Texworld NYC Summer 23 promises interactive workshops, new trend event, and focus on sustainability and innovation

We are officially one week away from Texworld NYC which will return to the Javits Center providing the industry with three days of sourcing opportunities from global exhibitors as well as a ramped up schedule of engaging activities for visitors. Running from 18 - 20 July, Texworld NYC, established in 2006, will offer an expansive show floor with brand-new special feature areas and a focus on innovation and sustainability. Attracting apparel fabric buyers, research and product development specialists, designers, merchandisers and overseas sourcing professionals, this summer's event has been designed to ensure there is something for everyone.

As in seasons before, partnership shows also hosted at the Javits include Printsource New York which serves as a hub for the world's top creative talent and showcases hundreds of collections by international surface and textile design studios. Bringing expanded product offerings and resources to buyers, Printsource is billed as the largest surface design show in the US, crossing all sectors including men's, children's and women's apparel, bed and bath, decorative fabrics, kitchen and tabletop, paper goods and stationery, and wall coverings. Global Footwear Sourcing will also return to the summer edition alongside Apparel Sourcing New York City, and Home Textiles Sourcing making the event a one-stop-shop for global sourcing.

The event has also become a forecasting port of call for professionals seeking to understand the trends and predictions for Fall. Curated by New York-based agency Doneger | TOBE the Texworld Trend Showcase returns to the show floor for the Summer 2023 Edition, presented as always by Creative Director, Kai Chow, on Wednesday July 19 at 12:30 PM. For Fall/Winter 2024/25, the Doneger Trend Presentation will be taking us on a journey through 'Cultural Expression' and Chow’s vision behind the four themes of Virtue, Nostalgic, Post-Classic and Mesmeric, will be immediately followed by a guided Explore the Floor Tour of the Texworld Trend Showcase.

A snippet from the press release suggests that an optimistic tone underlines the trends that Chow will present: "With the learnings of the past, the attitude of the present, and the perception of the future, we reject convention and call for a revolution. Revering our traditional, ancestral and natural wealth, we join hands to find unity in our shared dreams, admiration for our differences, and a way forward into a new tomorrow. As we appreciate the authentic, cherish our culture, break barriers, and escape into the ethereal - We begin mixing, matching, and making our perfect world."

This year those in attendance for this one-time only presentation and tour will receive a complimentary trend book which encompasses each curated segment to take home while stocks last.

Expanded program of new exhibitors, educational talks, immersive workshops at Texworld NYC Summer 23

There is also a new element to the trend forecasting offering, the Home Trend Showcases curated by Nancy Fire, Creative Director of Nancy Fire Designs, who will guide home textile-focused attendees through the color, pattern, and material trends for Fall/Winter 24/25. Immediately following her presentation, Fire will also lead a guided Home Trendspotting Tour of the four vignettes featuring products from Home Textiles Sourcing exhibitors.

Texworld's robust educational schedule is well-established, and Lenzing, the longstanding partner of Texworld New York City, returns as sponsor of its Seminar Series. This time the speaker roster will feature leading industry professionals from brands including Alice + Olivia and Steve Madden to offer attendees valuable knowledge, inspiration and practical advice to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving marketplace. Some highlights include a panel entitled The Ethos of Sustainability: The People Behind the Supply Chain, which takes place on Wednesday July 19 at 1:30 PM and urges attendees to consider the lives and treatment of the people behind the entire supply chain at the core of textile and apparel production. Topics discussed will include the framework CSR, labor, and how the term "sustainability" connects to the rights to live a sustainable life for workers.

Also new to the event and sure to be of interest is a series of interactive dye workshops on the show floor hosted by Sodhani Bio Tech, a natural dyestuff producer from India. Those who wish to roll their sleeves up and immerse their hands in the eco-dyeing process should act quick as slots are limited. Four separate workshops have been distributed across the three days including an Indigo Dye Shibori Workshop and a Natural Dye Workshop Utilizing Food Waste. Trained artisans will work with each participant to develop their own design on a T-shirt or tote that they can take home.

Texworld offers global networking opportunity and connects the various creative fields

As part of the Textile Talks program look out for Wednesday afternoon’s “Texpertise Network Happy Hour: Connecting Industry Professionals with the Textile Business Network” for opportunities to understand textile markets and meet with other business colleagues. The Texpertise network comprises over 50 international trade fairs in Germany, France, USA, China, India, Japan, South Africa, Dubai, Argentina, Ethiopia and Columbia and the session will be led by Claudia Franz, Director of Brand Management at Messe Frankfurt.

The Textiles Talks calendar also contains a presentation by Perclers Paris which promises to decipher the major socio-cultural shifts that are defining consumers’ unarticulated needs and desires for the next 2-5 years, hosted by Jennifer Karuletwa, Managing Director for Perclers North America. It is intended to be an opportunity to connect the dots between emerging movements from the fields of art, music, literature, and philosophy in order to translate them into product concepts for fashion and home. 

Finally, those unable to make it to Texworld NYC need not miss out as Messe Frankfurt will launch their first West Coast edition of the New York show just a week later than Texworld NYC. Debuting on July 25 - 26, Texworld Los Angeles and Apparel Sourcing Los Angeles will take place at the California Market Center.