- The PTJ event ends safely despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic -
Hiroshi Komoda, Senior Director, JFW
The < Premium Textile Japan (PTJ) 2022 Spring/Summer > two-day event took place on May 25-26 at the Tokyo International Forum/E-1 and ended safely. With painstaking efforts, all possible preventive measures were taken, including safety regulations such as limiting visitor numbers amid the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic. Sincere thanks for your cooperation and support.
Reflecting the impact of COVID 19, 71 exhibitors took part this time (in 94 booths), a 25% decline year-on-year compared to the previous fair held in May 2019 (94 entries/123.1 booths). Despite this, we are delighted to announce that fresh collections for Spring/Summer 2022 were proactively launched and confirmed by exhibitors and enthusiastic negotiations ensued. We also believe that the fair helped showcase fresh content, particularly given the seven new exhibitors who joined the show. |
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Although the need to examine and touch products like textiles in person to ascertain the texture and feel is acknowledged, face-to-face dialogue is scarce due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, both domestically and internationally. Under such circumstances, overseas textile fairs like Milano Unica (MU) and Intertextile Shanghai are striving even harder to break new ground via online initiatives. To cope with the rebounding demand, JFW has launched a new project entitled < JFW Textile Online Salon (JTO) > from May onward. Meanwhile, our sustainability initiative also continues apace, most recently showcasing a range of relevant fabrics under the dedicated ‘Sense of Wonder’ label. We believe those who witnessed the range came away fully satisfied, given the wealth of proactive negotiations held awash with an enthusiastic atmosphere throughout the show period.
Our upcoming shows, < Premium Textile Japan 2022 Autumn/Winter > and < JFW JAPAN CREATION 2022 >, will be held at the Tokyo International Forum venue in Hall E, over the period Dec. 7-8, 2021. Thank you for your ongoing support and we look forward to your visit. |
JTO: Striving to take the digital project forward.
Akira Kawashima, Executive Director, JFW / Textile Division
The PTJ event, first held in May 2011, can now mark the milestone of its 20th anniversary. When we review the history, a decade has elapsed since we held the first show, just two months after the Great East Japan Earthquake hit Japan, with memories of the many exhibitors who pulled out from exhibiting, amid pressure and a mood of strong self-restraint on all sides. A regular venue was since confirmed in the form of the Tokyo International Forum from the third edition of the event onward and with exceptional convenience that visitors acclaim, despite the dilemma over the timing of the show. |
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While one of the missions of the PTJ show is to establish a negotiation salon with as tangible a focus on business as possible, one area in which it differs from the JFW-JC (JFW JAPAN CREATION) fair is in its efforts to nurture candidates as would-be professionals. The program, entitled < Textile Workshop – Let’s Learn Japan Fabrics - >, is reserved for younger employees engaged in planning and material development and with fewer than five years‘ working experience. It is intended to act as a vehicle for them to improve their insights into Japanese fabrics and regions. On this occasion, lectures themed on sustainability were held by invited speakers from certain textile regions.
In addition to the current programs, the current scope also encompassed the launch of the JTO (JFW Online Salon). Textile trade has been disrupted by travel restrictions amid the global spread of the COVID 19 pandemic. The JTO project is a system to expand business opportunities by promoting top-of-the-range and spotlighted fabrics from exhibitors on an ongoing basis online; over and above the show period alone. We have been working on this project since last September, with the official launch on May 13. As of May 25, a total of 1,137 viewers and a total view count of 12,000 (page views) had been registered. We aim to put up the English site and enhance information on textile regions by further enriching the relevant visual content within this year. |
The < PTJ 2022 Spring/Summer > show ends safely.
The < PTJ 2022 Spring/Summer > show ended safely on May 26. As for the < JFW Textile View 2022 S/S > event, fabrics were sorted by exhibitors, then displayed to reflect four themes. While <Sense of Wonder> was reserved for sustainable fabrics, the remaining three themes: <Melodic Ballad>, <Micro Media> and <Frozen Cosmos> were also featured. In terms of exhibitors’ entry breakdown by textile category; 30 entries for staples, 19 entries for filaments, 14 entries for dyeing, finishing, prints, embroidery/lace, leather and finally eight entries for supporting materials, knitted fabrics, twisted yarns and pile fabrics made a total of 71 entries, including seven new exhibitors and three overseas exhibitors were recorded.
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One of the exhibitors; CRYSTAL CLOTH CO., LTD., described the significance of the fabrics on show as follows: ‘We are forced to refrain from manufacturing, given the strong impact of department stores and shops closing amid the state of emergency declaration. Amid this impasse, however, visitors still came to the fair to check the items out. This is the season where we have to decide and focus on what we sell and what we launch.’ Meanwhile, SUN FASHION CORP. presented a range of sustainable fabrics: ‘We are glad the show took place and buyers had the chance to view our products, amid the uncertain mood and the risk of the show being cancelled.’ ICHIMEN CO., LTD. expressed their opinion as follows: ‘The ongoing COVID 19 pandemic explained why most visitors were from the Tokyo area, as many others from further afield refrained from visiting. Nonetheless, those who did make it to the show examined our fabrics very keenly and with intent.’ Equally positive feedback also came from the new exhibitors: ‘Visitors liked the indigo-dyed leather. We will definitely participate again in the December show.’ (HIRAI CORPORATION LTD.), ‘We are pleased that we could showcase discharge prints and technicity rarely found elsewhere in Japan.’ (SHIMANAMI NASSEN CO., LTD.), ‘We can expect to acquire new customers.’ (NAKAHANE INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD.), all of which seem to be linked to the effort to attain targets.
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The related < Textile Workshop – Let’s Learn Japan Fabrics – > program is organised regularly, inspired by a terakoya (literally ‘temple school’) to introduce fabrics and textile regions by lecturers originating from the regions. On this occasion, two lectures were held under the sustainability theme. The first day, May 25, saw Mr. Shingo MIHO, Director of PANOCO TRADING CO., LTD., discuss organic cottons as a form of sustainable fabric, while Mr. Satoshi MORIHARA, Section Manager of the Planning & Development Div., lectured on sustainability in dyeing and finishing fields. One of the attendees summed it up as follows: ‘Although the term sustainable used to be vague, the lecture helped flesh out what it means in more concrete terms.’
【No. of exhibitors】
PTJ2022SS: 71 entries/94 booths (incl. three overseas exhibitors in three 3 booths)
【No. of visitors】
Total no. of visitors: 4,132
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