【Imported Fabric Buyer’s Work Diary – January 2025】Visiting the “HIMETEXTIL”Trade Fair!

Hi everyone! I’m I, and I work in the imported fabric section of our annex shop. Suddenly, here’s a question: Can you guess where this photo was taken?

This is a cityscape seen from a train station—a mix of high-rise buildings and beautiful historical architecture.

That’s right, I went to an event held in Germany in mid-January called “HEIMTEXTILE”!

Let me tell you all about what I saw and experienced at the exhibition!

This was my first time ever leaving Japan, so as I boarded the plane, I was wondering what the local atmosphere would be like. I spent about 17 hours in the air just imagining it all. Once I arrived in Germany and transferred between several trains, I finally made it to the venue for HEIMTEXTILE—safe and sound!

It is an international trade fair for home textiles and contract textiles, held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Every year in mid-January, for four days, manufacturers, retailers, and designers from around the world gather at Messe Frankfurt in 16 exhibition halls to do business and share information.

Click here for the HEIMTEXTILE official website!→
https://www.jp.messefrankfurt.com/tokyo/ja/events/textiles-textile-technologies-outgoing/Heimtextil.html

Each hall is huge, and there are special shuttle buses running between them – the scale is truly impressive!

Now it’s finally time to enter HEIMTEXTIL.

On the train along the way, it was already crowded – most of the passengers seemed to be heading to the venue.

I thought I had arrived early, but there were already so many people there.

I’ve been to many exhibitions in Japan, but I’ve never seen anything on this scale.
I was also amazed by the level of detail and quality in each booth.

And there were still 15 more halls just as big as this one.
Of course, I was excited to see so many fabrics and displays, but I also remember wondering, Can I really see it all? – a funny little memory now.

This was a booth from one manufacturer.
A striking poster of a woman and the unique booth design made me want to walk over and take a closer look.

When I got nearer to the poster…

I was surprised to find it was actually made from a huge piece of gobelin fabric!

This booth focused on gobelin textiles, showing the rich patterns and the luxurious feel that can be created through weaving.

There were plenty of one-of-a-kind handwoven carpets on display at the fabric booth.

One arch caught my eye with its delicate decorations and a unique rope-made lampshade. Actually, this wasn’t part of the building originally—it was specially made by a company just for this booth.

I’ve never seen such a carefully crafted world in an exhibition back! It felt a bit nerve-wracking to enter, but at the same time, I was really excited.

This was a booth where the way they showed the fabric was so impressive that I stopped to take a closer look.

The brand’s atmosphere was easy to understand, and the way the fabric patterns were displayed was very educational for me.

Also, in the fabric-themed area, there were several booths with ideas for baby products.

This one, in particular, was inspired by the ocean. It even showed different sea creatures living at various depths.

It made me realize again that when I create displays, I should focus on a clear theme rather than just putting pieces side by side.

At each company’s booth, I could see buyers discussing business and talking passionately about products.

I spoke with some companies and designers too, and everyone shared their passion for fabric materials and designs. Their enthusiasm was truly overwhelming here as well.

In this area, every piece of hanging fabric had a tag showing the manufacturer’s name and booth number.

If you found a fabric you liked, you could easily go and visit that booth. Some buyers were even using the information on the tags to start business talks.

HEIMTEXTIL’s displays work like a hub, letting you see the products and information of many exhibitors all in one place.

In this booth, the carpet was laid out on the floor so you could actually feel its texture underfoot. The design was exactly my taste, so I couldn’t resist taking a photo. There was also a booth with live painting.

There was also a booth with live painting.
I got to watch a designer paint rhythmically to the music, right before my eyes.

And this woman here—she looks almost like a photograph, doesn’t she?

In fact, it was gobelin fabric! And the length was an incredible three meters. I was truly impressed by both its beauty and its sheer size.

At HEIMTEXTIL, there are spaces outside the individual booths where you can hold meetings or try out products made by exhibitors.

In the space shown in this photo, people were relaxing while actively discussing business.

Here’s a piece of gobelin fabric I photographed during a meeting. The weave was so beautiful that I was truly moved.

It’s scheduled to arrive around June—please look forward to it!

Based on past sales leaflet from our company, I also picked up some new patterns. These will arrive around summer as well. We’ll share updates on social media, so be sure to check them out.

I had braced myself for freezing weather, but it turned out not to be that cold.
The same level of winter clothing I wear in Japan was more than enough.

This photo shows the sunrise I saw when I first arrived in Germany. The colors felt somehow different from a Japanese morning, and it instantly lifted my mood.
I snapped it casually while walking, but no matter where you point the camera here, it seems to turn into a stylish shot.

In the evening, I went into the city for dinner. The ads, streetlights, and road signs—so different from Japan—made my heart race with the feeling, Yes, I’m really abroad!

It was my first overseas business trip—long in some ways, yet over in the blink of an eye.

I was relieved to be back in Japan, but at the same time, I felt a bit sad to leave, still wanting to see more fabrics with new and different designs.

How did you like this report?

It ended up being longer than I expected. Thank you so much for reading all the way through.

I hope you enjoyed getting a feel for HEIMTEXTIL and, just a little, the streets and atmosphere of Germany.

The fabrics I carefully selected at this fair will arrive soon, so please look forward to their release!