NORWALK, Conn. (Sept. 30, 2019) – Reed Exhibitions and Design & Development GmbH Textile Consult (Germany), event organizers of the 2019 Functional Fabric Fair Portland powered by PERFORMANCE DAYS®, announced today a partnership with Trees for the Future, which will plant 10 trees for every verified attendee. The event will host more than 130 apparel textile companies and some 1,000 industry attendees, Oct. 22-23, at the Oregon Convention Center.
“The partnership of Functional Fabric Fair powered by PERFORMANCE DAYS® and Trees for the Future is an additional initiative to underscore our commitment to sustainability,” said Steve McCullough of Reed Exhibitions. “While our mission is to create an unparalleled business-building event for the apparel textile industry, we also strive to put action behind our organizational emphasis on green meeting practices, minimizing industry waste and boosting efficiencies.”
Trees for the Future is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, recognized by 1% for the Planet, that operates an agroforestry program to restore trees to degraded lands by working with smallholder farmers. This program is the forest garden approach and through it, TREES achieves a triple bottom line impact of people, profit, and planet. TREES aims to alleviate poverty and eradicate hunger while maximizing the environmental benefits provided by each of the millions of trees planted each year.
To further amplify the fair’s sustainability commitment, all exhibits are constructed of bio-degradable, recycled and reusable materials. Each supplier is carefully vetted to meet social and environmental certifications, such as Bluesign, to ensure responsibly manufactured products. The Oregon Convention Center, a LEED Platinum Certified facility, is the most sustainable meeting center in America.
The inaugural event’s sold-out exhibit hall will showcase more than 130 hand-selected textile manufacturers, suppliers and service providers presenting their functional fabrics, branded technologies, treatments, laminates, paddings, finishes, and accessories such as yarns, tapes, prints, buttons and zippers. Currently, more than 1,000 top designers and influential product, purchasing and material managers for outdoor, sportswear, workwear, sportive fashion and athleisure apparel companies are registered to attend the fair.
Functional Fabric Fair Portland powered by PERFORMANCE DAYS® also includes an “Expert Talks” series of complimentary educational programming featuring industry experts from the Hohenstein Institute and faculty presenters from Utah State University, Portland Fashion Institute and University of Oregon. Attendees will be able to enjoy multiple professional networking and matchmaking programs and experience the PERFORMANCE FORUM – a platform unique to PERFORMANCE DAYS / Functional Fabric Fair spotlighting some 300 best textile and accessory innovations, as selected by an independent jury of sourcing experts.
Industry registration and detailed event information remain available at FunctionalFabricFair.com. If you have not yet registered and are interested in getting media credentials, media registration is available here.
About Functional Fabric Fair Portland—powered by PERFORMANCE DAYS®
Functional Fabric Fair Portland powered by PERFORMANCE DAYS® is produced in partnership by Reed Exhibitions and Design & Development GmbH Textile Consult (Germany), and in collaboration with Concept III Textiles. The Fair is open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22, and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
The West Coast edition follows Functional Fabric Fair New York powered by PERFORMANCE DAYS®, in July, which doubled in size from its 2018 launch and hosted 1,866 apparel industry professionals from 22 countries in the sold-out River Pavilion of the Javits Center in New York.
Visit www.FunctionalFabricFair.com for more information. Contact organizers at [email protected]. Engage at #FunctionalFabricFair on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Contacts:
Media: Sherry Major, [email protected] or 716-662-3855
Exhibitors: Steve McCullough, [email protected] or 203-840-5953
Marketing, Education, Partnership: Chadae Bowler, [email protected] or 203-840-5845
PERFORMANCE DAYS®: [email protected] or +49 89 93946060
Trees for the Future: Sam Buckley, [email protected] or (301) 565-0632