More than 250 international exhibitors from over 30 countries represented at the event

Motexha 2006, the Middle East region's largest trade show for garments, textiles, leather and fashion accessories, was inaugurated today (Monday, 3 April 2006) by H.H. Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Director General of the Department of Information, Dubai at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre. The 28th edition of the show is bringing together over 250 exhibitors from 30 countries including 17 country pavilions. Government supported groups from the Aegean Exporters Association, Turkey; Republic of Cyprus Trade Centre; APICCAPS, Portugal; Department of Export Promotions - Government of Thailand; National Agency for Export Development, Indonesia; Textile and Fashion Federation of Singapore are participating at the show.

Motexha provides the ideal platform for international manufacturers to do business and cost effectively sell to professional buyers, re-exporters, retail traders and textile merchants from across the Middle East.  The wide range of products and services featured at Motexha includes competitively priced volume production and international brand franchising opportunities, to specialist fashion technology services that support the industry.

Opening Motexha 2006, Sheikh Hasher said, "Motexha has grown over the years and especially in the past year the show has grown by 30 per cent. This is demonstrative of Motexha's strength in offering exhibitors the right platform to source prospective clients in the lucrative Gulf market.  Many of last years exhibitors have also returned to the show and are back to do more business with the Middle East."

Commenting on the inauguration, Geoffrey Booy, IIR Middle East Exhibition Director, said, "Motexha 2006 is a place where international brands are launched into the Middle East, sales are made and the business of fashion gets done. Motexha is significant in the light of Dubai's rising status in fashion circles with the region's fashion and textile industry worth US$ 11.4 billion. We have grown and developed to reflect the evolving and diverse needs of the global and regional fashion and textile industries."

Dubai is one of the largest and strongest markets for textile, garments and leather goods in the Middle East region. According to the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the year 2004 saw the value of the exports reach AED 625 million. While in 2005, trading of textile, clothing and footwear reached to AED 1.9 billion.

"Dubai has widely communicated facts about the region's rapidly expanding retail sector, as well as its strategic positioning as an important trading hub; connecting both Eastern and Western market and as an entry port to the entire Middle East.  This is the second time that Indonesia is present at the show through a government supported pavilion.  The fact that this is our biggest participation yet, is a strong indicator of growing business opportunities and our interest to gain a bigger foothold into the market," said Sjahril Sjafri, Deputy Director, Centre for Market Research - Middle East and Africa,  NAFED (National Agency for Export Development), Ministry of Trade, Indonesia

"In a single comprehensive show Motexha attracts more participants than any other Middle East event in the same field. 30 per cent of visitors to Motexha specifically travel from the GCC and Levant countries to attend the exhibition and forge new business opportunities.  In addition to regular buyers visiting from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Motexha has also seen a marked increase from trade visitor attendance from CIS countries, East Africa and the Indian Sub-continent.  We are exceptionally pleased with the strong support we have received from industry who values Dubai's trade offering," concluded Booy.

Motexha is officially supported the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and by Texmas, the 300 member strong textile merchants group and promoters of the AED 220 million Dubai Textile City.  Country pavilions from China, Indonesia, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Armenia, Portugal, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, UAE, Lebanon, Thailand, Cyprus, Pakistan and India are present at the show.