As July wound down, Los Angeles welcomed a roster of apparel textile and sourcing shows across categories. Messe Frankfurt hosted its summer Los Angeles Texworld\u00a0and Apparel Sourcing L.A. editions July 21\u201323 at the California Market Center in downtown\u2019s fashion district to showcase supply-chain resources from textile providers to apparel manufacturers. Comexposium\u2019s Interfili\u00e8re Los Angeles launched as a colocated event with Texworld and Apparel Sourcing to provide supply-chain options in intimates, active and swim.<\/p>\n
Preface Los Angeles hosted its summer event July 29\u201330 at Mica Studios in the arts district, partnering with consultancy firm Denim Dudes and denim-industry event Here|After for an intimate take on sourcing and supply-chain options.<\/p>\n
Texworld and Apparel Sourcing Los Angeles provided variety to support attendees\u2019 sourcing decisions, yet the shows are also popular for the calendar of Textile Talks education sessions. This year\u2019s education schedule included topics such as \u201cThe AI-Powered Product Journey: Design, Production and Commerce in 2026,\u201d \u201cWeaving Tomorrow\u2019s Narratives: Fall\/Winter 2027\/28 presented by Peclers Paris\u201d and \u201cFrom Innovation to Adoption: Scaling Next-Gen Bio-Based Materials From Innovation to Retail Reality,\u201d which drew the attention of Kathirine Jameson, creative director of San Diego casual womenswear brand Liliai, who was interested in sourcing fabrics made with sustainable, natural fibers<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a lot of different information,\u201d Jameson said. \u201cYou can source different types of things and it\u2019s a one-stop place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lavini Tang, a technical designer and owner of Los Angeles\u2013based N49 Studio, Inc., was grateful for the opportunity to explore sourcing, factories and trims in a local setting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found a factory and they have great prices to produce my styles and I found a trim company,\u201d Tang shared. \u201cWe don\u2019t have many options to really connect with international vendors. I am grateful they\u2019re doing this show here. I don\u2019t want to go to New York or Las Vegas.\u201d<\/p>\n
First-time exhibitor Monica Mazzucchelli of Moda Style\u00a0represented Texlabel, whose focus is producing care labels. The need for accuracy and transparency has made the companies within this segment of apparel manufacturing crucial partners for designers and brands.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are new regulations and the Digital Product Passport is starting soon, so it\u2019s becoming a reality for clients to know they have to be compliant with the information that they put on the care labels,\u201d said Mazzucchelli. \u201cThe concern for the client is \u2018Is my garment going to have the correct information?\u2019 and \u2018How do I know if that is right or not?\u2019 We offer the service of making sure the labels are compliant for all the countries you\u2019re going to sell in.\u201d<\/p>\n
The launch of Interfili\u00e8re\u2019s Los Angeles show drew attendees representing the intimates, active and swim categories in search of fresh materials and production partners. Searching for the perfect new fabric or a factory more aligned with a brand\u2019s mission was top of mind for visitors, but the show also afforded opportunities to connect and collaborate.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur conference program explored the trends shaping the 2027\/2028 seasons, featured a candid roundtable talk with leading West Coast designers on the evolving needs of today\u2019s market and examined the growing demand for natural fibers and bio-based material innovations,\u201d explained Kirsten Griffin, visitor-promotions director of Comexposium U.S.\u2019s fashion division, \u201cThese conversations highlighted how creativity, technology and responsible sourcing are driving the future of fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Griffin, attendees were largely interested in circular materials, bio-based fibers, seamless technologies and specialty trims. Loulia Gotsis, a swim designer with Miken Clothing,\u00a0which can be found at retailers including\u00a0Macy\u2019s,\u00a0Nordstrom\u00a0and Walmart, was looking for nylon and spandex. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am looking more for textures like crochet; a lot of jacquards\u2014especially for swim, because they\u2019re very easy to find for sweaters and tops but it\u2019s a little harder for swimsuits,\u201d Gotsis said. \u201cI am trying to find some that potentially have a little bit of nylon because a lot of brands are trying to elevate their bikinis. I am going more for the texture and the content.\u201d<\/p>\n
Interfili\u00e8re also gave Gotsis an opportunity to explore factory options. She notes that manufacturers in China stand out for swimsuit production, but there are additional factories in other regions that are starting to catch her attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeeping the relationship between China and other countries and the U.S. is important because there is talent overseas,\u201d she said. \u201cIndia and Bangladesh, too, but the quality in China is still excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the Grandfine Textiles booth, exhibitor Kina Lee, global director of sales and marketing for the Guangdong, China\u2013based textile manufacturer noticed attendees were attracted to neon, pastels and prints, while texture and raised patterns were ticking.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people are coming and looking for swimwear,\u201d said Lee. \u201cThey are still looking for texture in swimwear. For lingerie, everybody still likes softer and functional fabrics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boutique sourcing show PREFACE returned to Los Angeles with event founder Betsy Franjola celebrating its 18th edition with a second collaboration with Denim Dudes and Here|After. Franjola noted the theme of the show was SEEDS, which need the correct conditions to flourish\u2014similar to innovation. The same could be said of the partnership.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere|After and Denim Dudes bring deep denim expertise, cultural insight and a wonderfully engaged community. PREFACE brings a broader textile and supply-chain perspective,\u201d Franjola said. \u201cWe share a belief that an industry event should offer more than a marketplace. It should create conversation, encourage curiosity and give people something meaningful to take back into their work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many industry leaders supported the show through meaningful contributions. Aligning with the SEEDS theme, Eastman Naia\u00a0participated in an installation featuring seed imagery printed on fabrics made with Naia fibers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were thrilled to be part of the installation with Naia fabric hanging,\u201d said Joy Gruver, Naia business development leader for the Americas. \u201cThe word is getting out, and the fact PREFACE partnered with Amy and Denim Dudes is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the show\u2019s two days, attendees were invited to participate in discussions to move the industry forward and find inspiration. Topics included \u201cDenim Dudes Fall\/Winter 2027\/2028 Forecast,\u201d \u201cA Cutting, Not a Copy: AW27 Seasonal Trend\u201d and \u201cHeritage 2.0: From Preservation to Reinvention.\u201d Show sponsor SFI\u00a0sought to inspire attendees with its Vintage Denim Archive installation.<\/p>\n
The show attracted serious denim and apparel professionals who yearned for connecting with their peers and engaging in enriching discussions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese trade shows are always great for connecting. I run into people I haven\u2019t seen in years,\u201d said Loren Cronk, co-founder, and head of operations and curation for The Denim Institute & Museum.<\/p>\n
The show\u2019s boutique feel was a welcome change from the enormous expo-style events that attract a larger, more varied group of attendees.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter COVID-19, all the shows changed. We are looking for the premium show,\u201d Wayne Chiang of Taipei, Taiwan\u2019s 496 Fabric. \u201cThe really big shows have thousands of visitors, lots of mills from around the world. We need to be more focused on what we\u2019re doing right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meeting in Los Angeles remains a priority for companies that want to help brands in the region set global trends.<\/p>\n
\u201cL.A. is important because this place is premium,\u201d said Alihan Kesim, deputy general manager with Maritas. \u201cA lot of brands\u2014in Europe especially\u2014follow L.A. brands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As July wound down, Los Angeles welcomed a roster of apparel textile and sourcing shows across categories. Messe…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":426355,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[48,52,51,47,50,49],"class_list":["post-426354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426354\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}