Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, the International Textile, Clothing, Printing & Embroidery Industry Expo (ITCPE) has grown into one of Asia’s most influential platforms for the textile and apparel sectors. In this exclusive interview, the organizers reflect on two decades of progress—from a regional show to a 60,000-square-meter global event featuring over 1,000 exhibitors and 60,000 professional visitors. With a renewed focus on digital printing, intelligent manufacturing, and sustainable innovation, ITCPE 2025 promises cutting-edge technologies, strategic partnerships, and a powerful roadmap for industry transformation. This dialogue offers a deep dive into the expo’s vision, evolution, and global impact.
1. ITCPE is celebrating its 20th edition in 2025. How has the exhibition evolved over the past two decades in terms of size, focus, and international influence?
Scale Expansion: Starting from a small regional exhibition in the first session, it has developed into an international platform covering an area of 60,000 square meters, attracting over 1,000 exhibitors from around the world and more than 60,000 professional visitors. It has become one of the large-scale exhibitions in the field of textile, garment and printing in Asia.
Field Focus: In the early days, the exhibition mainly featured traditional printing equipment, fabrics and accessories. Gradually, it has expanded to high-value-added fields such as digital printing, intelligent sewing, embroidery, dyeing and finishing, and environmentally friendly materials. It has also deeply integrated cutting-edge technologies such as intelligent manufacturing and green production.
International Influence: It has leaped from a regional exhibition to an important vane in the global textile industry, attracting international exhibitors and buyers from regions such as Europe, America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and has become an important hub for global supply chain cooperation.
2. What makes ITCPE stand out compared to other textile and printing exhibitions in China and globally?
Technology-driven:
Focusing on subdivided fields such as digital printing and intelligent manufacturing, bringing together high-quality equipment suppliers globally (such as MIMAKI and KORNIT DIGITAL) and technical solutions to drive the technological iteration of the industry.
Full industrial chain coverage:
From fabrics and accessories to finished garments and equipment, covering the entire process of textile and garment manufacturing, providing one-stop solutions to help enterprises reduce costs and increase efficiency.
International cooperation network:
Cooperating with institutions such as WTIN (World Textile Information Network), holding global forums (such as the World Textile Digital Printing Conference), and establishing a platform for cross-border technical exchanges and trade.
Regional industrial linkage:
Relying on the advantages of the textile industry cluster in Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta, promoting collaborative innovation among upstream and downstream enterprises and forming an ecological system with in-depth integration of “exhibition, production and research”.
3. With over 800 exhibitors and tens of thousands of visitors every year, what new experiences or features can participants expect at the 2025 edition?
Display of Cutting-edge Technologies:
1. Digital Printing Equipment: The globally premier “SDouble One-step Double-sided Digital Printing Technology” enables precise alignment of patterns on both sides, enhancing production efficiency and quality.
2. Intelligent Sewing and Automation: Enterprises like Tajima and Dahao Technology showcase AI-driven embroidery machines and intelligent template machines, promoting unmanned production processes.
3. Environmentally Friendly Materials and Processes: Keduo displays degradable printing materials, and Ruien Chemical Industry introduces low-energy-consumption dyeing technology, facilitating enterprises’ green transformation.
High-end Forums and Trend Insights:
1. Guangzhou Summit of the World Textile Digital Printing Conference: Focusing on topics such as AI color separation and flexible supply chains, it explores how digital printing empowers fast fashion and personalized customization.
2. Guangdong Province High-quality Development Conference for the Denim Industry: Cultivating and strengthening the new productive forces of traditional industries, accelerating innovation-driven development and the integration of “Artificial Intelligence +”, and promoting the high-quality development of the textile and garment industry.
Precise Matching and Business Cooperation:
1. International Buyer Matching Meeting: In response to the market demands of Europe, America, and Southeast Asia, one-on-one procurement negotiations are organized to help enterprises expand overseas markets.
2. Industrial Matching Meeting: E-commerce platforms and clothing brands are invited to participate, promoting the transformation of exhibits into commodities.
4. How is ITCPE 2025 addressing the growing importance of digitalization, sustainability, and smart manufacturing in the textile and garment sectors?
Digitalization:
1. AI and Big Data: Showcase AI-driven pattern design and intelligent production scheduling systems to shorten the product development cycle.
2. Industrial Internet: Promote the Internet of Things platform for textile and garment equipment to achieve remote operation and maintenance and energy consumption optimization.
Greening:
1. Environmentally Friendly Materials: Launch low-carbon products such as water-based inks and bio-based fabrics to reduce pollution emissions.
2. Circular Economy: Display the technology of recycling and remanufacturing of used clothing to promote the recycling of resources.
Intelligent Manufacturing:
1. Unmanned Factory: Demonstrate the fully automated production line from fabric to finished garments to improve production efficiency.
2. Flexible Supply Chain: Through the digital collaboration platform, achieve quick response to small orders and large-scale customization.
5. Can you share more details about how the “World Textile Digital Printing Conference” will contribute to advancing innovation and green development in the industry?
It will promote the innovative and green development of the textile digital printing industry in terms of technological breakthroughs, cross-border cooperation, and the construction of an industrial ecosystem. For example:
1. Focus on the latest progress in digital printing technology and showcase breakthrough technological achievements such as high-speed digital printing equipment and new environmentally friendly inks.
2. Invite numerous industry experts to give themed presentations. At the summit, they will share the research results of the cross-border integration of nanomaterials and digital printing, promoting close cooperation between the academic and industrial sectors and accelerating the transformation of technological achievements.
3. The summit brings together upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain, including equipment suppliers, material suppliers, and brand owners, to promote the digital and intelligent upgrading of the entire process from fabrics to finished garments. It jointly explores new models such as production on demand and personalized customization, combines AI prediction with digital printing technology, and achieves a “zero inventory” supply chain to meet the diversified needs of the market.
4. The summit collaborates with international institutions such as WTIN, attracts enterprises from regions such as Europe, America, and Southeast Asia to participate, and promotes global technical exchanges and trade cooperation. At the same time, relying on the advantages of the textile industry clusters in Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta, it integrates resources such as equipment, materials, and design to form an industrial ecosystem with in-depth integration of “exhibition, production, and research”.
6. How does ITCPE help international buyers and suppliers build lasting partnerships with Chinese textile and garment companies?
1. Precise Matching of Demands: Analyze the procurement preferences of international buyers through big data and push the lists of suppliers that meet the demands.
2. Customized Services: Provide one-stop services such as translation, logistics, and legal consultation for international exhibitors to reduce the exhibition participation costs.
3. Long-term Tracking and Support: Continuously conduct matchmaking through the online platform after the exhibition and assist enterprises in solving problems related to technology, trade, financing, etc.
4. Regional Cooperation Network: Cooperate with textile associations in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, organize inspection delegations, and promote cross-border capacity cooperation.
7. Digital printing is a key theme this year. What major breakthroughs or new solutions do you expect will be showcased at the exhibition and the conference?
1. High-precision nozzles: The single color domain covers more than 1,000 colors, meeting the needs of high-end design.
2. Multi-functional all-in-one machine: Integrates the functions of printing, drying and color fixation, reducing processes and energy consumption.
3. Elastic ink: Suitable for sports fabrics, and the pattern will not deform after stretching.
4. Luminous/temperature-changing ink: Develop functional printing materials to increase the added value of products.
5. AI color separation system: Automatically identifies the colors of patterns, optimizes the usage of ink, and reduces costs.
6. Cloud design platform: Designers can collaborate remotely, modify patterns in real time and issue production instructions.
8. What is your vision for ITCPE over the next 5–10 years, especially considering the rapid technological transformations happening in the textile and printing industries?
It is earnestly hoped that both the scale and scope of the Guangzhou Textile Expo can be expanded. Specifically, the number of exhibition halls should be increased from the current four to six, with a total area exceeding 100,000 square meters. The exhibited commodities should cover the entire industrial chain of the textile industry, ranging from raw materials to finished garments.
Furthermore, it is anticipated that the expo can effectively accelerate the intelligent transformation of small and medium-sized textile and garment enterprises, thereby significantly enhancing the global competitiveness of China’s textile and garment industry. In addition, it is sincerely desired that sub-venues be established in Southeast Asia and Africa. Through these sub-venues, it is expected to vigorously promote technology transfer and capacity cooperation.
9. What key message would you like visitors and exhibitors to take away from ITCPE 2025?
1. Understand the latest breakthroughs in digital printing, intelligent manufacturing, and green materials, and promote the technological upgrading of enterprises.
2. Grasp market trends such as fast fashion, personalized customization, and the circular economy, and optimize product strategies.
3. Connect with global buyers and supply chain resources, expand order channels, and enhance brand influence.
4. Learn the experience of carbon footprint management and the construction of green supply chains, and fulfill corporate social responsibilities.
