From 2026, Messe Frankfurt will place artificial intelligence firmly at the heart of its global textile and apparel trade fairs under a new umbrella initiative, Texpertise Focus AI. Launching at Heimtextil in January 2026, the programme signals how decisively AI is reshaping an industry grappling with cost pressure, sustainability demands and labour shortages.
The timing is deliberate. Market estimates suggest the global market for AI in textiles could reach $21bn by 2033, nearly ten times its 2023 size. Adoption is already under way: 13.5% of European industrial firms were using AI in 2024, according to Eurostat, with textiles among the beneficiaries. Messe Frankfurt’s response is to turn its fairs into platforms not just for products, but for orientation on responsible and practical AI deployment.
Under Texpertise Focus AI, AI-related applications will be highlighted across exhibitions, supported by curated formats such as expert panels, guided tours and live demonstrations. The goal is less evangelism than navigation—helping companies understand where AI delivers real value along the value chain, from fibre sourcing to retail.
The scope is broad. In raw materials, AI supports precision agriculture, recycling and automated sorting. In design, it accelerates development cycles and simulates material behaviour. In production and logistics, it optimises processes, cuts waste and improves traceability. These capabilities sit at the core of what Messe Frankfurt frames as the industry’s “twin transformation”: digitalisation aligned with sustainability.
The numbers underline the stakes. Roughly 116m tonnes of textile fibres are produced annually, yet only 1% of post-consumer textiles are recycled. AI-based forecasting, design and sorting systems offer one of the few scalable paths to reducing overproduction and enabling circularity.
AI’s impact on labour is equally significant. According to Germany’s ITA at RWTH Aachen, up to 70% of standardised production tasks could be automated, reshaping skills needs while easing workforce shortages. New roles in data, digital design and process control are already emerging.
By embedding AI across its fairs—from Heimtextil to Texprocess—Messe Frankfurt is acknowledging a shift: artificial intelligence is no longer an optional add-on. It is becoming a structural capability for competitiveness in the global textile and apparel industry.
