Survey of the European Yarn Fairs for Spring/Summer 2005.

Trading conditions for the European spinning industry remain difficult. The problems are blamed on the high value of the euro against the US dollar, a slow-down in consumer spending on textiles and apparel and an improvement in the quality of yarns imported from China and other Asian sources. Spinners have responded by focusing on what they do best--working closely with fabric manufacturers to develop traditional high quality yarns for the top end of the market. At the same time, much innovative energy has been directed towards producing yarns that are finer and, because they use less raw material, cheaper. This gloomy picture has been brightened this season by the colours on display. Spring/summer 2005 is distinguished by the fresh and playful use of yarn colours, whether they be bright and slightly acid tones, cooler blues and greys or earthy terracottas and tobacco browns. While natural cotton--or blends made to look and feel like cotton--remains the main choice for summer, some spinners have devoted much effort towards bringing out the properties of lesser known fibres, such as hemp, ramie, soya and bamboo. One new departure is the blending of a product derived from the shells of crabs and other shellfish, which is said to have special therapeutic properties. The yarn fairs are adjusting to a gradual fall in numbers of exhibitors and visiting buyers. The timing of the Paris-based Expofil yarn fair has been moved back so that it is concurrent with the Première Vision fabric fair. The resulting proximity of spinners to fabric manufacturing customers appears to have been fruitful. Although each show will retain its separate identity, the fusion will continue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]