A Focus on Sustainability at Heimtextil

Visitors explore the Textiles Matter trend area at Heimtextil.

At this year’s Heimtextil fair, held from January 10-13, more than 44,000 visitors from 129 countries came to Frankfurt, Germany to view the newest residential and contract fabrics. Organizer Messe Frankfurt’s leadership encouraged industry professionals to make the shift toward circularity—conserving the planet’s resources by extending the lives of existing materials. “Heimtextil is the global stage where textile sustainability is holistically mapped, with products and innovations that show that scalable and sustainable solutions are not a contradiction in terms,” said Olaf Schmidt, vice president, textiles and textile technologies, Messe Frankfurt.

The Heimtextil Trends area is a highlight of the show every year, and once again inspiring concepts were presented via colorful displays. UK-based consultancy FranklinTill curated Textiles Matter, the grouping of trends for 2023-2024.

Make and Remake celebrates the transformation of remnant textiles into beautiful products.
Colorful scraps, collage, and patchwork are examples of the Make and Remake trend.

Make and Remake

 Make and Remake celebrates the transformation of pre-used and remnant textiles into beautiful products. Designers are encouraged to use creative, unexpected applications to repurpose the abundance of reusable materials already available. Techniques such as overprinting, collage, and patchwork create masterful mixes. The aesthetics of repair come to the fore, as contrast joinery, stitching, and patching become features in their own right.

With nuanced bright red, pink, and orange, this palette represents color that has been recycled and reclaimed. These saturated hues feature added complexity that suggests the effects of age, wear, and change through time and processing. Challenging assumptions that conscious color must be muted and dirtied, these shades boast vibrancy and dynamic contrast.

The Continuous trend highlights zero-waste, closed-loop production.

Continuous

 Continuous focuses on zero-waste, closed-loop production that sees material recycled into new products again and again. Technically advanced reclamation processes allow designers to achieve an elevated and refined look, as pieces retain their original quality. Mono-materiality is key, because single materials are easier to recycle than blends. Modularity and products that are easy to take apart and repurpose are essential, especially in today’s office environments.

This pared back yet sophisticated color range highlights all that is modern and essential. From bright white through a series of warm grays and sage, the palette is rounded out with classic blues and complex near-blacks. These tints are elevated classics, witn nuanced undertones and added complexities.

The From Earth trend focuses on our desire to reconnect with the environment,

From Earth

 From Earth focuses on our desire to reconnect with the environment. There is an exploration of resources, emphasizing the warmth and softness of organic materials. Astonishing color diversity is found via plant-derived dyes. Imperfection and variation are preferred over standardization, and raw finishes are sought after. Crafting techniques add textural, tactile richness to every surface, as designers collaborate with nature rather than control it.

The team at studio Hul le Kes uses natural dyes to color clothes and textiles found at antique markets.

Warm, soft, and muted, these eco-hues call to mind the bark, berries, and leaves used to color fabrics long ago. Of plant origin, tints range from complex takes of olive and lime to beige and pink, with a bold indigo for emphasis. This earthen palette recognizes the beauty of variation, capturing the subtleties of organic matter.

Nature Engineered showcases organic material that is elevated through mechanical means.

Nature Engineered

 Nature Engineered elevates organic material through mechanical means, redefining how we perceive the world around us. Makers work with natural regenerative substances, using cutting-edge techniques to process them into functional textiles. Clean lines and engineered forms are perfected, yet tactile softness remains. Every aspect of sustainability from sourcing to processing is now considered by specifiers.

A fresh take on an architectural color range sees a complex spectrum of modern neutrals replace the grays of the cold urban landscape. These tints have a clean, refined quality, from warm beiges to green-brown combinations. This palette reflects the coming together of nature and human engineering.

Smile Plastics makes panels from waste plastics, which can then be used to create chairs and dividers.

 The 2,400 exhibitors at Heimtextil allowed visitors to experience these trends—and the power of transformation—firsthand. Smile Plastics designs and manufactures panels made from waste plastics collected from a variety of post-consumer and post-industrial sources (yogurt containers, cosmetics bottles, and chopping boards). Jonathan Tomalin-Reeves, customer success manager at Smile Plastics, noted that their clients want to make informed decisions about the products that they purchase. “People are willing to learn about waste streams, and how plastic can be upcycled and turned into something beautiful that has a purpose.”

Last year the company converted 500 tons of waste plastic into material, and they expect to triple that number in 2023. Tomalin-Reeves said that designers are using panels to craft pieces for the office, including desks, chairs, cabinets, and dividers. Flecks of foil from lids and barcodes remain in the material, which is viewed as a prized element rather than an imperfection. “Each sheet is unique, and I think that creates a picture and tells a story. People want that character,” he added.

A sound-absorbing panel from Dino Zoli Textile blends form and function, featuring colorful artwork.
A close-up of the Dino Zoli Textile panel, made of recycled polyester.

Interest in fabrics for commercial interiors remains strong, with designers looking for materials that offer both performance and style. “The demand for textiles among our visitors is steadily increasing,” Schmidt explained. “With the Interior.Architecture.Hospitality LIBRARY, we offer interior designers, architects and hospitality experts a special added value—both

on-site at Heimtextil and digitally throughout the year. The material library enables a uniquely categorized comparison of different exhibitor textiles with functional properties.”

Acoustic solutions were popular at the show, including the sound-absorbing, recycled polyester panels from Dino Zoli Textile that double as decoration. “Our panels are made with specific structures and materials that reduce noise and echo,” noted Monica Zoli, partner and sales manager, Dino Zoli Textile. The fabrics on top of the panels feature colorful, original designs that enliven interiors, and reflect the company’s interest in and support of the arts. “We take inspiration from the world around us, and in particular contemporary art. Together with Fondazione Dino Zoli, our museum, we collaborate with different artists, and organize projects and exhibitions. For us, creativity is a way of being,” she added.

The textured covers from Paulato protect task chairs and pillows, while bringing a touch of color to the home or office.

Paulato showed slipcovers for task chairs and pillows. The textured covers allow users to extend the life of office furniture and accessories, rather than buying new products every few years that will eventually end up in a landfill. Made of soft microfiber, they not only protect, but refresh a piece that is worn. “A cover is simple to put on, and it preserves the leather or fabric of the chair, but it also hides any imperfections,” said Roman Leuchankou, owner of Mamma Mia Covers, exclusive distributor of Paulato in the United States and Canada.

Made in Italy of a patented bi-elastic material, a Paulato cover can fit on any chair without losing its shape, even after multiple washings. It is truly long-lasting, the antithesis of the throw-away mindset prevalent in society. “The fabric stretches vertically and horizontally, which allows it to conform to curves or awkward angles. These covers can be used on different chairs to inexpensively and easily change the mood anywhere, in your home or office,” Leuchankou noted.

Schmidt said the Messe Frankfurt team is already preparing programming for next year’s edition, and will continue the dialogue about environmental issues. “At Heimtextil, we tackle eco-friendly topics across a variety of formats, allowing us, as an industry, to make our sustainability commitment visible.”