FESPA reflects heightened interest in textile applications

FESPA Digital 2012 will reflect heightened interest and rapid growth of textile applications with two key visitor features: FESPA Fabric 2012 and the Textile Talk Theatre.

FESPA Fabric 2012 is a 1,000m2 ‘show-within-a-show’ dedicated to garment printing and decoration. This year in Barcelona it will feature more than 30 companies, showcasing the latest in promotional wear, machinery developments, innovative new inks, substrate advancements and embroidery solutions. The ever-popular Charlie’s Corner within FESPA Fabric gives visitors a chance to touch and try creating special printed effects on t-shirts in the expert hands of Charlie Taublieb.

Visitors to FESPA Fabric will see the winning design from FESPA’s T-shirt Competition brought to life. The competition attracted 11 entries and the winner was Veronique Verdyck of t-shirt print specialist Pas NV in Derune, Belgium. Veronique’s eye-catching design will be reproduced in Charlie’s Corner.

FESPA Managing Director Neil Felton explains, “FESPA Fabric started life as a garment printing zone within the main FESPA show in 2010, and is now in its third edition, underlining the continued significance of garment printing as a sector, be it for promotional apparel, sportswear, fast ready-to-wear fashion, and even prototyping for haute couture.

“The market for digital direct-to-garment is progressing fast, and the sector is evolving rapidly to keep pace with an increasingly globalised fashion market in which speed to market and capacity for personalisation and ultra-short run garment production are critical. Once again, FESPA Fabric will provide visitors with valuable insights into these changes and the technology and materials developments that are supporting them.”

Located within FESPA Fabric, the Textile Talk Theatre offers programmes of free educational content for printers working with textile substrates.

For garment printers specifically, leading garment expert Scott Fresener will chair sessions presented by an international line-up of industry specialists including: Jimmy Lamb and Ed Levy, two of the decorated apparel industry’s most knowledgeable and entertaining educators; global screen printing expert Mark Gervais and FESPA’s popular ‘Dr Print’, Charlie Taublieb.

Topics covered within the garment stream of the Textile Talk Theatre include: Secrets of High-End Screen Printing on Garments; High Fashion at Home; Great Prints Start with a Great Screen; Mass Customization and the Digital Supply Chain; The State of Direct-to-Garment Printing Today and Beyond; Success in Starting a Decorated Apparel Business; and Key Control Points for Successful Screen Printing; Decorating Diversity.

FESPA is also working in partnership with specialist publisher World Textile Information Network and Belgian textile federation Fedustria to present content around other textile-based products such as soft signage and industrial textiles for outdoor applications.

“Printing onto soft substrates is continuing to make huge inroads in FESPA’s community, for applications such as soft signage, flags and banners, tents and 3D inflatables, home decor, soft furnishings and interior architecture,” says Neil Felton. “Printer manufacturers have made their machines more flexible in the handling of textile substrates, and the substrate and ink suppliers have played a leading role in accelerating development. Successful printers are now harnessing their creativity to experiment with different applications, meaning that textile has ceased to be an ultra-specialist niche and is fast becoming a more mainstream aspect of an increasingly dynamic and innovative visual communications industry. Our content around the topic of digital printing onto textiles has evolved accordingly, and the Textile Talk Theatre programme offers some diverse insights into this exciting growth sector.”

FESPA Fabric and the Textile Talk Theatre are located at the heart of the FESPA Digital 2012 exhibition within the main show hall at Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, and will run throughout the four-day event. Entrance to FESPA Fabric is covered by the main FESPA Digital visitor ticket.