Frankfurt celebrates diversity

Feel it! At the Heimtextil trade fair, touching the fabrics and materials on display was not only allowed, it was encouraged. The carpets were very coarse, the wallpaper was heavily textured or matte and even, and the blankets and pillowcases were very fluffy. And the different colors, shapes and motifs of the exhibits also caught the eye. “We are celebrating the diversity of textile design here,” said Marketing Director Ivonne Seifert at the start of the trade fair, which took place in Frankfurt am Main from January 14 to 17, 2025.

There were many new developments this year: for example, the collaboration with Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola, who presented the “Among-us” special exhibition, showing what is currently happening in textile design, and the curatorial team of the Heimtextil trends, Alcova, which attracted a lot of attention with an unusual installation in Hall 3.0. And the trade fair itself also set new records in terms of internationality: at 96 percent, the highest proportion has been achieved, reported Detlef Braun, head of the trade fair. In total, more than 3,000 companies presented themselves and their concepts, including 300 carpet producers alone – the area with the strongest growth.

Lalee, for example, has specialized in carpets. The company, which is represented at Heimtextil and Domotex, draws a provisionally satisfied conclusion for the first day of the fair. According to sales manager Armin Laqua, the artificial fur segment is still booming, which is why Lalee has expanded this area. In addition, the supplier has added floor mats to its range. Ten qualities made of coconut, coconut rubber and synthetic fibers are available to get you started.

Golze also knows its way around doormats. In recent years, the company has tended to exhibit at the Domotex in Hanover, but after the cancellation of this event, it decided to participate in the Frankfurt textile fair – but initially with a more compact stand, limited to new products from the Joop and Astra brands and mats from the collaboration with the Schöner Wohnen collection. New designs were on display under this curated brand: “Color gradients and graphic motifs are currently in vogue,” says managing director Florian Müller, who is very pleased with this year's appearance: “So many customers despite the small appearance!” he says happily. Many major DIY store representatives were also in attendance. 

A wallpaper manufacturer, which exhibited at Heimtextil together with three other companies, has also started working with the experts from the Schöner Wohnen collection: Gebrüder Rasch has been working with the interior design experts from Hamburg since last year. Another cooperation, which has also come about with a company from northern Germany, nevertheless had a greater impact on this year's trade fair appearance: together with Tesa, Rasch is launching the first self-adhesive wallpaper. “Consumers want to save themselves the effort, but still bring individuality into their homes,” says Managing Director Michael Schlingmann, assessing the current market situation – to which the manufacturers are responding with their innovation. So far, he has received very good feedback for the concept, he emphasizes, adding: “It feels good to be here.” Regarding the designs currently appealing to customers, Schlingmann says: natural and floral patterns, eye-catchers such as flamingos, industrial chic, wood panels and geometry.

If you let your eyes wander through the halls, these observations correspond with the first impression: you see leaf patterns, ornaments, monochrome in combination with patterns, pattern mixes, marble looks, as well as gold and glitter elements.

Glitter and glamour are a central element in the new collection from Marburger Tapetenfabrik. However, it is not so much the product itself, but rather its designer and driving force that attracted a huge crowd to the stand on the first day of the fair: Papis Loveday, the most booked male model worldwide, as the presenter emphasized, explained in a meet & greet what had inspired him to create the designs. His African heritage had just as much influence on him as the fashion designers he has worked with. That's why there's a lot of couture on the walls – in the form of rhinestones, for example. He also cites luxury and three-dimensional looks as current trends.

Anyone wanting to get a comprehensive overview of the textiles that are currently in vogue only had to walk a few steps further to the installation by the Milan-based Alcova agency. A long wooden walkway welcomed visitors. At the beginning, it was still passable and marked with a saying that enticed the viewer onwards, leading over elevations and turns back to the ground to a different beginning from a new perspective. Numerous fabric samples were displayed on the walkway, matching the three trend directions identified by the design experts. Warm and pastel colors met bright colors, with lots of blue and green. You could see retro patterns and digital designs. Among the materials were many natural ones, such as hemp, organic tree wool or sheep's wool.

The exhibits showed what is possible in textile manufacturing today, such as fabrics that are completely biodegradable or textiles that incorporate pineapple fibers that would otherwise have ended up in the trash. At the same time, designer Joseph Grima emphasized how well thought-out many of the designs are: fabrics made from mono-materials are easier to recycle, while faded designs look trendy and eliminate the need to dispose of textiles when they lose their color.

Meanwhile, more fabric patterns passed over the heads of the visitors, presenting the exhibits in light and shadow. This constant movement represents the idea of cycles, explains Grima. In the middle of the exhibition, two robotic arms select fabrics and wave them around. The installation is a tribute to the more playful side of technology, and symbolizes the development of technical tools that increasingly act in a more human way, the designers emphasized.

Technical tools can also be useful for the customers of the manufacturers. Diana Gürzing, head of marketing at Komar, explained: the wallpaper supplier, which presented the colorful Flair collection and a new Disney collection at its stand, has developed an online configurator for hardware stores that allows retailers to adapt the formats they order to their needs. “Individuality is becoming more important,” Gürzing notes.

How the goods are presented at the point of sale is also very important for retailers. Erfurt & Sohn had the right concepts for this. According to Marketing Director Frank Seemann, there are major differences from country to country – while the Germans tend to focus on the functional aspects of wallpaper, such as how to use fleece-type woodchip wallpaper (which, incidentally, comes from Erfurt and celebrates its 20th anniversary this year) to even out unevenness or the energy-saving and mould-preventing properties of Klimatec products, abroad, when presenting wallpaper, more value is placed on appealing to customers on an emotional level. Seemann is pleased with the response to the POS concepts on the first day of the fair. 

Buchheister also drew a positive initial conclusion. The supplier of sun and privacy protection, window and shower curtains, used Heimtextil to get the opinion of the trade on its new felt panels. Panels are currently in vogue – however, the acoustic effectiveness of products made of wood or plastic leaves something to be desired, explains Marketing Manager Sarah Hegener. While conventional materials reflect sound up to 65 percent, felt reflects only 30 percent.