Rising energy costs were front of mind for exhibitors and attendees at this season's London Textile Fair, held at Islington’s Business Design Centre.
On 5-6 September, London Textile Fair held its autumn/winter 23 edition at Islington’s Business Design Centre in north London.
The show hosted 350 exhibitors – an increase from the 300 at the mid-season edition in March. There were a large number of mills from Turkey, while others were present from Italy, Portugal, France and Taiwan.
A total of 2,218 visitors throughout the two days, of which 95% were from the UK. Several multiple retailers attended, including Ted Baker, River Island, Reiss and Next.
The halls were abuzz with activity when Drapers visited on Tuesday 6 September, and there was a short queue to enter in the morning. Buyers and designers were busy making plans on which stalls to visit and were chatting to exhibitors.
However, some exhibitors said there was not a lot of footfall on the first day of the show, Monday 5 September, which coincided with the start of the new school term. London Textile Fair’s director, John Kelley, said he had to move the dates to September because of a clash with Parisian textile trade show Première Vision, which was held in the French capital on 5-7 July – the same dates billed for the London Textile Fair.
The AW22 edition was due to be held in January this year, but was postponed because of the surge in the Omicron variant of Covid-19. The mid-season event in March received 2,000 visitors on the first day.
Visitors said they attended the show to catch up in person with existing suppliers, as well as source new ones. Much of the conversations, however, were dominated by rising energy prices after UK inflation hit another record high in July.
UK-based agent Deidre Neill was representing four textile manufacturers from the Far East: China's Jiaxin, which produces silk, viscose, polyester, Refibra and Tencel, and Youngshine, which makes PU fabrics; and Taiwan's Khunsheng and TTF, which produce tailoring fabrics.
Neill told Drapers: “Everyone is nervous because they don’t know how retailers will spend money. Customers are playing it safe with repeat orders of products that are working well.”
Furio Annovazzi, CEO of Italian lace manufacturer Iluna Group, said the energy crisis was affecting both ends of the market: “Yarn suppliers are waiting for our orders, and we are waiting for customers to place orders from us.”
He said the group's energy bills had increased fivefold from €50,000 (£42,960) in July 2021 to €250,000 (£214,845) in July 2022. To save costs, it extended its summer holiday from two weeks to three in August, while working days have been reduced to from five to four.
Kelley said many mills are having to give customers a variable price because of uncertainty about their fuel costs, but said they were “understanding” of the situation.
Muzaffer Acar, export and sustainability director of Turkish weaving company Furteks Dokuma, which counts River Island and Paragon among its retail clients, said it had increased product prices by 1%-2%, but clients were also accommodating.
Despite the increasing costs of travelling to London trade shows, Acar said UK business was doing well: “If you do everything the right way, with good-quality items and stay with the lead times, it’s quite easy.”
He did, however, mention that his stall’s location on the venue’s upper balcony area was not optimal: “To catch clients, you have to be right near the entrance.”
Peter Edmunds, merchandise and planning manager of Jermyn Street-based menswear suiting specialist Harvie & Hudson, said it was the second time he has attended London Textile Fair and that it was good for meeting with UK-based suppliers. He attended the trade show to keep in touch with existing suppliers, as well as make new connections. Scottish supplier Harris Tweed Hebrides stood out, as did Irish linen supplier Emblem Weavers, he said, because of its use of colour, which is popular with its customers, adding: “We like the fact that it is Irish linen – it’s good for our tourist business.”
Edmunds explained that, despite the fall in formalwear sales that followed the lockdowns, Harvie & Hudson is now beating pre-pandemic levels. He said tourists are coming back to London, particularly from the US and Australia: “Our [premium] end of the market is much less impacted [by the cost of living crisis].
The textile industry is evidently feeling the impact of rising energy costs, though the thirst for creative and exciting new product still prevails.
The next edition of the London Textile Fair will be held on 10-11 January 2023 at the Business Design Centre. Texpremium will be held at the same location on 13-14 December 2022.
Leigh Cavell-Clarke, senior product developer, Ted Baker:
“We come to the show every time to see the suppliers that we are currently working with, and it’s also a good place to find new mills. We are here looking for any add-ons for autumn/winter.”
Zoe de Abreu, co-founder, womenswear brand Ro & Zo:
“Occasionwear has been huge after the Covid-19 lockdowns, and we think it will be even bigger next year. I am here looking for printed fabrics and to build on new categories, such as linen. We source most of our textiles from Turkey and Italy. A few of our sequinned pieces are from China, but we are looking to do that closer to home.”
Diane Simpson, sales director, AW Hainsworth & Sons:
“We’ve had quite a few sample requests. We wouldn’t get orders at the show – we’re here to engage with people. It’s harder to market to boutiques and independent designers without seeing them – even if we only had 20-30 people coming to the stand, it gives us an opportunity to see people we wouldn’t usually see.”
Tags Business Design Centre Fashion news Islington London London Textile Fair retail news
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