‘Preview in Seoul (PIS) 2011′ in which diverse complex functional and eco-friendly materials to lead future fashion business are displayed is held in COEX, Seoul, from August 31 to September 2. AVING interviewed Dong-Soo Kim, a vice president of KOFOTI (Korea Federation of Textile Industries).

(Picture: Dong-Soo Kim, a vice president KOFOTI)

Q1. Please explain the status and development possibilities of the Korean Textile Industry.

Since 1977, when Korea’s exports accomplished $10 billion for the first time, through until 2010, the nation’s total positive trade balance in textile industry was $302.9 billion.

In Korea, textile industry is a key industry comprising 10.2% of domestic manufacturing businesses, 7% of employment, 3.3% of output and 4.0% of added value. And also, Textile exports are ranked World No. 7 (2.0%), after China, the EU, India, Turkey, America and Bangladesh in 2009

And now, textile industry is researching and developing various core components to convert into high-added-value and creates mutual synergy through the balanced distribution of businesses of the whole Textile – Fashion stream.

Q2. Please explain about Preview in Seoul 2011 Exhibition and recent outcome.

Preview in Seoul is the best domestic international Fabric material specialized exhibition focused on fashion material (raw textile), matching the latest global trends. And it is the business-specialized exhibition that displays up-to-date fashions of next season and high-functional fabrics for fashion brands of home and abroad.

Through the connection of Preview in China/USA, it has gained a high reputation as an internationally specialized exhibition.

‘Preview in Seoul’ marks its 12th anniversary this year since its inaugural event in year 2000, and displays various and differentiated textile materials focused on state-of-the-art compound functional and eco textile materials.

We support substantial business through the collateral events including Forums, Trade show, Seminar, and so on.

Through the Preview in Seoul (PIS), Korea had gained better access to global markets, and worldwide textile industry got the opportunity to find out more about Korean textile materials.

By raising the global marketing power of domestically high-performing textile businesses, PIS expanded exports to the global market and contributed to the activation of the domestic textile industry’s home market.

Now, ‘Preview in Seoul’ is accepted as an exhibition keeping pace with exports and home consumption, from being an export-specialized exhibition previously.

A total of 231 companies participated in the exhibition held on COEX B Hall, last Sept. 1~3, and participation by foreign firms greatly increased, after it was named as an international exhibition.

Annually, about 10,000 domestic and foreign participants are visiting the exhibition, and participation of foreign textile businesses is also continuously increasing.

Q3. Please explain the marketing support given to the participating companies and visitors.

We support participating companies and visitors and buyers. We organized four themes for the Forum Pavilion that suggest contemporary material trends and reinforce the index function of participating companies’ newly developed materials.

We provide wide information on exhibited materials and convey the merits of purchasing to the buyers, through the “Trade Show” and we support exports consultation by pre-matching between the participants and buyers.

In addition, we give information of participating companies in advance to the home and abroad buyers, and induce participation.

We also manage buyer invitation collaborated tour program like exhibition-tour program collaboration (Bong-Eun Temple, Seon-Reung, etc.) and manufacture and distribute tabloid-formatted publicity materials by distributing tabloid-format special articles to domestic buyers and visitors during the exhibition period, for promoting participating companies and providing information on the exhibition.

Furthermore, we expand promotion of participating companies and items through Media Partner, ‘AVING’ like item promotion of participating companies (Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese), and broadcast about participating companies, managing special homepage, etc.

And we invite foreign textile-specialized journalists and expand domestic and foreign broadcasting of PIS like textile-specialized journalists from China, Hong Kong, Japan, etc. and expand domestic and foreign broadcasting of PIS.

Q4. Please explain major exhibit items and status of participating companies.

Various items from state-of-the-art textile materials will be displayed for promotion, focusing on functional items competitive in global textile materials market like eco-textile of Organic Cotton, Recycled fabric, etc.,

Large numbers include Aerocool, Pyrexia, Anti-germ and anti-odor, Vapor permeability and waterproof, negative ion emission, Sunlight-proof, natural ingredients, memory fabric, ultra-micro, ultra-light weight textile, high-density and ultra-light weight nylon materials, eco-friendly functional paper mulberry Fabric, well-being functional materials including TENCEL, MODAL, etc.,

This year, total of 252 companies, and 416 booths including Textile materials, Subsidiary materials, IT, Apparel promotion industries, is participating.

Also, world-famous textile ingredient companies like Lenzing and JIANGSU HENGLI CHEMICAL FABRIC are participating and there’s massive increase of foreign participants from France, Austria, Japan, China, ASEAN countries, and so on.

Q5. Please explain about collateral events for buyers and visitors.

A total of 12 expert seminars are being held to provide information for the textile fashion business industry, during Preview in Seoul 2011

Seminars for textile fashion businesses like , , by PFIN and Stylesight, , from lenzing and Dupont, respectively, and from Korea Institute for Knit Industry are held.

Furthermore, the will be held by inviting foreign experts from Aachen research center in Germany, and various special events including , , , , and so forth, are also held.

In addition, participants’-materials-used “Fashion show” provides broad information on displayed materials and conveys merits of purchasing to the buyers. Fashion show is held by producing clothes (100 suits) using the participants’ textiles (total 4 times).

Go to ‘Preview in Seoul 2011′ Special News Portal

Original post by Dabin Yang