·    Positive economic development in Morocco

·    Morocco facilitates nearshoring with short lead times

·    Sustainable production and fast fashion as driving forces

·    Exhibition segments serve market needs

·    Marrakech: Capital of Culture 2020

The  upcoming  Maroc  in  Mode  -  Maroc  Sourcing  from  17-18  October  in Marrakech on the grounds of the circuit Moulay Hassan offers international buyers and retailers an excellent overview of the performance of the Moroccan textile and clothing  industry  from  fast  fashion  to  sustainable  production.  More  than  120 exhibitors will be present on the race track. The segments FAST FASHION, DENIM, KNIT, TAILORING, LINGERIE, CORPORATE FASHION will be presented.

Positive economic development in Morocco

The Moroccan clothing and textile association AMITH recorded a positive result of exports of textiles and clothing last year. It has risen from $ 3.6 billion in 2017 to $ 3.7 billion in 2018. Apparel exports increased 2.5%, knitwear 4.5% and shoes 0.9%. Also for 2019 a continuation of this positive development is expected.

The advantages of producing in Morocco are:

·    the political and social stability of the country

·    its many years of experience in the production of fast fashion

·    its advantageous geographical location as a link between three continents

·    short delivery times and fast delivery with short-term delivery dates

·    an excellent price / performance ratio

·    the GOTS and BSCI certification of many manufacturers

The production of fast fashion pushes the expansion. At the top are exports to Spain and France. Exports to Northern Europe, especially Germany and Scandinavia, are to be increased significantly. Morocco scores particularly well with short lead times of 5-7 weeks, which makes the country especially attractive for high-fashion items, which depend on short cycles and flexible capacities.

Sustainable and fast

As part of the "Plan Textile 25", a government strategic plan, the "Fast Fashion Eco Responsable" project forms a new area in the context of fast fashion production, which is amongst others supported by the Swiss GTEX program. Here, 25 small and medium-sized companies receive direct financial support for the development and expansion of ecologically responsible fast-fashion production.

Apparel Mills, Hallotex, Blue Fingers, New Wash, Sinmatex, etc. are top players specialized in sustainability. With a focus on womenswear they mainly produce knits, t-shirts, dresses, blouses, skirts, pants, etc. and are both GOTS and BSCI certified.

The importance of sustainability is also reflected in the conference program of Maroc in  Mode  -  Maroc Sourcing. Relevant topics such as certification, sustainability, water  use,  etc.  are  discussed  and  explained  by  industry  insiders.  To  promote

The Moroccan Denim Cluster is also present again. Involved in it are amongst others the Tangier based producer Hallotex and Crossing from Casablanca. The Denim Cluster promotes innovation in the Moroccan denim industry and targets new projects around sustainable design, ecological processing, recycling and all new ideas for sustainable development. This year, the cluster was also represented at the Denim by Premiere Vision in Milan, where particularly sustainable collections from Lavasser and Active Line were positively received.

Exhibition segments reflect ecosystems

Based on the promoted ecosystems in the professional and comprehensive development strategy for the Moroccan textile industry, Maroc in Mode - Maroc Sourcing is organized into different exhibition segments.

The ecosystem Denim shows the latest trends and production possibilities around the blue fabric with producers from Morocco and the Mediterranean like ARYAN'S, CROSSING, KILIM DENIM, LAVASSER, MOROCCAN DENIM CLUSTER (MDC), SEMSTONE TUNISIE, YKK, etc.

With over 40 exhibitors, Fast Fashion represents the largest exhibition area. Among the exhibitors are ADVANCED DISTRIBUTION SERVICES, APPAREL MILLS, CONFETEX    ALBO,        ELITE                         SPORTSWEAR,                                 FILMOD,    NEW   LINE,    TEXTILE HARMONY, TWO ONE CLOTHING, VITA COUTURE, YARA CONFECTION, etc.

The   Maille/Knit   area    will   present    BONNETERIE   DE    L'ATLAS,    MODATRIC, SINMATEX,  STRADYCONF,  etc.  In  the  Tailoring  segment,  specialists  present themselves like ALIZE Group, SEFITA, etc., Services will be offered by A M D I, CASA MODA ACADEMY, CTTH, ESITH, O F P P T, OETI, etc. The Moroccan Technical Textile Cluster C2TM exhibits in the EPI / Sportswear & Leisure segment. The aim of the cluster is the positioning of Moroccan companies in the technical textile sector and the anticipation of new innovative collaborations in this field.

From Tangier a group of manufacturers specializing in CMT will present themselves. Most of them also work with Inditex. Exhibitors of yarn, fabric and accessories come from Turkey, Morocco, Pakistan and Portugal.

International exhibitors are e.g. HILARTUS JORDA, JOAO & FELICIANO, JOAO ANTONIO LIMA MALHAS, TEAMSTONE from Portugal, SEMSTONE from Tunisia. From Turkey comes KILIM DENIM, who recently launched their Cactus project, a new dyeing method for denim. The new technique improves the washing process and thereby reduces the water consumption for a normal indigo dyeing process from

117.6 tons of water to only 8.4 tons.

France,  historically  long-standing  partner  of  the  Moroccan  textile  and  apparel industry, is in the spotlight this year as the country of honor. In the framework of the trade show, the IFM - Institut Français de la Mode and AMITH will sign various partnership agreements.The trade show program is complemented by B2B meetings, the "Espace Création“ – a trend area looking at selected themes of next year´s collections, conferences and panels on sectoral and current topics such as efficiency, sustainability, eco friendly fashion, improvement of the end product offering, financing and banks.

Marrakech: Where fashion, arts and culture merge

The trade fair location Marrakech offers a unique fair experience. Marrakech has been an inspiration for fashion creators ever since. Fashion couturiers from Yves Saint Laurent to Jacquemus have already been inspired by the special light and colors of the “Ochre City” for their sensual creations.