- Highly ambitious: From 27 to 29 January 2026, renowned experts will discuss key issues for the future of the industry at MUNICH FABRIC START
- Broad in scope: The high-calibre edutainment programme covers a wide range of topics, from materials and technology to the market, regulation and the economy, right through to design and culture
- Brought forward: The summer edition of MUNICH FABRIC START (14 to 16 July 2026) will take place one week earlier than originally planned
Munich, 21 January 2026. Where trend forecasts meet transformation: Munich’s textile trade show MUNICH FABRIC START brings together international experts for three days to discuss materials, sustainability strategies, digitalisation and structural changes in the global textile industry. The extensive lecture programme accompanies the trade show as a content platform and addresses the industry’s key questions for the future. With its edutainment programme, MUNICH FABRIC START is once again positioning itself as a central knowledge and dialogue platform for an industry in transition. The combination of trend expertise, market understanding and practical classification makes the programme a valuable source of content for decision-makers along the entire textile chain.
New summer date: 14 to 16 July 2026
At the same time, MUNICH FABRIC START is sending a clear signal for the upcoming sourcing season: the 2026 summer edition will take place one week earlier than originally planned. The new date is Tuesday, 14 July to Thursday, 16 July 2026 at the MOC Munich – instead of 21 to 23 July as previously announced. The move forward was made possible by a date option at the MOC that became available at short notice. Munich Fabric Start Exhibitions GmbH has consistently used this opportunity to give the industry a head start.
‘The fact that we can start a week earlier is a real benefit for the industry. We are creating more scope for planning, development and decision-making – precisely when early trends and innovations offer the greatest added value.’
Florian Klinder, Managing Director MUNICH FABRIC START
The new dates enable earlier orientation in the sourcing season, better coordination with international development and order cycles, and greater planning security in a dynamic market environment. This strengthens Munich’s position as a trade show location in the European market.
THE STAGE: Programme Highlights
Highlights of the three-day lecture programme at the upcoming event from 27 to 29 January 2026 include trend presentations by leading international forecasting studios, deep dives into sustainable innovations and material concepts, and panels on the future of recycling, recommerce and supply chains. In fireside chats and the new format ‘One Question. One Session.’ as focus sessions in the Speaker’s Corner, industry experts will discuss the legal, economic and technological conditions that the textile industry will have to deal with by 2026.
An overview of the most important topics on THE STAGE in Hall 2:
Sustainability & Circular Economy: A recurring theme is the transformation of the textile industry towards circular value creation models. Discussions will focus on sustainable material innovations, circular design, textile recycling realities and new approaches such as upcycling from food waste. The focus is less on visions alone and more on concrete feasibility and scaling. Experts on the podium include Nicole Espey from ITA Aachen with an innovation talk on RETRAKT (Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.), Ellen Mensink from Brightfiber Textiles in conversation with Muchaneta ten Napel from Shape Innovate (Tuesday, 2:00 – 2:30 p.m.) and Karin Ekberg from Cradle to CradleCertified® (Wednesday, 1:30 – 2:00 p.m.). BLUEZONE expert Panos Sofianos will discuss resilience, speed and circularity through nearshore collaboration with Nevena Stoyanova from Piros Ltd., Dimitris Liolios from ECA/EU Cotton, Orestis Gramozis from Pulse of Fashion S.A. and Marina Apostolidou from Colora S.A. (Tuesday, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.).
Material Innovation & Research:
The programme takes an in-depth look at the role of forward-looking materials – from bio-based substances and functional innovations to data-based material transparency. Research, industry and design are seen as closely interlinked drivers of innovation. Deep dives into future-oriented, sustainable material solutions will be provided by the curator of the SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS forum Simon Angel, among others (Tuesday, 10:00 – 10:30 a.m. & Wednesday, 10:30 – 11:00 a.m.) and Dr. Thomas Fischer from DITF Denkendorf (Thursday, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.).
Digitalisation, AI & Automation:
Another focus is on digitalisation along the entire textile value chain. Topics include digital patterning, AI-supported design and development processes, automated authentication solutions, and new digital tools for increasing efficiency and conserving resources. Highlights include sessions by Dr. Waldemar Berchthold from the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology and Steffen Tauber from the Evia Group (Tuesday, 2:30–3:00 p.m.), Antoine Doubacis from patternclub (Wednesday, 1:00–1:30 p.m.) and Wayne Chiang from 496 FABRIC LAB (Thursday, 2:00–3:00 p.m.). René Lang from VDMD and designformen will provide an overview of the areas of application and limitations of AI in design and development (Wednesday, 4:30–5:00 p.m.).
Trends, Design & Consumer Behaviour:
What are the new colour, material and fashion trends for Spring.Summer 27? MUNICH FABRIC START offers designers and buyers a wide range of trend forecasts from leading experts in womenswear, menswear, denim and accessories. Tilmann Wröbel from the Denim Lifestyle Studio Monsieur-T. will kick things off with ‘The Perfect Time for Denim Imperfection’ (Tuesday, 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.), followed by Karin Schmitz from Peclers Paris on women’s fashion trends for Spring.Summer 27 (Tuesday, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) and Mara Michel from VDMD and futurize trend.forschung with ‘AM PULS Mega.Trend.Forecast FS 2027’ (Tuesday, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.) and ‘DOB Forecast FS 2027 Urban – Natural – Cross.Culture – Future’ (Thursday, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.).
PECLERS PARIS
WOMEN´S FASHION TRENDS SPRING.SUMMER 27
TUE, 27 January 2026
12.00 PM – 1.00 PM
THE STAGE | MOC Hall 2
DAVID SHAH
DESIRE – A KEYNOTE ON
LIFESTYLE & FASHION TRENDS
WED, 28 January 2026
5.00 PM – 6.30 PM
THE STAGE | MOC Hall 2
On Wednesday, the trend consultants from MUNICH FABRIC START, Volker Orthmann and Katharina Majorek from o/m collective, will present the ‘PLEASURE – Colours, Fabrics, Styling (Wo)mens Trends for Spring.Summer 27’ (Wednesday, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) and Olivia Rudschweski from Olivia Does Design on accessory trends for Spring.Summer 27 (Wednesday, 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.). Another highlight is the keynote speech ‘DESIRE – A lust for design’ by David Shah from View Publications (Wednesday, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.).
MFS X O/M COLLECTIVE
PLEASUREColours, Fabrics, Styling (WO)MENS
Key Trends für Spring.Summer 27
WED, 28 January 2026
11.00 AM – 12.00 PM
THE STAGE | MOC Hall 2
MFS X OLIVIA DOES DESIGN
PLEASUREMaterials, Colours & Styling: ACCESSOIRES-Trends Spring.Summer 27
WED, 28 January 2026
12.00 PM – 12.30 PM
THE STAGE | MOC Hall 2
Regulation, Transparency & Responsibility:
Political and legal frameworks such as the Digital Product Passport, due diligence, traceability and liability issues are further key topics. The aim is to provide guidance in an increasingly complex regulatory environment and to clearly define the industry’s responsibilities. Among others, political advisor Muchaneta ten Napel from Shape Innovate will be discussing the topic with Jenny Haigh from the University of Arts London (Tuesday, 1:00–2:00 p.m.) and fashion law expert Eleanor Rockett (Thursday, 10:00–11:00 a.m.), as well as Büsra Yasar from Deloitte (Wednesday, 3:30–4:00 p.m.).
Economic Efficiency & New Business Models:
Which business models will remain viable in the future? What role will recommerce, new production models and resilient supply chains play? In addition to sustainability, economic viability will also be discussed. The focus is on realistic scenarios up to 2026. Among others, Janis Künkler from TROVE (Wednesday, 3:00 – 3:30 p.m.) and Muchaneta ten Napel from Shape Innovate will discuss this topic in conversation with Leila Abu El Hawa from Elizabeth Scarlett (Thursday, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.).
MUNICH FABRIC START Exhibitions GmbH is one of Europe’s leading trade show organisers for textiles, accessories, textile equipment and sourcing. Twice a year, international manufacturers and suppliers present a comprehensive range of high-quality fabrics, accessories, denim, innovation projects and sourcing solutions in Munich. With MUNICH FABRIC START, BLUEZONE, KEYHOUSE and THE SOURCE, the trade show ensemble covers all relevant segments of the textile value chain and is considered one of the most important business platforms for the European fashion and textile industry. VIEW PREMIUM SELECTION, an exclusive preVIEW and reVIEW format, complements the trade show portfolio twice a year with a curated selection of first-class collections from international premium weavers.
THE NEXT TRADE SHOW DATES:
MUNICH FABRIC START | THE SOURCE | BLUEZONE & KEYHOUSE
AUTUMN.WINTER 27/28
14 – 16 July 2026
reVIEW
AUTUMN.WINTER 27/28
8 + 9 September 2026
preVIEW
SPRING.SUMMER 28
1 + 2 December 2026
www.munichfabricstart.com | www.bluezone.show | www.viewmunich.com