Heimtextil Trend Council recently made a forecast, at a digital meeting, on how the current corona crisis is affecting interior design, which innovations will enrich our lives in the future, and which trend topics will occupy us next year. The Heimtextil Trend Council meeting marks the start of preparations for the trade fair in January next year.

At the Trend Council, the trend researchers give an initial insight into where the journey in terms of interior design will go in the next season. This year – in the middle of the heyday of the global corona pandemic – the meeting was under special circumstances. In a series of video conferences at the end of March and intensive rounds of bilateral exchange in the following weeks, the trend researchers and those responsible for the trade fair laid the foundation for the global trend analysis.

Once again, the Trend Council for Heimtextil 2021 is made up of the three internationally renowned agencies: Spott Trends & Business (Denmark), FranklinTill (Great Britain) and Stijlinstituut Amsterdam (Netherlands). For the first time, Anja Bisgaard Gaede and her team from Spott Trends & Business are leading the project, giving the Heimtextil trends a Scandinavian touch. In addition to the concept of the "Trend Space", the Danes' area of responsibility also includes the development of the Heimtextil trend book, which is used by textile producers, interior designers and interior decorators as a working tool when creating their new collections and furnishing concepts.

“The current situation means that trade and industry across industries are facing the greatest challenges that our society had to face in peacetime. The situation is emotional and also has far-reaching effects on our way of furnishing and living," explains Olaf Schmidt, vice president Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt. “Heimtextil, with its function as a global trend barometer, has the ambition and always has the task of recognising, naming and sketching the future at an early stage. Even in this turbulent time, our trend researchers do not look into the much-tried glass ball. Rather, they observe the global markets and use the methods and tools of trend and future research."

During the video conference, the trend researchers identified four design and colour trends that will be staged using products from the exhibitors for the upcoming Heimtextil in the "Trend Space" in Hall 3.0. Visitors to the area experience an exciting premiere in the form of the new “Digital Innovation Lab”. It illuminates the possibilities and additional market opportunities of a completely digital textile value chain – from the design to the purely virtual product used by the end user. 

In addition, the "Future Materials Library" launched at the past Heimtextil will be continued in the coming season and curated again by FranklinTill. The library shows a number of selected, innovative materials on a sustainable basis and thus demonstrates their specific potential for applications in the area of interior design. Most recently, among other things, a veneer made from the wrappers of Mexican maize varieties and a vegan wool alternative made from cellulose fibres from pineapple leaves – along with numerous other material samples. The trend researchers also agreed with the trade fair officials to continue the material manifesto and to use resource-saving materials when planning the "Trend Space".

The Heimtextil Trends, which Messe Frankfurt has been calling annually for more than 30 years, are seen as a trend-setting instrument for the global textile furnishing industry and as a figurehead for Heimtextil. The overall concept includes a large service package for manufacturers, users and dealers: First, Messe Frankfurt invites the industry to a preview presentation in late summer to prepare early for the coming season. In this context, the designers responsible will also present the new Heimtextil trend book – including the current colour harmonies and in-depth information on the individual design directions. The exhibitors at Heimtextil will receive this publication in advance as a valuable guide for product design and collection.

During the fair, the Heimtextil "Trend Space" in Hall 3.0 offers a unique opportunity to get an overview of the state-of-the-art in the field of textile interior design of tomorrow. The show is unparalleled anywhere in the world in terms of the depth and scope of the trend information and inspiration presented.

The next Heimtextil will take place from January 12-15, 2021.