I am writing about the first and second day of 17^th edition Spin Expo that is at the Pudong Expo in Shanghai from March 8 – 10^th, 2011.  As mentioned previously the Spin Expo is one of the greatest shows in the apparel industry and is the best show for yarn and fibers in the world.

This edition was different for me and my partner as we both are now involved with the fair.   It was quite an experience to be involved with set up, preparation and show opening.  I know now why this is such an amazing fair, the show founder, creator and visionary is Karine Van Tassel who has been actively involved in the garment industry for over 30 years.  Karine has gathered top talents from around the globe to work on her team to ensure that top exhibitors, supplier and industry professionals get the most out of the three-day fair, but it goes beyond three days with lots of complementing tools and value added services.

The show opened at 9:30am to a mad rush of attendees wanting to check out the trend area and meet with exhibitors… It was like the opening of a store or mall at sale season with the long que (line-up) outside to get in.

Upon entering industry professionals were greeted by the amazingly large trend area with developments from leading global stylists, designers, and suppliers which were divided into four themes and one-well being area, see below for more photos.

All the themes were about the future, starting with Modernism, Indulgence, Optimism and Contradiction,  The themes all had colour stories, fabric inspirations and silhouette predictions for the future of course.

The well-being area was separated into four areas which are highlighted in the pictures below.

Luckily I had four pieces featured in the indigo display that I was involved with for sourcing, creative and development, see below for more detail, so if you need help in this area you know who to call.

The show itself was a great success with over 4000 unique visitors and 5500 entries on the first day and over 4000 unique visitors and 7800 entries on the second day.  From the morning to the close of the first and second day the fair was busy.  Below are a few photos from select booths at the fair.

Back in the trend area is was very busy with many people collecting information on silhouettes, fabrics and colours for future seasons:

WGSN, StyleSight and the Spin Expo Intelligence team gave live seminars on future trends and predictions in the knitwear industry.

If you require any additional information on the Spin Expo fair and what’s in store for the 18^th edition this September, 2011 please send me an email at Jeffrey@SpinExpo.com.  You can also check out the 3rd edition in New York this July 18, 19, and 20th, 2011.