Heimtextil 2022: Fabrics Gain Colour, Pattern & Clear Consciences
This year's event showcased how tradition and innovation can create beautiful and sustainable decor fabrics
This year marks the first time the Heimtextil interior decor trade show took place in the European summer, shifted back from its usual January date due to Covid-19. This year’s so-called Summer Special (which ran from 21 to 24 June 2022) was smaller, more intimate, and shared the stage with the Techtextil and Texprocess fairs in Frankfurt, Germany. Was it all sunshine at the fair’s big return after two years of pandemic? Houzz was there to find out.
Photo by Pietro Sutera from Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH.
Welcome to the textile future lab
Sustainability was once again a clear focus for Heimtextil in 2022. Almost all of the exhibitors incorporated the keywords recycling, upcycling, circular economy or sustainability into their stands.
At every edition of the fair, the Heimtextil Trends exhibition is a showcase for new ideas and innovations – we covered a preview of the event back in September 2021. This year the exhibition was an explosion of fabrics, colours and pattern, presenting the future of fabric and highlighting unusual approaches to avoiding waste and economic imbalances. These included:
Welcome to the textile future lab
Sustainability was once again a clear focus for Heimtextil in 2022. Almost all of the exhibitors incorporated the keywords recycling, upcycling, circular economy or sustainability into their stands.
At every edition of the fair, the Heimtextil Trends exhibition is a showcase for new ideas and innovations – we covered a preview of the event back in September 2021. This year the exhibition was an explosion of fabrics, colours and pattern, presenting the future of fabric and highlighting unusual approaches to avoiding waste and economic imbalances. These included:
Top: exhibit by Vera Roggli. Bottom right: textile study from Studio Adaptive Skins. Bottom left: exhibit of fabrics dyed with plants. Photos by Pietro Sutera for Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, and Thomas Helbing for Houzz.
Her colleague Anne Marie Commandeur from the Style Institute Amsterdam adds, “It takes time. In transitioning from traditional manufacturing and design processes, it is worth first finding out where manufacturers can apply themselves, what they can change and improve”.
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- Fabrics dyed with avocado stones, onion peels or walnut shells. There was also research into how the natural dying process affects durability.
- Bananatex, the first technical material to be made from Abaca (a relative of the banana tree also known as Manila hemp). Abaca has long been used for fabrics in the Philippines.
- Studio Adaptive Skins has developed a sustainable fibre out of recycled ocean plastic and SeaCell, a mixture of seaweed and cellulose. When it comes into contact with water, it forms 3D structures.
- Pond Cycle produce bioplastics out of sugar, which plants create from climate-harming CO2 (think back to biology classes in school…). They use this to spin biodegradable polyester fibres.
- Designer Vera Roggli upcycles old tea towels into new materials and decor.
Her colleague Anne Marie Commandeur from the Style Institute Amsterdam adds, “It takes time. In transitioning from traditional manufacturing and design processes, it is worth first finding out where manufacturers can apply themselves, what they can change and improve”.
Find, network with and follow other pros on Houzz
Photo from Dekoma.
Material trends – all about sustainability?
Today’s fabrics were exhibited directly opposite the Heimtextil Trend Space. Dekoma, a fabric producer from Poznan, in Poland, decorated its stand with linen and cotton.
“My son says that we need to do this to remain relevant in the future,” says owner Maciej Kuchareczko. “Of course we need to change something. But in the end, everything is also a cost factor for buyers and consumers. Linen is expensive and nearly impossible to get a hold of on the world market at the moment. Synthetic fibres and mixes are cheaper, and also often easier to care for. And durability also plays a role.”
He also draws attention to the processing characteristics of materials, for example their suitability for curved seams, where natural fabrics are particularly prone to tearing. According to Kuchareczko, a material’s performance in details such as this can be as important as overall wear resistance.
Kuchareczko proudly presents his upholstery material, Lincoln, made of a cotton backing with a top layer in 100 percent mohair. The fabric has an abrasion resistance of 1.5 million Martindale cycles (the average material has a resistance of 50,000 to 60,000 cycles). Tradition can therefore also be innovative.
Material trends – all about sustainability?
Today’s fabrics were exhibited directly opposite the Heimtextil Trend Space. Dekoma, a fabric producer from Poznan, in Poland, decorated its stand with linen and cotton.
“My son says that we need to do this to remain relevant in the future,” says owner Maciej Kuchareczko. “Of course we need to change something. But in the end, everything is also a cost factor for buyers and consumers. Linen is expensive and nearly impossible to get a hold of on the world market at the moment. Synthetic fibres and mixes are cheaper, and also often easier to care for. And durability also plays a role.”
He also draws attention to the processing characteristics of materials, for example their suitability for curved seams, where natural fabrics are particularly prone to tearing. According to Kuchareczko, a material’s performance in details such as this can be as important as overall wear resistance.
Kuchareczko proudly presents his upholstery material, Lincoln, made of a cotton backing with a top layer in 100 percent mohair. The fabric has an abrasion resistance of 1.5 million Martindale cycles (the average material has a resistance of 50,000 to 60,000 cycles). Tradition can therefore also be innovative.
Top left: materials from Rafias Prisim. Bottom left: hemp materials from the Audejas stand. Right: Harmolan fabric from Termolst’s Bauhaus collection. Photos by Thomas Helbing for Houzz; Ter Molst.
Argentinian manufacturer Rafias Prisim was also showcasing natural materials. Since 1966, this family business has manufactured textile finishes out of raffia, linen, cotton and jute by hand or machine in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They still weave some of their materials on looms from the 19th century. The coarse fabrics look like standard jute sacks at first, but with added colour and pattern, giving them a lively and cosy appearance.
Lithuanian producer Audejas demonstrated the hidden potential of another natural fibre, hemp. The company noted that hemp requires far less water than cotton to grow, it is easier to care for, requires little pesticide use, is naturally antibacterial, absorbs significant amounts of CO2 and its fibre yield is much larger than cotton. “Hemp textiles actually have a long tradition in Lithuania,” says Egle Tamosauskiene. “We want to revive this with a small collection.”
Here’s a completely different approach: Belgian manufacturer Ter Molst exhibited, among others, a fabric made from Harmolan, a polypropylene fibre that is created as a byproduct of plastic production. No water is used in its manufacturing. It not only saves resources; it is also recyclable, stain-resistant and extremely durable.
Argentinian manufacturer Rafias Prisim was also showcasing natural materials. Since 1966, this family business has manufactured textile finishes out of raffia, linen, cotton and jute by hand or machine in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They still weave some of their materials on looms from the 19th century. The coarse fabrics look like standard jute sacks at first, but with added colour and pattern, giving them a lively and cosy appearance.
Lithuanian producer Audejas demonstrated the hidden potential of another natural fibre, hemp. The company noted that hemp requires far less water than cotton to grow, it is easier to care for, requires little pesticide use, is naturally antibacterial, absorbs significant amounts of CO2 and its fibre yield is much larger than cotton. “Hemp textiles actually have a long tradition in Lithuania,” says Egle Tamosauskiene. “We want to revive this with a small collection.”
Here’s a completely different approach: Belgian manufacturer Ter Molst exhibited, among others, a fabric made from Harmolan, a polypropylene fibre that is created as a byproduct of plastic production. No water is used in its manufacturing. It not only saves resources; it is also recyclable, stain-resistant and extremely durable.
Clockwise: shiny velvets and Jacquard weaves from Luks; coarse knitted fabrics from Lanerossi; linens and linen blends with wool, cotton and silk from Libeco; all colours of Tweed at Lech Fabrics. Photos by Thomas Helbing for Houzz, and Thomas Fedra for Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH.
Look and feel: the deciding factors
How a material feels is the deciding factor for many consumers. Ter Molst demonstrated that synthetic knits can be as soft as cashmere. Nonetheless, anyone selecting a linen curtain from Belgian manufacturer Libeco has to love the crumpled look. Also noticeable were many bouclés and tweed upholstery materials, which are durable and forgiving of coffee stains. Interior decor knits out of thick woollen yarn from Lanerossi felt rustic.
There was also a trend for the soft and luxurious: shimmering velvet and jacquard fabrics were almost everywhere. Also trending were three-dimensional textiles, which get their look and feel through heat and compression.
Look and feel: the deciding factors
How a material feels is the deciding factor for many consumers. Ter Molst demonstrated that synthetic knits can be as soft as cashmere. Nonetheless, anyone selecting a linen curtain from Belgian manufacturer Libeco has to love the crumpled look. Also noticeable were many bouclés and tweed upholstery materials, which are durable and forgiving of coffee stains. Interior decor knits out of thick woollen yarn from Lanerossi felt rustic.
There was also a trend for the soft and luxurious: shimmering velvet and jacquard fabrics were almost everywhere. Also trending were three-dimensional textiles, which get their look and feel through heat and compression.
Photo by Pietro Sutera from Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH.
Colour and pattern: long live variety!
This year’s Heimtextil Trend Space showed that when it comes to colour and pattern, anything is possible. We noted the following overall trends in manufacturers’ stands:
Browse beautifully designed living spaces
Colour and pattern: long live variety!
This year’s Heimtextil Trend Space showed that when it comes to colour and pattern, anything is possible. We noted the following overall trends in manufacturers’ stands:
Browse beautifully designed living spaces
Fishing for compliments. Left: Jover. Top right: copper shades at Dekoma. Bottom right: traditional patterns from around the world are trending. Photos by Thomas Helbing for Houzz, and Thomas Fedra for Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH.
- Bold: patterns are graphic, geometric or feature traditional patterns from around the world, often sampled as patchwork. We also saw a lot of maritime patterns including fish, seahorses, algae and coral. There were also long-standing favourites: flowers and tropical patterns.
- A more innovative trend: there were many metallics, sometimes striking in gold or copper, sometimes broad and subtle with shimmering, woven threads.
Clockwise from top left: natural colours at the Heimtextil Trend Space; summery colours at Sati; a collage of aqua and blue shades at Gebrüder Munzert GmbH; white broken up with the ‘New Pastels’, as the Heimtextil trend council named these more powerful pastel tones. Photos by Thomas Fedra and Pietro Sutera for Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, and Thomas Helbing for Houzz.
Your turn
Which of these design directions are you most excited about? Share your thoughts in the Comments below, like this story, and save the images. Go on, join the conversation.
More
Want more action from global trade fairs? Get your next fix here with 5 Trends and New Scandinavian Decor From 3 Days of Design
- In terms of colours, sea and sky dominated: blue in all its shades was omnipresent. It was matched with natural shades linked to the nature-inspired trend: natural white and linen beige, natural green, grey and earth tones. These were combined either with ‘New Pastels’, as the Heimtextil Trend Council describes the more saturated pastels that are popular this year, or bold, flashy accent colours. Strong, summery tones are also trending: faded orange, red and yellow reminiscent of the tropical climes and Mediterranean towns.
Your turn
Which of these design directions are you most excited about? Share your thoughts in the Comments below, like this story, and save the images. Go on, join the conversation.
More
Want more action from global trade fairs? Get your next fix here with 5 Trends and New Scandinavian Decor From 3 Days of Design
“With a total of 117 participating nations, around 63,000 visitors and 2300 exhibitors, a brilliant relaunch of the international textile fairs at the Frankfurt exhibition centre was achieved,” the fair organisers said in a statement.
“We networked with a lot of new people, primarily internationally, from France, the Arab states and also from Germany. Only the German specialist dealers were missing. Actually, I was against the one-off June date, but I was pleasantly surprised,” says Rüdiger Speicher, sales manager at Lalee Carpets.
Helping the atmosphere of positivity were a summer party, live music and beer garden taking place in the evening on the event centre’s grounds.