ITMA 2027 has unveiled its sector plan as preparations accelerate for the upcoming global textile and garment technology exhibition, with strong participation from manufacturers across major textile-producing markets.
Scheduled to take place from 16 to 22 September 2027 at Messegelände Hannover, Germany, ITMA 2027 will cover 12 halls spanning more than 180,000 square metres. The exhibition will feature 20 sectors representing the complete textile and garment manufacturing value chain, including spinning, weaving, knitting, finishing, printing, garment making, recycling, fibres, yarns and fabrics, software and automation.
More than 1,500 companies from 43 countries have already secured participation, reflecting continued industry confidence in textile technology investment despite geopolitical uncertainty and challenging global economic conditions.
Manufacturers represented by the nine national associations comprising CEMATEX account for 43% of all applicants and more than 60% of exhibition space booked so far. Companies from outside Europe represent more than half of all applicants and approximately 40% of the booked exhibition space.
China currently leads international participation, followed by India, Türkiye and Japan, highlighting strong interest from key global textile technology manufacturing markets.
“ The diverse participation from around the world reinforces ITMA 2027’s position as a neutral global platform, providing manufacturers with an equal opportunity to compete and showcase their latest innovations,” said Alex Zucchi, President of CEMATEX.
Charles Beauduin, Chairman of ITMA Services, added that the strong response demonstrates the textile industry’s resilience and continued confidence in investing in innovation and future growth despite ongoing geopolitical and economic challenges.
Established Sectors Remain at the Core
Established sectors including Spinning, Nonwovens, Weaving, Knitting, Finishing, Printing and Garment Making will occupy the largest exhibition footprint at ITMA 2027.
At the same time, sectors such as Research & Innovation, Recycling, Fibres, Yarns & Fabrics, Software & Automation, Services and Start-Up Valley reflect the industry’s growing focus on sustainability, digitalisation and technological advancement.
The Start-Up Valley, supported by CEMATEX, has gained significant momentum since its debut at ITMA 2023. Applications for the 2027 edition have doubled compared with the previous edition, with 64 start-ups competing for 20 exhibition spaces.
According to Zucchi, the initiative aims to provide emerging technology companies with a platform to challenge established approaches and accelerate technological progress across the industry.
Innovation, Recycling and Circularity in Focus
Research and Innovation will remain an important component of ITMA 2027, strengthening collaboration between academic institutions and industry and helping accelerate the transition of new technologies from research laboratories to commercial manufacturing.
Meanwhile, the Recycling sector is gaining importance as regulations and market expectations accelerate the transition towards circular textile production. Developments in recycling technologies are increasingly supporting commercially viable textile-to-textile recycling, creating new opportunities for manufacturers and technology providers.
ITMA 2027 will showcase innovation across the entire textile and garment manufacturing ecosystem, with key themes including advanced materials, automation and digitalisation, sustainability and circularity, and human-centric manufacturing.
The confirmed sector plan provides exhibitors and visitors with an early view of the exhibition structure, enabling companies to plan their participation well ahead of visitor registration, which is scheduled to open in March 2027.
