This was the first show I visited after the pandemic. They did a special edition in the summer of 2022 (because in January, when the show usually happens, the Covid restrictions were still very high), so it was already different than usual, as people who exhibited and visited the show the years before mentioned. It was a third of what it used to be, and it was still HUGE! The second time, in January 2023, it was even bigger. I was able to meet a lot of designers there, as well as textile studios, see trends and listen to trend seminars, and also check out what the big brands are producing and selling right now.

The textile studio section is also big, but it's still not what it was before the pandemic. There are many different variations: some exhibitors have hand-painted artwork, some have mini-collections, some have one-off designs with a bedding mock-up on their sales sheets. Almost all of them are printed on A2 pages.

Perfect for you to visit if you:
- design for the home décor industry
- Are considering exhibiting as a textile studio or print designer
- are looking for trends for the home decor segment
- are also interested in the technical aspect (there is a whole section dedicated to textile and printing machinery)

Perfect for you to exhibit if you:
- design for the home decor industry
- are ready to sell your designs directly
- already have clients who will be attending the show

Tips:
- wear comfortable shoes and bring water. It's quite hot inside compared to the freezing temperatures in Germany in January. There are special cloakrooms where you can leave your coat or luggage.
- Francfort is a huge fair location, so book your transportation and hotel well in advance.

Tickets / Access:
- from 29€
- you don't need special accreditation

- takes place once a year in January

Website

This is a trade show focused on children's fashion and accessories. I had planned 2 days for this one, but it was done in one afternoon. This show is more for boutique owners who want to buy in bulk from the brands. There are trend reports and runway shows. I got to talk to some small brand owners or start-ups about their artwork needs. Some of them work with freelancers, some with textile studios. But it's not really meant for designers to visit. I know they used to allow some artists/designers/print studios to exhibit, but I'm not sure if that's still the case.

Tickets / Access:
- from 15€
- you'll need accreditation that you own a boutique or similar

- takes place twice a year in January and June

Website

This one has been on my dream list for a long time and it is also huge and almost overwhelming. It has different sections like: fabrics (mostly for apparel, if not all), trends, manufacturing, leather, textile studios, etc. The booths in the fabric section are quite private and they are actually expecting brands or designers to come and place a huge fabric order. Some of them are very welcoming, but they get a little disappointed when they hear that we are designers; some might think that we are there to copy them, which is not the case. The trend section is really big with color trends, textures and fabrics curated by all the exhibitors. Photography is not allowed (which I unfortunately realized much too late and was terribly embarrassed when the guard came up to me and asked me to stop taking pictures). The designer and studio sections are still not as crowded as they used to be. Mostly because travel is one of the first things to be cut from a company's budget, and also because many now have worldwide access to new prints online. But it was really nice to see familiar faces and chat a bit, of course without covering their booth and knowing when to let potential customers approach them. At this show there are many who show their designs on paper, but most of them show them on printed fabric (silk or satin). There are also hand-painted artworks and vintage fabrics.

Perfect for you to visit if you:
- design for the fashion industry
- are considering exhibiting as a textile studio or print designer
- are looking for fashion trends

Perfect for you to exhibit if you:
- design for the fashion industry
- are ready to sell your designs directly
- already have clients who will be attending the show

Tips:
- French is a real advantage!

Tickets / Access:
- free with registration
- there are free shuttles from the airport to the show and also to the city, but it's located on the outskirts of Paris.

- there are several editions throughout the year

Website

This show is 100% for the fashion industry. There are fabric suppliers, embellishments, manufacturing supplies, tags, buttons, etc. and services for fashion, apart from some trend forecasting, all geared to the apparel niche. The textile studio section is separate and there are tons and tons of printed fabric swatches to go through. They are there to sell their designs directly. 95% of the designs are for women's wear. Since it's located in a huge fashion showroom area, I was exposed to brands I didn't know about.

Perfect for you to visit if you:
- design for the fashion industry
- are considering exhibiting as a textile studio or print designer
- are looking for fashion trends

Perfect for you to exhibit if you:
- design for the fashion industry
- are ready to sell your designs directly
- already have clients who will be attending the show

Tickets / Access:
- free with registration
- there are free shuttles from the airport to the show, but it's on the outskirts of Munich.

- takes place twice a year, in January and September

Website

This is also like Pitti Bimbo, but bigger and more international in my opinion. They have a great trend seminar given by a trend agency and lots of smaller brands that are growing. They also have 12 spots for illustrators or designers to sell their designs.

Perfect for you to visit if you
- design for the baby and kids niche
- are considering exhibiting as a textile studio or print designer
- looking for fashion trends
- want to know new brands

Perfect for you to exhibit if you:
- design for the kids niche
- are ready to sell your designs directly
- already have clients who will be attending the show

Tips:
- French is a real plus!
- you must apply to be selected to exhibit in the Illustrator's Area.
- the entry fee is lower than other shows.
- they also have a location in New York

Tickets/ Access:
- free with registration, it says "for professionals only" but they didn't ask for any special documentation.
- there are free shuttles from the city, but it's located on the outskirts of Paris.

- takes place twice a year in January and July

Website

As a designer, I would only recommend attending this show if you intend to exhibit or if you are looking for companies to work with in-house. As with most shows, they are there to sell. Otherwise, it's not very spectacular: the trends section is rather small, there are mostly fabric manufacturers selling their fabrics for apparel, and the textile studio section is really small, not even 10 studios.

Tickets/ Access:
- free with registration, it says "for professionals only" but they didn't ask for any special documentation.
- takes place twice a year in January and July

Website

I went to this one because it was just a train ride from where I live. There were some nice brands in my niche (baby and kids), but it wasn't enough. My kids, on the other hand, were happy with all the freebies and samples of kids products I got.

Tickets/ Access:
- open to public, from 12€
- takes place once a year in different cities in Germany