d+a | Issue 115 • Apr/May 2020

/ REPORT / 26 TEXTILE LIBRARY New to the fair this year was the Interior. Architecture.Hospitality Library in Hall 4.2. It was made up of 64 products for contract furnishing, categorised by their functional characteristics. The latter were a useful guide to first-timers of the fair, explaining the traits to look out for when choosing textiles for commercial projects: • Sound absorbing • Hard wearing • Water repellent • Flame retardant Alongside the explanations were examples of products with these unique properties. Visitors could then visit the exhibitor in the respective halls to find out more. For instance, Adawall Wallpaper Factory is a Turkish company producing wallpaper that in addition to looking beautiful, have an acoustic absorption value of AW 0.85, making it suitable for use even in theatres. The Library is also available online at www.textile-library.com. This section doubled as the meeting point for lectures and tours of the fair led by architects and designers, featuring topics like “The Future of Furniture Fabrics” and “Fabrics in the Hotel Sector”. TREND 4: HERITAGE LUX Celebrating rich historical legacies CHARACTERISTICS: Magical, mysterious, nostalgic, historical, surreal, luxurious, elegance, elaborate, heavy ornamentation, sensuous TEXTILES: Diaphanous, hand-plisse volumes, ornamental patterning, organic grainy surfaces, traced jacquards, silky, drapeable, glossy TREND 5: MULTI-LOCAL Embracing global cultural influences CHARACTERISTICS: Inclusivity, exchange, creative integrity, diverse identities, global influences, cultural fluidity, artisanal, authentic, experimental, heritage, tribal, geometric TEXTILES: Indigenous patterns, organic- looking surfaces, pronounced weaves, batik , ikat , printed floral velours, jacquard knits, gobelin weaves, embroidery, beading BY STEPHEN TAYO AND JAN HOEK BY BART HESS