Mexican TexTile inDUSTRY Strutting Down ... - ProMéxico

cover feature Mexican textile industry
Intermoda, the World’s
Window on Mexican Fashion
Without a doubt, the most prestigious fair
of its genre in Latin America, Intermoda attracts
20,500 buyers and visitors, and 700
exhibitors representing 2,000 brands to its
twice-yearly shows in the western Mexican
city of Guadalajara. Now celebrating its 27th
anniversary, this is an invaluable opportunity
for those on the prowl for talent and quality.
On January 18-21 and June 19-22, Mexico
paraded its 2011 Spring-Summer and 2011
and 2012 Fall-Winter collections in front of ten
countries in a 36,000-square-meter exhibition
venue.
Conceived in Guadalajara in 1984 at the
initiative of regional members of the National
Clothing Industry Chamber, Intermoda initially
took the form of showrooms set up in
the rooms of some local hotel or other. Soon it
sprouted a mind and body of its own, fiercely
independent and of monstrous proportions.
Today, Internacionales de la Moda, S.A. de
C.V. (Intermoda) is a private corporation that
is kept busy most of the year coordinating the
1,282 stands and ten runways of its two seasonal
fairs, in addition to organizing endless
conferences and finding accommodation for
representatives from countries interested in
sharing views on the supply, design and production
of clothing, accessories and footwear.
In 2011, Intermoda received visitors from
Colombia, India, China, the US, Spain, Turkey,
South Korea, Barbados and Panama.
Intermoda President Mario Flores says
that Mexico is starting to grab the world’s
attention thanks to a sizeable group of young
Mexicans, the so-called “children of globalization,”
whose fresh ideas have taken the industry
by storm. “Schools and universities, both
public and private, have also played a role in
the professionalization of the fashion industry
and this has contributed to the boom in
Mexican design,” he says. New talent is always
welcome at Intermoda, whose more recent
shows have featured a pavilion exclusively for
emerging designers.
The lifting of trade barriers is another
factor that has forced the country’s textile
and clothing industries to wake up, to the
extent that today they can compete on a par
with any other in the world. “Manufacturers,”
says Flores, “are now aware that design is
what puts them in a position to compete and
Four days of Intermoda fashion
in figures*
international fairs have become a showcase
for designers, so manufacturers can see and
hire them.”
Most of Mexico’s clothing manufacturers
and exporters are located in the metropolitan
area of Mexico City, including Estado de
México, although many are also to be found in
Jalisco, Yucatán, Aguascalientes, Monterrey
and Coahuila. It shouldn’t be forgotten, however,
that the northern states have been growing
and processing cotton since time immemorial,
providing a source of top quality cloths for the
domestic clothing industry.
Intermoda is the world’s window on
the work of the country’s top designers and
manufacturers of clothing, footwear and accessories.
Don’t miss the upcoming show on
January 17-20, 2012!
• 36,000 square meters of exhibition space.
• 2 business centers.
• 136 million usd in commercial transactions.
• 20,500 buyers and visitors.
• 2,000 Mexican and foreign brands.
• 700 exhibitors.
• 91 creators at the Design Pavilion.
• 73 “emerging designer” stands.
• 10 runway shows for adults.
• 6 runway shows for kids.
*January 2011