Fashion
AI, design and trends to drive Heimtextil 2026 forward
Global challenges, economic uncertainty and a strained consumer climate challenge the textile industry. At the same time, digital technologies such as AI rapidly change markets and business models. Heimtextil reflects these transformations and provides inspiration and guidance in a complex market environment. In 2026, the world’s leading trade fair will launch a new hall concept that optimally combines product groups and covers the entire spectrum of textile and non-textile interior design. “In challenging times, Heimtextil offers the industry a stability. Heimtextil translates social movements into tangible business opportunities. Together with the industry, it continuously evolves in line with market needs – in terms of content, strategy and structure. With the new hall layout, we create a business tool that increases visibility, strengthens synergies, brings supply and demand together in a targeted manner and opens up new markets. This enables strong leads, new business potential and industry exchange,” says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles and Textile Technology. The hands-on content program on the Texpertise Stage in Hall 6.0 also provides clear answers and practical tools for future business success – featuring expert insights ranging from customer engagement and differentiation to AI-driven design.
Heimtextil 2026 positions itself as a stabilising force in uncertain times, merging craftsmanship with AI innovation under the theme ‘Lead the Change’.
With 3,100 exhibitors from 65 nations, it unveils a new hall layout, trend arena, and immersive design experiences that redefine sustainability, creativity, and the future of home textiles.
Between tradition and AI: Heimtextil Trends 26/27
They are the heart and the key source of inspiration: Heimtextil Trends 26/27 reveal where the industry is heading. In 2026, the curated Trend Arena will find a new home in Hall 6.1 – surrounded by the segments Bed, Bath & Living and Textile Design. Together with the design platform Alcova Milano, a visionary hotspot emerges that showcases progressive megatrends for retail, industry and contract business. Under the motto ‘Craft is a verb’, Heimtextil Trends 26/27 connect traditional craftsmanship with AI-driven technologies. The interplay of high-tech and handcraft gives rise to new impulses – from natural influences and handmade materials to AI-generated colours.
Textile interior design of the future: ‘among-all’ by Patricia Urquiola
World-renowned architect and designer Patricia Urquiola sets new standards in textile interior design: with her immersive installation ‘among-all’ in Hall 3.0, she creates a textile
experience for all the senses, combining aesthetics, comfort, functionality and sustainability. The installation demonstrates how AI-driven design addresses individual human needs and enables innovative spatial concepts for design, retail and hospitality. ‘among-all’ highlights the emotional and visual power of textiles and invites visitors to be inspired, pause and connect.
Hotspot for holistic interior design
In Hall 3.0, Heimtextil brings together essential interior design product segments – from wallpaper and carpets to curtains, privacy screens and sun protection. The area Interior Design Concepts: Windows, Wall & Floor opens up textile and non-textile solutions for future-oriented interior design to interior designers, architects, decorators, and planners. Key players such as Forest Group, Höpke, Linder, Marburger Tapetenfabrik, Paulig, Sarlas, Tanriverdi, The Wallfashion House and York Wallcoverings will present their latest collections here. The DecoTeam and its members will once again create a creative joint presentation, complemented by the Design Lounge powered by DecoTeam. Participating brands include A.S. Création Tapeten, Brink & Campman, Haro, Kadeco, and Kobe.
Sleep & Meet: New brand area for specialist bed and mattress retailers
Together with the German Mattress Industry Association (Fachverband Matratzen-Industrie e.V.), Heimtextil strengthens the Smart Bedding segment with the new Sleep & Meet area in Hall 4.0. Here, leading brands from the mattress sector will showcase their portfolios together – including Auping Germany, Bettwaren Stendebach, Dormiente, Ergomed, EuroComfort Group with Badenia, Brinkhaus and Lück, Femira, Frankenstolz, Hüsler Nest, Rummel Matratzen and Schwarzwald Schlafsysteme. Sleep & Meet connects bedding retailers, hospitality and volume buyers with relevant companies and business contacts in an exclusive setting – supporting new product range strategies and consumer developments.
Strong offering for the international contract business
With Interior.Architecture.Hospitality, Heimtextil 2026 presents an extensive programme for architecture, interior design, hospitality and the healthcare sector. The Interior.Architecture.Hospitality LIBRARY in Hall 3.1 showcases a curated selection of functional textiles – complemented by a talk spot for professional exchange, exclusive formats and product innovations. Heimtextil brings together manufacturers, planners and decision-makers and demonstrates how textiles can open up differentiation and business potential in hospitality, healthcare, office and retail design.
Rising demand: expanded range for the carpet and flooring industry
The Carpets & Rugs segment continues to grow and will extend across four hall levels (11.0, 11.1, 12.0 and 3.0). It will be complemented by the new product group Flooring & Equipment, featuring non-textile floor coverings. Together, the two segments form the central hub for the global carpet and flooring industry on the exhibition grounds – accompanied by a tailored content programme. Buyers benefit from greater variety, new synergies and relevant business contacts.
From fibre to end product: the widest variety of decorative and upholstery fabrics
In Halls 3.1 and 4.1, Heimtextil 2026 showacses the world’s largest range of upholstery and decorative fabrics as well as European weaving mills – from high-quality decorative fabrics, upholstery and contract fabrics to genuine and imitation leather. International manufacturers such as Dickson Constant Sunbrella (France), Edmund Bell (Great Britain), Manuel Revert (Spain), Vanelli Tekstil (Turkey) and Vescom Velvets (Netherlands) will be there. The preliminary stage offer Fibres & Yarns creates additional synergies for manufacturers, weaving mills and design. Industry leaders such as Angles Textil (Spain), Indorama Ventures Fibers (Germany) and Korteks Mensucat (Turkey) round off the range along the textile value chain.
Quality meets volume: Europe’s largest stage for home textiles in every dimension
Heimtextil combines exclusive quality products with high-volume private label solutions, covering order quantities of every scale. In 2026, the Global Home (Halls 8.0, 9.1, 10.1, 10.3) and Global Home Excellence (Halls 9.0, 10.2) sections will be optimally positioned. International producers and country pavilions, including those from China, India, Pakistan, Taiwan and Vietnam, will present solutions for global demand and benefit from high visibility and short distances. International manufacturers also bring a strong private label offering in the mattress segment to Frankfurt – underlining Heimtextil’s relevance as a global sourcing platform. Through its strategic connection to Carpets & Rugs, Heimtextil connects complementary product ranges and unlocks new business opportunities for retailers, manufacturers and volume suppliers.
Heimtextil will take place from 13 to 16 January 2026.
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (MS)
While rates initially jumped in early January, weak underlying demand and the potential return of vessels to the Suez Canal are creating a volatile environment for shippers, it noted.
Carriers pushed through general rate increases (GRIs) in early January this year, briefly lifting China-to-US West Coast rates above $3,000 per forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU). However, these hikes were largely unsustainable due to weak volumes, with rates quickly correcting to the $1,800-$2,200 range by mid-month, the logistics and supply chain market research firm said in an insights brief.
Asia’s ocean freight market is navigating short-term seasonal surges and long-term structural overcapacity, Ti said.
Asia’s air freight market is seeing a significant ‘post-peak’ correction following a record-breaking end to 2025.
Warehousing capacity in the Asia-Pacific is under severe strain in late January as manufacturing slows and labour shortages emerge ahead of the Lunar New Year.
Seasonal demand ahead of the Lunar New Year (starting mid-February 2026) has pushed North Europe rates to roughly $2,700 per FEU as of mid-January. This is a significant recovery from the October 2025 lows of $1,300 per FEU.
Despite a peak ahead of the holiday, Intra-Asia rates have begun to ‘cool’ in mid-January, settling at an average of $661 per 40-feet container as new services and capacity entered the market.
The Asian air freight market is witnessing a significant ‘post-peak’ correction following a record-breaking end to 2025. While rates have dropped sharply from their December highs, demand remains resilient in key high-tech sectors, and a ‘mini-peak’ is expected in late January ahead of the Lunar New Year.
Spot rates from major hubs like Hong Kong and Shanghai fell significantly in early January as year-end peak season demand evaporated.
Despite the rate correction, global air cargo tonnages jumped by 26 per cent in the first full week of January 2026 compared to the end-of-year slump, with the Asia-Pacific region seeing an 8 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase in chargeable weight.
Volumes from Southeast Asia to the United States rose by 10 per cent YoY in early January, driven by importers continuing to diversify sourcing away from China.
Warehousing capacity in the Asia-Pacific is under severe strain in late January as manufacturing slows and labour shortages emerge ahead of the Lunar New Year.
India closed 2025 with 36.9 million sq ft of warehouse leasing (16-per cent YoY growth), a trend continuing into early 2026 with high demand in Delhi National Capital Region and Chennai.
After a period of oversupply, development pipelines are expected to drop by a third by 2027, making 2026 a critical ‘inflection point’ for occupiers to secure quality space before terms tighten again.
Fibre2Fashion (DS)
The goal, however, is challenging due to external pressures, including stricter technical barriers, reciprocal tariffs on goods exported to the United States, and the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for selected industrial products.
Therefore, major export industries in the country have started restructuring and adjusting strategies early in the year to seize market opportunities.
Following a record export value of $475 billion achieved in 2025—up by 17 per cent YoY—Vietnam aims at adding nearly $38 billion to the figure in 2026.
Major export industries in the country have begun restructuring and adjusting strategies early in the year to seize market opportunities.
The textile and garment sector, which earned $46 billion in 2025, has set a target of $50 billion in exports in 2026.
The textile and garment sector, which earned $46 billion in 2025, has set a target of $50 billion in exports in 2026.
The sector is focusing on strengthening domestic supply chains, raising localisation rates and making more effective use of free trade agreements (FTAs), Vu Duc Giang, chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), was cited as saying by a domestic media outlet.
Exports may grow by 15-16 per cent this year, driven by market expansion and a shift towards higher-value products, according to MB Securities’ Vietnam Outlook 2026 report.
Fibre2Fashion (DS)
The data showed that the decline was driven mainly by weaker domestic exports, with goods produced in the Netherlands down 8 per cent YoY. In contrast, re-exports to the US rose 3.9 per cent during the period. Exports to the US have fallen every month on a YoY basis since July, CBS said in a press release.
Trade flows were influenced by uncertainty around US import tariffs. In the first half of 2025, trade between the two countries continued to grow, possibly as companies advanced shipments ahead of announced tariff measures.
Goods exports from the Netherlands to the United States fell 4.7 per cent YoY to €27.5 billion (~$33 billion) in the first ten months of 2025, driven by an 8 per cent drop in domestic exports, according to CBS.
Re-exports rose 3.9 per cent, while tariff uncertainty weighed on trade.
Imports from the US increased 1.9 per cent to €48.1 billion (~$57.7 billion).
Meanwhile, imports from the United States rose 1.9 per cent YoY to €48.1 billion (~$57.7 billion) in the first ten months of 2025.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
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