The show’s 30th anniversary edition reflects how fabric sourcing is shifting from seasonal trend selection to regulatory, digital and material strategy.
Munich Fabric Start will return to the MOC in Munich from 14–16 July 2026 with a programme built around innovation, sustainability regulation, digitalisation and future material development. The 30th anniversary edition will bring together about 650 collections from international fabric, trims and sourcing suppliers across Munich Fabric Start, Bluezone, Keyhouse and The Source. Exhibitors named include Albini Group, Calik Denim, E. Miroglio, Fabric House.com, FSE Franz Schäfer Etiketten, Gottstein, Ipeker, Sharabati and WE Nordic Label Studios.
From fabric fair to strategy forum
The central feature of the event will be The Stage, hosting talks and panels on artificial intelligence, digitalisation, sustainable materials, circularity, Extended Producer Responsibility and digital product development. This marks a wider change in European fabric fairs: buyers are no longer assessing only colour, hand feel, drape and price. They are increasingly asking how a material fits future compliance, traceability, product-data and end-of-life requirements.
A key session will present the System Design Report for Textiles EPR in Germany, developed by Circular Republic with more than 20 organisations across the textile value chain. The report is intended to guide policymakers and industry as Germany prepares for textile EPR implementation.
AW27/28 direction meets compliance pressure
Trend forecasting remains central to the show. The Autumn/Winter 2027/28 programme will include the seasonal theme TASTE. by Volker Orthmann and Katharina Majorek of o/m Collective, womenswear direction from Karin Schmitz of Peclers Paris, and a discussion by Muchaneta ten Napel on how luxury perceptions are changing around materials, sourcing and transparency.
The wider speaker list includes representatives from The PatternClub, ITA Aachen, MIMBIOSIS, Decathlon, VDMD/designformen, Worn Again, Future Fashion Assembly and PLNTmatter, signalling a blend of design, science, retail and circular-systems expertise.
Materials, craft and new narratives
Two curated formats will broaden the show’s creative dimension. Art & Textiles will feature large-scale textile artworks by Julien Jaca, embroidery by Richard Nadler and video installations by Jodie Mack, Kate Nartker and Greg Climer. A new Design Area will showcase Fade Out, Buki Akomolafe and Faible and Failure, focusing on sustainable materials, craftsmanship and contemporary fashion design.
For mills, converters and suppliers, the message is clear: future competitiveness will depend on combining aesthetics with evidence. The next sourcing season will reward collections that can prove material performance, regulatory readiness and credible sustainability data—not just visual novelty.
