The European yarn fairs for the spring/summer 2018 season were held in a positive atmosphere, in spite of the fact that markets were affected by economic uncertainties. Spinners exhibiting at the fairs reported that they had made good sales of yarns for the luxury end of the knitwear market, and a number of spinners at Filo—a fair held in Milan, Italy, which deals mainly in yarns for woven and jersey fabrics—commented that the business transacted was better than they had expected. That said, these impressions contrasted with figures showing that sales of wool, cotton and linen yarns by the Italian yarn industry fell by 2.6% in 2016 compared with 2015 while exports were down by an estimated 4.5%. The quality of the yarns on offer from European spinners continues to be improved by technical advances in spinning techniques. Also, as a result of the use of new mixes and blends, many of the yarns at the fairs for the spring/summer 2018 season were more versatile and suitable for more than one season. Another notable feature of the knitwear yarns and knitwear samples on show was theirfineness and transparency, and all the yarns on show seemed smoother and more refined than in previous seasons. This impression even extended to linen yarns, which had lost their natural rusticity.
展开▼
