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Platform on sun and daylight control, shutters, patio covers and closures
The fiftieth edition of Heimtextil was disappointing for those interested in interior blinds, but remains an important fair for interior textile suppliers. Main theme at the fair? Sustainability and everything related to it.
Heimtextil was early this year (from January 6 to 10) and partly because of that, according to fair organizer Messe Frankfurt, the fair attracted fewer visitors than last year, although 63,000 is still a respectable number. Because of the fiftieth edition, there was a look back at previous decades and through visual material, everyone could see that interior design is subject to ‘home fashion.
In part, this is the reason for the fair's existence, because because home fashion is constantly (and ever faster) changing, Heimtextil is able to show every year what is expected to become the trend. In the first years of the fair, the word ‘trends’ was barely mentioned, but starting in the 1990s it gained importance and the annual trend show at the fair became a major draw.
That was also the case this year. With a spectacular installation, which was largely decorated with material from exhibitors, four major trends were indicated. In fact, these trends are a guideline for producers to ‘choose’ from, because the total supply is so large and diverse that it is hardly manageable and a division into four subcategories is welcome.
Hermann Biederlack GmbH makes blankets from recycled jeans, cotton fabrics and PET bottles.
One such trend has been more or less the same for years and could be described as nature/bio/eco or with some term in which the word sustainability comes through. Actually, this is no longer a trend, but a broad undercurrent that gets stronger every year. At Heimtextil there are suppliers of curtain and upholstery fabrics, of bed and bath textiles and, for example, also producers of cloth for (interior) blinds. The processes used to produce textiles are often very harmful to the environment and many manufacturers have realized that old ways of working must be discarded. That is why exhibitors everywhere at the fair announced that they were doing ‘something’ about it.
MHZ promotes verticals for both private and project use.
Roller blind fabric made from recycled PET bottles, use of plant-based plasticizers for PVC, water-based inks, reduced CO2emissions, water-saving production, the use of solar panels, less use of chemicals, recycling materials or using recycled materials; it was all there. When questioned, it often turned out to be about a limited number of products or a specific collection, but the big picture was clear: things have to be more environmentally friendly.
MHZ TwinLine horizontal blind.
Looking at the indoor blinds segment, there was little to discover in that area, as the ‘green’ aspect was hardly touched upon here. Even when viewed more functionally and technically, it was rather meager. Since last year, the Sun & Shadow segment has been housed in a large hall that also houses suppliers of curtain fabrics. According to the fair organizers, this has been a success. It is difficult to gauge whether exhibitors indeed think so, because there were quite a few new faces, with the number of companies from Turkey and South Korea standing out in particular. The various suppliers from the latter country stood out for their uniformity, starring duo roller blinds and products à la the Silhouette by Luxaflex®. Perfectly made, but not new.
One of the TwinLine's improvements is a swivel handle.
MHZ, one of the exhibitors at Heimtextil from the beginning, brought new colors and designs for honeycomb pleated blinds, did the same for the collection of horizontal blinds and came up with a wide collection of verticals, some of which are suitable for project use. These include products with flame-retardant or antibacterial properties, which are suitable for use in the healthcare sector, among others.
News is also that MHZ has improved the TwinLine horizontal blind with a swivel handle at the top and bottom.
Erfal introduced a mobile app, in which product information, manuals and price lists can be found, which comes in handy for blinds dealers when they are out and about. Otherwise, there were few novelties to be found at this provider, partly because a lot of time has recently been spent on an internal ‘Umstrukturierung.
Brel appeared to be the only exhibitor with tubular motors and Forest, supplier of curtain rails and matching motor controls, was once again present with the ClimatScreen. This is a film that looks like a somewhat pleated roller blind and is extremely suitable as a daylight-filtering system. It is primarily a product for the project market, but in principle also suitable for consumer use.
A beautiful red blind at erfal's booth at Heimtextil.
Zo small as the number of exhibitors was with complete systems, so large was the number of participants with components. The background to this is not entirely clear. What did stand out was the large crowd at Vako.
The small sun protection segment was rather meager during this edition; it is pie in the sky whether this will remain so in the future. What is clear is that companies are paying close attention to the costs of trade fair participation in relation to the expected revenues. Partly for this reason, regular participant Kadeco decided to miss the fair this year.
In the closing message of the fair, CEO Detlef Braun of Messe Frankfurt let it be known that the (textile) industry is currently facing major challenges. As it turns out, 34% of exhibitors describe the economic situation as bad, compared to 18% last year. The special hall for wallpaper suppliers showed what happens when the market shrinks and supply increases: some 30% less floor space was filled.
Another side of Heimtextil is that in addition to the physical offerings, there was a lot for visitors who wanted to be informed about certain things. In addition to the trend show, there were about 150 lectures, talks and other activities. It ranged from various lectures on trends and sustainable production methods to giving information on marketing techniques and tips for better sales on the store floor.
