Driven by the international health and fitness trends, performance apparel is now one of the fastest growing sectors of the global textile industry. A recent report from Morgan Stanley Research estimates that the performance apparel market could add $83 billion in sales by 2020, or more than 30 per cent growth, while Asia is forecast to be the biggest contributor to this sales growth. Specifically in China, the potential in the sportswear market is huge. According to figures from the Shanghai Sports Bureau, 47 per cent of Chinese did more exercise in 2015 than the year before. They also report that the total sports market is set to be worth $749 billion by 2025, of which apparel will constitute a large amount.
To capture the opportunities in this promising market, Functional Lab is making its return at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition 2016. From 11 – 13 October, the returning INVISTA Pavilion, the debut Taiwan Pavilion, plus exhibitors from China, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan and Korea, including the industry’s key players such as Unifi, Protect Accessory, Nilit and Toyobo, will showcase a broad variety of innovative fabrics with thermo-regulation, moisture wicking, increased durability, elasticity, windproof functions and more across hall 5.2 of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).