I + D / Textiles inteligentes y soluciones TIC
Year: 2021
MOTIVATION
The year 2020 has brought about a myriad of changes in our social, cultural, economic, lifestyle and shopping habits. It seems as if in March 2020, we were living in a world that is unrecognisable compared to the one we are living in now. The COVID-19 pandemic is creating uncertainty in our daily lives.
Some types of activity are practically paralysed and this is directly affecting the habitat sector. If we look back at the TRENDS FOR HORECA monograph (Hotels, restaurants and coffee shops), which was published at the end of 2019, the conclusions were encouraging, and the sector was seen as strategic for companies developing home products.
These changes have not only affected this sector. As we have already mentioned, the events of 2020 have changed our lifestyles and we now spend more time at home, which we have turned into a comfortable and healthy workspace. We have changed our shopping and leisure habits, increased our concern for the environment and become more aware of the importance of sustainability.
The home textile sector is desperate for information but the current situation has led to the cancellation of trade fairs, reducing contact with our clients and restricting travel. This is the reason that AITEX proposed the VALHABITAT 2021 project, to search for, analyse, and orient information to promote strategic design among companies in our sector, mainly home textiles.
The aim is to study socio-cultural, design and market changes, collaborate in the development of innovative products and/or lines of business in favour of the sustainability of companies in the habitat sector, developing information on product, market and technological trends for the development of products for textiles for use in the home.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the project is to promote strategic design among companies in the home textile sector, providing them with prospective information on both qualitative trends (HTO Trends) and quantitative trends (HT Market Study). This will be combined with research into new assembly technologies and virtualisation of textile materials for the development of innovative ideas, both for the development of products, environments, business lines and digitalisation of processes and for public spaces (CONTRACT) and the home.
The specific objectives are as follows:
- Help companies in the home textile sector to understand the new social and market context after 2020, compiling information based on habitat product variables influenced by the socio-technological environment, proposing market strategies that help the development of products and/or habitat business lines.
- Acquire half-yearly quantitative data on the home textiles market, analysing by product type, consumer profile, type of distribution, competition and average price. In addition, the data will be analysed and segregated in such a way that it provides quantitative information on the state of the home textile sector in terms of new markets or to propose innovations in products or services that will enable the sustainable growth of companies.
- Research new technologies in materials assembly and virtual simulation of textile materials, providing prospective information to companies to advance in the digitalisation of their processes and sales approaches for household products, both public and private.
- Transfer the information obtained to companies, through dissemination events and activities, to introduce innovative products into their product portfolios.
EXPECTED RESULTS
The results of this project will be reflected in:
- Digital publication of the HABITAT TREND HANDBOOK 22/23, carried out in collaboration with the HTO (comprising AIDIMME, AITEX and ITC).
- Digital publication and presentation of half-yearly results of the HOME TEXTILE PRODUCTS MARKET SURVEY (May and November).
- Development of prototyping, technology demonstrators and trends in textile products for the home.
This project is funded by the Conselleria d’Economia Sostenible, Sectors Productius, Comerç i Treball de la Generalitat Valenciana, through IVACE.
Additional Information
- Grant number: IMAMCI/2021/1
- More information: NON-ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES PLAN
- Year: 2021
- Status: In progress
- Entity: IVACE
