NEW YORK — European and Turkish textile manufacturers exhibiting at two trade shows in Manhattan last week said higher standards for quality, service and speed gave them an advantage over Chinese manufacturing.
European Preview, held July 13-14 at the Metropolitan Pavilion, drew 140 manufacturers from nine countries.
Juan Gratacos, owner of the Barcelona-based Gratacos mill, said he has committed time and resources to the research and development of new fabrics and weaving processes in order to differentiate his product.
“It used to be that most of our business was done with plain, basic fabrics,” Gratacos said. “Now, 85 percent of our business is done in novelty.”
Gratacos said he is able to offer the customer something new each season, adding more novelty, such as Lurex and new threads. He said, however, the additional work being put into the process does lead to later deliveries.
“We have to take risks to stay in business at all,” he said. “We are offering beautiful, quality fabrics that take a long time to make, but we have to make these things to stay in business at all.”
For Marc Rozier, a 110-year-old French mill specializing in silk printed fabrics, experience is the key.
“We use the same machines that were being used to make fabrics 40 years ago, and because of that, we are able to create what the rest of the world cannot,” said Gilles Amsallem, fabric development and sales coordinator for the U.S. market. “There is certainly no way a Chinese mill can copy this. People will pay for what China cannot copy.”
Carrie Davis, innovation director for Nike, said since Nike’s focus will always be performance, she was looking for fabrics that were fashionable, but had to give the customer something to improve her performance.
“It really has to be something comfortable, to make you want to work out more,” she said. “There’s really no reason why performance can’t be fashionable. What Nike is looking for is to marry technology with great, fashionable fabric.”
Plaids with fuzzy textures were one of the biggest trends.
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Jules Tournier featured wool and mohair blends, as well as angora, while Picchi focused on pop colors, such as fuchsia, on plaids to enhance the neutral palette. Luigi Boggio Casero showed plaids that were softly finished to make them fluffier, said president Eugenio Boggio Casero, who added black-and-white looks were getting attention.
Other trends included conversational prints on soft grounds, such as colorful giraffes on silk and linen at Marc Rozier, and tie-dye effects, which were seen at Denis & Fils on a multicolored fabric that was ombréd and featured a Lurex stripe. Picchi showed a new collection of compact black fabrics embossed with animal-skin patterns.
Washed, crinkled wools, such as the ones at Seterie Argenti, also were garnering attention from designers.
Jane Bong, vice president of fabric research and development at BCBG, said, “They look very homespun and they give a casual look, which, going forward, continues to be important for us.” Tweeds featuring bouclé yarns are also key, Bong added, but they “must have a rustic, washed finish.”
Vendors at the Turkish Fashion Fabric Exhibition, from July 12-13 at the Grand Hyatt here, also touted innovation and service as the keys to survival. About 1,000 people flocked to the booths the first day, the show’s organizers said.
“We’re trying to produce things which couldn’t be done by Chinese producers,” said Numan Altun, an executive with Almodo Altunlar, which sells fabric to companies such as Liz Claiborne and Ann Taylor.
Ahmet Oksüz, an executive with Kipas Textile and a board member on the Istanbul Textile & Apparel Exporter’s Association, an organization of 28,000 manufacturers that produces the event, said more companies were bringing finished product to the show to help sales.
“The most important thing is service, speed and price,” said Murat Kiliç, general manager of Aksu, which specializes in wool. “Chinese competition is not disturbing us. We’ve got better quality and higher fashion.”
Kiliç also noted that wool production was not increasing on a global scale, making service and fashion even more important in that sector.
At Guney, vice president Effie Zadok said lightweight was the word of the day, “especially the wools — they have to be light,” he said. Guney also featured soft, wide-wale corduroys.
Altinyildiz’s collection evoked a British feel with traditional plaids. A new military-inspired twill base featured a hi-twist yarn with a crepe feel.
“Fluidity is very important for these looks, which also need to remain fairly structured,” said Okan Toklucu, vice president.
Joe Cafferelli, a sales rep with Calik USA, said a denim fabric with bamboo got interest from buyers. Calik receives the bamboo as a fiber and spins it into a yarn. Bamboo gives the denim a softer touch and a flat look, according to Cafferelli.
“What [buyers] are really looking for is to partner up with the right mill that has a fashion sense,” said Cafferelli.
— With contributions from Ross Tucker