As technical textiles and nonwovens continue to expand across healthcare, construction, filtration and mobility, HIGHTEX is pitching itself as a strategic marketplace for one of textiles’ fastest-evolving segments.
HIGHTEX 2026, Turkey’s specialist trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens, will take place at the Tüyap Fair and Congress Center in Istanbul from June 9–13, 2026, reinforcing its position as a regional platform for machinery makers, material suppliers, converters and international buyers. The event will once again be held alongside ITM 2026, giving exhibitors access to a wider textile-technology audience.
The timing is favourable. The global technical textiles market continues to grow, although reported market-size estimates vary by source. Grand View Research estimates the sector at $215.6 billion in 2025, rising to $272.3 billion by 2030, while other market trackers place the 2025 base higher. What is consistent is the direction: demand is being driven by higher use of engineered textiles in automotive, construction, filtration, healthcare, agriculture and protective applications.
Nonwovens remain a major part of that expansion. Grand View Research estimates the global nonwoven fabrics market at $52.56 billion in 2023, with growth to $75.74 billion by 2030. Smithers places the segment even higher, at $67.2 billion in 2025, reflecting strong demand in hygiene, medical, filtration and industrial uses.
That helps explain why HIGHTEX is emphasizing not only technical textiles broadly, but also high-growth applications such as medical textiles, where market estimates point to continued expansion through the next decade.
The fair is also leaning on scale and momentum. Organizers say the previous HIGHTEX and ITM editions together brought in 1,385 companies from 71 countries and 66,200 visitors from 99 countries, a useful signal that Istanbul remains a serious meeting point for this market.
For suppliers and buyers, HIGHTEX 2026 is shaping up as more than a regional exhibition. It is increasingly a commercial checkpoint for companies looking to capture growth in technically demanding, higher-value textile applications.
