Heimtextil 2015: "Theme Park"

Every year, Heimtextil collaborates with six leading international trend agencies to produce an extensive presentation of the latest trends in all areas that Heimtextil is involved with. In 2015 Heimtextil's team of experts has taken a particularly inventive route, in order to communicate new developments – an innovative platform which brings together the entire spectrum of communication relating to trends and relevant information surrounding them, which will be used jointly by a wide variety of media: the 'Heimtextil Theme Park' in Hall 4.0.

“The aim is to show everything that reflects the zeitgeist and is important for success in the future”, says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies, Messe Frankfurt. “With our new concept, we will show the current market trends and identify opportunities for progressive undertakings. Something that was initially just an idea and vision is now taking shape”. Account is being taken not only of the retail trade and marketing but also disciplines such as research, development, design and product application. With numerous visualisations and activities, the ‘Theme Park’ will explore today’s mega and micro trends and show how modern interior design can be creatively implemented in different fields.

Experience the future

The superordinate Heimtextil trend theme for 2015/2016 is "Experience". Under this heading, Heimtextil exhibitors and visitors can discover the latest developments in the world of textile design in a more emotional, intensive and comprehensive presentation than ever before. “Textiles are the perfect vehicle for inspiring, sensory and interactive experiences”, explains Anne Marie Commandeur of Stijlinstituut Amsterdam, the design studio responsible for the planning and management of the ‘Theme Park’ concept. Commandeur explains, using the retail trade as her example: “We believe that people want to attach an emotional value to their actions. Consumers do not simply want to go into a shop and buy a product. What they want to do is enjoy the shopping experience with all their senses. Specifically, this means a shop must be more than just a sales outlet for products. In the shop, customers should find a visionary setting that grabs them emotionally and, metaphorically speaking, takes their breath away. In this way, tomorrow’s shopping experience will be a real pleasure.”

Spotlighting the retail trade, contract business, technology and sustainability

The new Heimtextil ‘Theme Park’ and its accompanying media emphasise the challenges and opportunities for the retail trade, the contract business and the tourist sector. The ‘Retail’ and ‘Hospitality’ blocks spotlight pioneering projects and are a source of ideas for new business concepts. Additionally, the focus of the trend prognoses is on technology and sustainability. A large number of young designers specialising in microbiology and computer sciences play an important role in the Technology and Sustainability blocks. By way of contrast, others work on projects involving low-tech handicrafts, recycling and re-use.

Materials, colours, designs and more

An important part of the ‘Theme Park’ will be the ‘Material Gallery’, which includes a selection of the exhibitors’ fabric collections and offers an overview of the latest home-textile trends – categorised by the trend themes for 2015/16. There will also be a ‘Colour Pavilion’ showing the latest colour trends. For the Pavilion, Stijlinstituut Amsterdam will choose trend-setting products from the ranges of Heimtextil exhibitors and use them to illustrate the current state-of-the-art. Parallel to this, a programme of lectures with renowned speakers will provide supplementary information about the latest trends. Moreover, the designers will create outposts around the fair, to act as showcases for the ‘Theme Park’. These showcases will transfer the themes to the individual exhibition halls and not only generate additional impulses but also provide examples of specific applications for the various product groups.

The Heimtextil Trend Book

The annual Trend Book issued by this panel of experts is a widely respected and sought-after publication. It gives a very early preview of the currents and trends for next year and provides the industry with valuable information to help them keep ahead of the competition. “In both the book and the ‘Theme Park’ at the fair, we present a selection of spectacular projects, which can be experienced with all the senses," promises Anne Marie Commandeur. For the first time, the Trend Book comes with ‘interactive print’ elements, which enable readers to obtain supplementary information in digital form by scanning the parts of the book marked and then watching animated images on their smartphone or tablet. Finally, one part of the book is devoted to colour innovations and presents worlds of colour corresponding to the four design themes. Colour charts, with details of the Pantone, NCS and RAL values, offer practical additional help in implementing the trends.

Get your first glimpse online today

An important component of the new concept for presenting trends is the new website:

People with a particular interest in trends will find here plenty of inspiration relating to future design issues. With numerous pictures and videos, the website amounts to an invitation to take an early dip into the 'Theme Park' at the up-coming Heimtextil.

Further information is available at: