Green fabrics showcased as innovative textile trade show opens

Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) The Taipei Innovative Textile Application Show (TITAS), a sourcing hub for innovative textiles, kicked off at the Nangang Exhibition Center on Tuesday with eco-friendly and functional fabrics on display.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) spoke at the opening ceremony before spending an hour visiting several booths set up by domestic exhibitors.

Hsiao said she was pleased to serve as a spokesperson for Taiwan's textiles, given that the textile industry was the main driving force of Taiwan's economic takeoff and economic miracle over the past few decades.

"The chip industry is very important, but we can't only focus on chips," she said, arguing that old-economy sectors also needed the support of government policies and incentives to help tackle issues such as labor shortages and green energy availability.

The vice president described herself as a big fan of Taiwan's textile and fiber products.

"Many of my suits are made of MIT functional fabrics," Hsiao said, listing among them the suit she wore at the inauguration ceremony for President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and her on May 20 and the outfit she was wearing Tuesday on the show's opening day.

According to industry sources, the vice president's inauguration dress and the suit she was wearing at the show were both made using Eclat Textile Co.'s functional fabrics.

Among the highlights at the three-day show will be products using low-carbon fabrics, with a number of textile and fabric suppliers, including Far Eastern New Century, Formosa Plastics Group, Lealea Group, Nan Pao Resins Chemical and New Fibers Textile, showcasing various green fiber and textile products.

Nan Pao Resins Chemical CEO Hsu Ming-hsien (許明現) said the focus of the company's display this year will be a special fabric that is sweat-resistant, has a soft feel, and it is composed of up to 53 percent biomaterial content, and should be mass-produced next year.

At the opening ceremony, Lealea Group Chairman James Kuo (郭紹儀), who doubles as chairman of the Taiwan Textile Federation, the event's organizer, said the show was one of the most important annual events of the domestic textile industry.

This year, 385 manufacturers are participating in the exhibition, included a record-high 75 overseas exhibitors, signaling that the event has earned the recognition of international peers, Kuo said.

Meanwhile, more than 70 international brands have been invited to participate in private meetings with local manufacturers, and visiting delegations from South Korea, Vietnam, India, France and other countries have also been invited to the show, Kuo said.