Andaz Hotels, Caesarstone and Technopop, on design strategy and art direction, and has made a name for itself in trend forecasting and curation. The duo recently worked with plastic manufacturer Curver on its Knit collection (shown), which launched at Designjunction during London Design Festival 2015. FranklinTill is part of Heimtextil’s dynamic lecture program, featuring inspiring earfuls from studios from around the world.
