Resilience for the global textile industry: Heimtextil 2025 records visitor increase and showcased future interior design. The fair ended with full exhibition halls, 142 participating nations, another increase in exhibitors and visitors as well as with top satisfaction ratings.
Over four days, more than 50,000 buyers experienced the latest collections, materials and textile solutions for the entire interior design at first hand from over 3,000 exhibitors. The Heimtextil Trends 25/26 by Alcova Milano and the installation ‘among-us’ by star designer Patricia Urquiola set new standards for interior design, retail and hospitality. The content programme centered on AI-driven design, sustainable production processes and future interiors.
‘142 participating nations, growth in exhibitors and a ten percent increase in visitors show: trade fairs are in more demand than ever. In times of persistent inflation and low purchasing power, resilience and market presence are key. This is exactly how Heimtextil enabled industry and retail: to access new markets and thus actively shape global competition,’ said Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt. The share of international exhibitors rose to 96 per cent, strengthening Heimtextil’s position as the world’s leading trade fair for home and contract textiles and textile design. Among the top ten exhibiting countries were China, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium. On the visitor side, the internationality increased to 84 per cent. Growth was in particular recorded in markets such as Argentina, France, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, South Korea, Spain, the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
High satisfaction ratings confirmed the success of this year’s Heimtextil edition: 81 per cent of exhibitors reported achieving their trade fair goals. At 94 per cent, visitor satisfaction reached also a record high. The increased duration of stay showed: visitors were engaging more deeply. The large number of top decision-makers reflected the quality of the visitors and their buyer expertise. The strong internationality, quality and global variety were demonstrated among others by the Carpets & Rugs area. Across several hall levels, visitors were presented with a high-quality selection of products from leading international carpet suppliers, seamlessly integrated into the overall Heimtextil range. Alongside buyers, interior designers, interior architects and decorators, specialised carpet buyers from around the world also benefited from business-promoting synergies for textile interior design.
Patricia Urquiola: progressive concepts for textile interior design
With a high-profile partnership, Heimtextil 2025 elevated textile interior design to new heights. Trade visitors gained fresh insights into global design trends and local market needs. Designer and architect Patricia Urquiola showcased pioneering textile design through her immersive installation among-us: The atmospheric, textile meeting space followed a functional design approach, demonstrating decision-makers in hospitality and retail the vast potential of textile-based solutions in architecture and interior design. among-us thus brought innovative room concepts for future living environments to life.
Heimtextil Trends 25/26 by Alcova: A Roadmap for the industry
As a vital source of inspiration, the Heimtextil Trends 25/26 guided the retail sector in aligning its range with current market conditions and restrained consumer spending. For the first time, the Milanese design platform Alcova curated the Trend Arena, delivering decisive solutions for the industry. Under the title ‘Future Continuous’, it highlighted contemporary colours, material qualities, techniques and production processes. The trend themes ‘Naturally Uneven’, ‘Radically Restructured’ and ‘Regenerative’ reflected what matters to consumers: long-lasting, high-quality products that also meet ethical and ecological standards. This year’s colour palette captured this mood – with shades ranging from Revival Mud and New Green Deal to Syntropic Forest.
From AI to circularity: Heimtextil as a global knowledge hub
Resilience through knowledge exchange: With over 140 lectures, workshops and guided tours, Heimtextil helped industry and retail to respond to market changes and to leverage innovations as competitive advantages. ‘The content programme directly addressed the needs of the worldwide textile market and the consumers. With the Retail Stage and the Texpertise Stage, the industry benefited from our strong new partnerships and from business-enhancing expertise on circular production processes, future-focused interior trends and AI-driven design,’ explained Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies. Trade visitors learned about the business opportunities created by AI and how it enriches traditional textile production or customer care. Renowned experts shared best practices for forming sustainable business partnerships to reduce CO₂ emissions. With pioneering design and interior trends, Heimtextil emphasised holistic concepts and promoted economic potential for retail, hospitality and interior design. ‘This makes Heimtextil the global hub for lifelong learning in the entire textile interior design sector, emphasised Olaf Schmidt.
Heimtextil 2026: Further driving transformation and textile design
The next edition of Heimtextil will further elevate textile interior design: In 2026, Patricia Urquiola will expand on her groundbreaking design concepts for Heimtextil, setting bold, forward-thinking benchmarks for textile-based room designs. Alcova Milano will also continue its global trend research into innovative materials and emerging aesthetics: The design platform will delve deeper into the impact of textiles, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing the textile industry, translating these insights into the upcoming Heimtextil trends in ways that offer even greater value to the industry.
Source: Press release 2025
