Innatex celebrates successful 30th anniversary

The natural textiles fair Innatex, that was held from 28 to 30 January 2012, was fully booked. With 260 exhibitors, the two halls of the Ardek Center in Hofheim-Wallau were full to capacity and the organizer Muveo will have to look round for another venue in future. The mood of the anniversary event was upbeat, and the 1,819 visitors meant plenty of business for the exhibitors. However, it would be a good idea to extend the sales channels. With its attractive supporting programme, lectures, the Design Discoveries area, fashion shows and organic catering, plus a saving of 26 tons of CO₂, Innatex lived up to its claim to be the industry’s sustainable trade fair. (Picture: Well received presentation of new collections on the catwalk)
A wonderful anniversary gift – more exhibitors than ever before came to this 15th year of Innatex in the Ardek exhibition halls in Wallau (near Wiesbaden). This was a success that Alexander Hitzel the director of the trade fair attributed to, for example, the continuity of the event and pleasant atmosphere conducive to placing orders. The organizer of the fair, Heinrich Freitag, the managing director of Muveo GmbH in Frankfurt, said in an interview with Organic-Market.Info: ”We made it our mission in the early days, when natural textiles had not yet become a trend theme, to offer this sector a broad stage. We see ourselves as a focal point where people in the sector can exchange ideas, and at the same time we’re there to help with reliable quality standards.” He said that some natural textile labels had laid the foundation for their international success at Innatex, that takes place twice a year. (Picture: Organizer Heinrich Freitag, Muveo GmbH)

Regarding the problem of space, Hitzel commented:”Yes, for some time we’ve been looking for an alternative location for Innatex. What’s important is that we keep in mind the aims and wishes of our exhibitors and visitors. That’s why we’re going to launch a wide-ranging survey before the fair in the summer. The preferences of all the actors will flow into the decision-making process, so that this exhibition continues to be the number 1 ordering platform in the green fashion sector.” Because the fashion shows are so well received, and to enable exhibitors to present their collections to an even wider public, the fair’s management is planning an Innatex preview in Berlin. “From the summer of 2012, as part of the Berlin Fashion Week, we’re going to target those retailers who have so far not been drawn to Innatex,” explained Hitzel. “In addition to the well established Innatex Lounge in Berlin, in future there’ll be a preview of Innatex fashions. The initial response of exhibitors to this news has been overwhelming.” (Picture: Trade fair director: Alexander Hitzel)

Especially in the last few years, Innatex has further developed its criteria for exhibitors regarding the strict GOTS and IVN standards for certified natural textiles, so that today about a third of exhibitors are fully certified in compliance with one of the standards. Spokesperson Sabine Lydia Müller estimates that a further third of the natural textiles meet the prescribed certification of 10 % of the offer, although in most cases the proportion is much higher.

The remaining third of the products on display are currently non-certifiable articles like jewellery made from natural materials, accessories and woollen goods, where the proportion of certified organic management of animals is still very small. The motto of Innatex 30 was “From natural textiles to sustainable fashion“. In recent years, the exhibition area has continually increased. For example, the manufacturers of baby and toddler clothes, with 59 labels, already account for 20 % of Innatex. So this strongly growing segment is to be given its own space in new rooms. The manufacturers of sustainable shoes are another big group – 21 brands were presented at Innatex 30, and the number is rising from one exhibition the next. 13 % of visitors came from abroad, mainly from the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia. A striking fact is that more and more visitors from the south of Europe are making their way to the Rhine-Main region. (Picture: Anukoo Fair Fashion)

It’s the mix that matters: experienced old hands, established natural textile companies and interesting newcomers who have still got to make a name for themselves in the market. You can put Living Crafts, for example, in the experienced category, with 2011 being their 25th anniversary. The fully certified textile brand of the wholefood wholesaler Dennree exhibited at Innatex its new “Back to the Basics” collection of T-shirts, polos, underwear, nightwear and household textiles, together with baby and toddler clothes in both standard colours and fresh seasonal colours. In the case of household textiles, they offer a new towel range in appealing colours. All the articles are available from February and can simply be re-ordered from stock. As well as having many bigger customers in the wholefood retail trade, who offer Living Crafts on the proven high-value building block displays (see our earlier article), the company would like to give smaller businesses new opportunities with attractive and seasonal impulse offers. “We want to make it easier for our customers to offer the attractive marginal range of natural textiles in a compact way,” says Frank Schell. The presentation solutions are being introduced to the trade at BioFach. Incidentally, Living Crafts has transferred its production from India to Turkey. (Picture: Back to the Basics collection by Living Crafts)

Among the firms that are still young (2007) but who from the outset have focused on Innatex is the Austrian natural textile company Göttin des Glücks. This Viennese company is currently offering 180 items, basics, outer garments, underwear, household textiles and even dog coats, all made of colourful GOTS and fair-trade certified organic cotton. The label already has a number of sales partners in Germany and in other European countries, but it is also interested, of course, in further partners. Matthias Hölzl, the sales director in Germany, says: “It’s all about the issue of eco textiles. The more people change the way they think about natural textiles the better. Every eco-garment means more organic cotton is grown, which benefits the environment and means fair working conditions.” Göttin des Glücks cooperates with universities and institutes in Austria in researching and developing alternative materials.

The organic jeans label Sey began a year ago as Design Discovery. Selma Yasdut (picture), a graduate engineer in clothing technology, created her own label after gaining experience in various companies in the clothing industry. Sey Jeans (and jeans skirts) are made from Turkish fair trade organic cotton and will soon be produced in Germany. Selma Yasdut and her sister were very pleased with their second Innatex. “80 % of first-time customers returned – that confirms we are doing the right thing. Our jeans stand for a very good cut and fit. People appreciate that. Of course, uncomplicated service is a part of it too,“ says the young entrepreneur.

Leandro De Herrera Diaz from Green Age GmbH in Hamburg was also very happy with the response. Jewellery made from corozo and orange peel is manufactured under fair conditions in women’s projects in Columbia, and it sells like hot cakes. At the fashion show on the Saturday and Sunday, many exhibitors presented their collections three times each day. (Picture: cult bucket-top boots)

More pictures at: Innatex.de