Urban Living at Techtextil 2019

Urbanisation is a megatrend. Even today more people live in cities than in the country. According to the United Nations, there are 548 cities world-wide whose population is counted in millions, 33 of them megacities – which means cities with more than ten million inhabitants. By 2030 the number of major cities is due to grow to 706, including 43 megacities. This seemingly unstoppable development will not only change the size of conurbations; it means that almost all current strategies will need to be rethought: from building and accommodation, to ideas of living, working and health, to the provision of basic services themselves.

Reason enough for the two Frankfurt textile fairs, Techtextil and Texprocess, to devote an exclusive special topic to this challenge. "Urban Living – City of the Future" is the title of the major special presentation, which can be viewed in Frankfurt from 14 to 17 May. Supported by Creative #olland, the industrial association of the Dutch creative industries, this project will be focusing on the role which textiles and textile composites can play in the city of the future. The show place will be the Foyer of Hall 4.2, at which the two leading international trade fairs meet.

Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt, on the idea, the orientation and the partners of the highlight at this year's fair.

Mr. Schmidt, Techtextil is the leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens. Their areas of application are manifold. How did your choice fall on this quite architectural topic for 2019?

Olaf Schmidt: Textile construction has been one of the central topics at Techtextil from the very start. Around 500 of the companies exhibiting – of which there are about 1,500 in total – will be featuring a wide range of Buildtech solutions. The "Special", entitled "Urban Living – City of the Future", will also create an interaction forum, bringing the application fields of the two fairs, Techtextil and Texprocess, closer together. Moreover, through other textile fairs – Heimtextil in Frankfurt, for example – and not least through our Group's top events for various industries, such as Ambiente, ISH or Light & Building, we are jointly contributing some very considerable expertise in the fields of architecture and design, plus an excellent overview of the relevant trends and developments. Of course, we shall utilise the lead which this knowledge gives us.

Why the partnership with Creative #olland?

OS: While in the general conception of these events we can draw on our own internal fund of experience, when designing the particular events at a fair we are glad to work with outside specialists. It is their task to give our trend and topic "specials" both the depth of content and professional objectivity which are demanding international public expects of us.

Collaboration with the Dutch creative industries seemed obvious to us: in the first place, textiles are anchored firmly in the history and national DNA of the Netherlands; and secondly, the country is more or less one metropolitan region. Moreover we are linked by the design approach of the Dutch creative industries and the spirit of sustainable invention shown by our neighbours. That all fits in excellently with the approach which we take at our fairs.

The Foyer area of Hall 4.2 measures 500 square metres. That is considerable. What will we get to see?

OS: At the centre point of the installation will be a curated selection of applied urban-textile innovations, including smart textiles, new materials and developments for furniture, interior design and architecture – but also for the fashion or health sectors. An overarching aspect will be the topic of sustainability, which will run thematically through the whole "Special."

What does that mean in concrete terms?

OS: I cannot reveal any details as yet, but I may mention a few names: the curator of the exhibition is the Stijlinstituut Amsterdam – a pioneer in textile innovations and strategic design concepts. Actual construction will be undertaken by the Refunc Group, which is attracting considerable attention through its recycling approach. Fitting well with this approach will come the exhibits, including items from the upcycling company DenimX, the Nature Network, and research institutes such as the Hyperloop Team at the Technical University of Delft. And we shall be presenting talks by independent representatives of the Dutch creative scene, such as the architectural designer Samira Boon. So, all in all, we await a truly exciting mix.

Many thanks for the interview.

"Urban Living – City of the Future" at Techtextil and Texprocess from 14 to 17 May 2019 in Frankfurt am Main. Tickets are valid for both fairs.