Just got back from ITMA Showtime with some thoughts

Hi everybody! I just got back from ITMA Showtime, once the most important fabric show in the US (now I'm not so sure).

This logo has seen better days.

Ever since I began my career in the textile industry, ITMA's Showtime, which takes place twice a year in High Point, North Carolina, has been at the forefront of the American furniture and fabric industry. In the 1990s there was a waiting list a mile long that you had to wait through to even get a booth- nowadays, show management has cordoned off segments of the temporary booth wing of the exhibition hall to make things look less empty. 

Still, I find it quite ironic that an American industry that is quickly receding into obsolescence that would allow so much of the showroom floor to be taken up by massage parlors, fast food joints, and an enormous display of post-modern industrial decay. If this was not the sad state of affairs outside of the showroom walls, it would not strike me so hard.

The decline of the textile industry has gone on for years. Many of the companies that set up around me at my first show are either long gone, or no longer show. Those that were there have four days to contemplate the state of the industry by studying the mostly empty exhibition hall. I also noticed lots of new faces at even the most established companies. It seems that in economies such as this- companies are willing to try anything- and the inexperienced have yet to fully realize the enormity of the task that lies ahead.

One vendor, who I have dealt with for many years, wanted me to buy a bundle of samples that he had put together featuring 100 of his best patterns. He was desperate, and I declined. The old way of doing business is dead. I didn't have the heart to take samples that I didn't think would sell. Even from an old friend.

But its not all doom and gloom. I met with my great friend Howard and we wheeled through his warehouse where I picked up quite a few beautiful Travers and Schumacher patterns for a great price. We then talked about hits and misses on patterns he had created through the years and it felt great. You see, if the creative process remains intact, the industry will bounce back. Imagination, inventiveness, and innovation cannot be faked. They are not marketing hype or inspirational buzz words. 

The creator controls the world he creates. It's time for America to wake up and realize its true potential. It's time to dream again of doing great things, making great works... the next great textile movement lies within us.