New York’s Bi-Annual Textile Trade Shows Make Fabric Sourcing Convenient

Every January and July, designers come from all over to source from the latest fabrics and trims while building invaluable relationships with suppliers and vendors. The shows are free to attend- along with business seminars and trend forecasting!

Attending the textile trade shows is an instrumental part of a designer’s exposure to the industry- but the shows aren’t easy to navigate as an amateur. Most new designers don’t know the right questions to ask when meeting fabric suppliers and manufacturers. The fashion jargon can be overwhelming and many will try to take advantage of you once they sniff out your inexperience.

This is why we’ve consulted and attended the shows with our clients in the past. Whether you can attend the show this year or not, we encourage you to book a 1-on-1 consultation with our founder, Christine Daal. Having an industry expert breakdown fabric minimums and costing will strengthen your interactions and help land the best prices with vendors. Christine has relationships with several of the exhibitors and she’s happy to connect you with the best fit for your line.

Upcoming appointments for these days are booking fast.  Feel free to contact us here for bookings.

Featured Textile Trade Shows: Breakdown and Registration

Premier Vision (July 17-18)

Premier is the most vast of the shows-featuring over 300 of the world’s top weavers, leather producers, accessories companies, design studios, and manufacturers. It’s also divided into 5 different shows- Fabrics, Leather, Accessories, ­­Manufacturing, and Designs.­­­

You can register for Premier Vision here.

DG Expo (July 17-18)

DG Expo is the ultimate US Fabric Show! It features over sixty domestic fabric suppliers, trim sources, and manufacturers who cater towards independent designers. If you’re looking for low minimums and flexibility than this is the perfect show to attend. We are excited to attend the show again this year. Come say hi at our booth or see our founder, Christine speak at Seminar #13, “From Design to Manufacturing: Tips for Starting a Succesful Fashion Line” on Wednesday, July 18th 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM. The panel will discuss how to prepare for the production process and how to avoid costly mistakes.

Register for DG Expo here.

Tex World (July 23-25)

Unlike DG Expo, TexWorld is the go-to for fabric sourcing overseas. Minimums are usually higher- but if you’re strategic, prices are lower in the long run. Fortunately, The Apparel Sourcing Show is also happening this month. There you can connect with overseas manufacturers. We will be leading a panel discussion, “Made in the USA: How to Produce a Fashion Line in America”.  In this session we’ll cover the common misconceptions about ‘Made in USA’ including cost, capabilities, lead times, etc.  You’ll hear from some local manufacturers and industry experts as they discuss how to find the right American Manufacturer for your line, what questions to ask, how to work with them, etc. as well as what the future holds for American Manufacturing.  It’s FREE to attend!  You can also stop by at our booth #F31 to say hello and see a live demo of our Fashion Manufacturing Tours.

Register for Tex World here.

CitySource (July 12):

Do you want to produce your line domestically? CitySource hosts a ton of local manufacturers including cutters, sample-makers, trim suppliers, embroidery services and more! We suggest you bring either one of your samples or a technical sketch so the manufacturers can give you a ballpark quote on the spot. As mentioned before, not all factories are created equal. Some will offer an unreasonable price if they sense you’re new to the game. Stop by our booth to get our FREE Sourcing a Manufacturer Guide.  Plus, we’ll be happy to point you in the right direction and tell you which ones to steer clear from. 😉

Register for CitySource here.

Share this post with your designer friends and don’t forget to download our FREE Fabric Sourcing Guide before you go. We can’t wait to meet you at the shows. 🙂

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