Texprint in China: the 10 Spinexpo travel prize winners exhibit their work in Shanghai

07 September 2011 by GGHQ Fashion Intelligence

The winners of the Spinexpo travel prize are presenting their creative and diverse work at the international exhibition of yarn and fibres for the knitwear industry, held at the new World Expo and Conference Centre in the Pudong district of the city, the site of last year’s World Expo. The show opened September 6 and closes tomorrow, September 8, 2011.

The Texprint group display presents the edited highlights from 10 graduate textile designers’ collections as part of Spinexpo’s New Generation presentation of trends for autumn/winter 2012. The designers taking part are Harri Batty, Lauren Bowker, David Bradley, Chloe Hamblin, Amy Lewis, Karina Klucnika, Emma Shipley, Harriet Toogood, Catherine Tremellen and Egle Vaituleviciute.

Chloe Hamblin speaking with Peter Wickenden, consul, head of trade.

On opening day Peter Wickenden, consul, head of trade, and Fran Fu, senior trade & investment officer, from the British Consulate-General Shanghai, came to meet the designers to find out more about their work and offer insight into business opportunities in China.

Interest in the Texprint programme and in the designers’ work from the Chinese fashion and design press has been high: two meetings were held yesterday to brief journalists from magazines including China Textile, China Apparel, China Textile Leader and View International Fashion & Fabrics China. Taking part in the first meeting, Peter Wickenden said the Texprint group showed that the UK is “a hugely creative country, bursting with talent and innovation – this is an excellent follow up to the British pavilion at the Expo”. He added that the UK offers not just creative talent but excellent educational opportunities and training in these fields, noting that 80,000 Chinese students are studying in the UK.

Fashion market professionals from Europe, the US, Asia and Australia have been very excited by the technical and aesthetic excellence presented by the designers. Visitors to the stand include brands, retailers, knitters and spinners, notably Burberry, Marks & Spencer, Hugo Boss, Lineapiu, Mohair South Africa, Lanificio Dell’Olivo and Esquel Group.

Spinexpo Travel prize winners exhibit with Texprint in Shanghai

In speaking with the Texprint group, it’s clear they are maximising the experience of participating in the show, learning about marketing, presentation and international business relations and more besides. “It’s exciting to learn how a show like this works; how trends are put together; what it’s like to be an exhibitor rather than a visitor to a show and how that opens up your connections in the industry even more,” said knit designer Harri Batty, who participated in yesterday’s press meetings. “It’s wonderful to have a response from another part of the world, up until now I had only shown my work in the UK.”

During the show’s set up the designers assisted Spinexpo’s creative director and Texprint alumna Sophie Steller to put together the central trends displays, gaining valuable insight into the workings of an international fashion trade event. Texprint’s Colour prize winner Chloe Hamblin said: “I’m learning about event curation and what business opportunities are out there beyond being a designer-maker such as colour and design consultation.”

The designers are taking the opportunity to meet with Spinexpo’s exhibitors, forging links and learning more about the market. Printer Lauren Bowker said: “It’s a good way to meet suppliers and manufacturers. I thought minimums would be a lot higher. By the end of these three days we will have made lots of great contacts, thanks to Karine Van Tassel [head of Spinexpo] who has been very generous in helping us with information.”

Article tags: texprint 2011 (31), shanghai (1)