Craft and Creativity inspire new yarns at SPINEXPO

A sense of individual artistry and the pleasure of craft characterize the offerings at SPINEXPO Shanghai exhibition for Autumn/Winter 2012-13. The International Exhibition for Yarns, Fibers, Knitwear will be held September 6-7-8, 2011 at the newly opened Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre, Pudong New District.

Over 200 exhibitors from 16 countries will display an array of tactile and colorful yarns, including noble fibers such as cashmere and mohair, Merino wools, silk, viscose, metallic and synthetics in yarns for flatbed and circular knitting, hosiery and weaving. Fiber promoters and manufacturers such as Woolmark International, Lenzing, Aksa, Thai Acrylic and Mohair South Africa will also present their new developments.

SPINEXPO will also allow visitors to enjoy trend seminars by WGSN UK and Trend Union - Li Edelkoort for Mohair South Africa. This will be Ms Edelkoort’s first time in China.

Organized by a team headed by knitwear designer Sophie Steller, the numerous trend pavilions will feature exhibitors’ products in an exciting presentation of garments and accessories.

The general Trend Area consisting of five independent displays are being shown under SPINEXPO theme of “Re-Defining the Future” for Autumn/Winter 2012. Knitted laces contrast with chunky chenilles; brushed yarns are embellished with touches of sparkle; casual tweeds mix with fluid, lustrous jerseys; surprisingly light Chanel-inspired knits take the look of wovens.

The central presentation is dedicated to fine-gauge and technical fabric suited for activewear, and is made possible through cooperation with Santoni and their agent Chemtax, from Hong Kong. Specially designed by Ffion Appleton, former designer of Nike and Puma, a complete collection will be on display underlining the importance that SPINEXPO dedicates to this sector.

Artisanal effects using innovative components such as reclaimed fiber, hemp, paper, baby alpaca or yak hair are meant to appeal to buyers looking for differentiated products. Macro yarns for chunky gauges are a pronounced trend, perfect for the season’s voluminous knits. These include Todd & Duncan’s “Ghost” yarn twisted cashmere with water soluble yarn that dissolved when washed, resulting in a weightless cashmere garment.

At Honor Industry, “lily” hollow-core yarns are knitted from cotton, wool or blends with synthetics; the yarns are soft with a fluffy appearance.

A Chanel influence inspires the trend collection of Stoll Fashion and Technology, developed on the company’s own range of knitting equipment. The collection mixes hairy and shiny yarns in fine to coarse gauges and float structures to create optical tweeds, herringbones, cords and velvets.

Many of the yarns used by Stoll in developing the collection come from Lineapiù Italia, making its come back in the industry after undergoing a complete restructuration. The yarn collection is “chunkyand light, sporty and relaxed—a ‘vagabond’ style,” according to the Management. Stand-outs include “Arctic” which encased a polyamide core in wool, surprisingly light at Nm1900; and “Macro Melange” cotton-wrapped nylon at Nm1700.

Chunky and light also define the yarns at AA Global from China, including blends with wool, acrylic and polyester. Their “Color Change” yarn features space-dyed effects created through the mixing of dyed top at differing interludes; and “Air Yarn” a hollow-core lily yarn with a brushed, fluffy finish.

Hand-painted, printed or dyed techniques creating subtle, one-off coloration are meant to interest buyers searching for more individual, artisanal looks. Todd & Duncan’s “Hebridean Collection” of beautifully hand-blended, heathered cashmere perfectly capture the qualities of nature and craftsmanship found in the company’s Scottish highland home. A twist yarn called “Glen Lyon” combines cashmere with a lambswool slub to create a lofty tweed effect.

At Huafu Melange Yarns, “Painted Heather” yarns are developed with special spinning technologies to create a hand-crafted effect; and at Bros Holding Limited their “Gravel Yarn” has a visual graininess achieved by blending three or more shade of top.

Kamful Company adds up a new dimension to knitwear with its hand-painting technique. The company knits, weaves and dyes/paints in three factories, and is capable of producing 30,000 pieces per month. The fabrics are soft and said to be washable with good color fastness. Known in China as Mei Lian Clothing Group, the family-run business is successful with European brands such as Cavalli, Max Mara and Lui Jo.

While a hand-crafted look and feel predominated, the interest in technical and performance knitwear for the active and sports segments is growing and “Targeting the Active wear market” will be the centre of SPINEXPO Shanghai in September. With wool and cashmere beginning to make an impression in this sector, the exhibition management also expects more interest in the show for synthetic fibers suppliers, and continued growth in visitors from the circular knit sector.

The activewear theme is also well-developed at Santoni, where seamless garments are characterized by ventilating and body-mapping designs worked in natural fibers as well as in synthetic yarns with moisture management properties.

At Südwolle Group, fine-count wool, cashmere and blended yarns for circular knitting are offered under the Yarns in Motion brand, and are well-received in the active wear segment. Blending with Thermo°Cool, polyamide or Trevira Micro improves wool’s technical capabilities even further. The Biella range of yarns for flat knitting includes pure cashmere, luxury blends, superfine and extra-fine Merino, Total Easy Care wool and blends of Merino with acrylic or cotton.

With the across-the-board popularity of cashmere for knitwear, mention must be made of a special Pavilion dedicated to the fiber, but completely twisted around the concept of modernism. A team of Scottish designers specialized in cashmere is designing garments using the exhibitors’ yarns to bring a new style into cashmere making it the fiber of the future, and using it in ways far from the boundaries of classical use. This display will be completed by a Cashmere Library dedicated to the products of the Cashmere Specialized exhibiting companies.