Brussels, Belgium — Belgian exhibitors at Decosit said that the interest shown in their products at the fair was evidence of a lively second half of the year following a weak first half. Despite fewer visitors from the Far East, exhibitors reported overall numbers at least equal to last year's, with satisfying results in new contacts and even in direct sales. "As usual Decosit is very international with lots of visitors," said Jean-Paul Depraetere of Depraetere Industries. "Although we still received fewer buyers from Asian countries than in the past, the market is clearly picking up there, with Japan in the lead." Depraetere confirmed that business in the first half of 1999 had been slower than in '98, but he said in the months leading up to Decosit, business had been recovering. Pieter Deslee of D.V.W. Textiles welcomed visitors from South America and Australia as a result of the company's recent efforts there. Goeters' sales representatives for Western Europe said they saw more visitors from France and the U.K. Algemene reported a strong showing of visitors from the U.S., Great Britain and other countries of the European continent. Algemene's Joeri Vanacker said that sales in the last few months had already compensated for a slow first half of the year, and that interest in their products at Decosit continued. Vanacker welcomed fewer buyers from the Middle East area but more from the Far East. He said that buyers, particularly from Korea and India, showed a preference for better and more expensive qualities. Rudy Delchambre from flax specialist Deltracon, winner of the annual Fabrics and Furnishings International-sponsored award for best new contract fabric, called this year's Decosit "very successful." Delchambre said he received almost all his present clients at the fair and made several new contacts. "Decosit was a very good trade fair to contact the U.S. market." Delchambre said he also made new contacts with buyers from Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and other European countries. "Each year we perform better than the year before and I estimate that the number of visitors as well as our turnover has increased again by 10 percent," said Delchambre. "The award – we won it twice in three years – gives us a push in the right direction. It reminds buyers that we present a good collection with an emphasis on quality and creativity. We are operating in a higher priced target market, where there is a need for continuous creativity and renovation." Commenting generally on the market, Delchambre noted that jacquards are less in demand today than a couple of years ago and that structure effects are still growing in importance. However some buyers still demand jacquards, according to Lieve Adriaens and Brigitte Gyselinck of Goeters, who said that pastel shades are becoming more and more popular in jacquards, often combined with grey tones, and a range of beiges. Algemene reported continued success with its jacquards, too, and also reported success with its range of chenilles and flat wovens with metal yarn effects. Woven fabrics with surface structure effects as well as chenilles and bouclés, were essential in every market segment at Decosit. According to Deslee, chenilles and bouclés were high in demand, but in new forms and creations with an accent on heavier qualities, multi-color and structured surfaces. Prints, on the other hand, were still down according to Decosit exhibitors, and the print segment of the market was looking for technical tours de force, like combinations of glitter prints with foam printing or transparent in-betweens. One of the Depraetere's most popular products at the fair was a combination of structured plain fabric and an all-over design of ethnic inspiration. Red and other warm colors dominated its classical scene, while in the modern range cooler shades such as off-white, brown and grey and other "atonal" colors were predominant. In modern qualities, the jacquard accent remained important to give the necessary liveliness to the fabric, Depraetere said. Exhibitors reported that buyers expressed interest in variety and novelty as well as special effects in hand and appearance. Vanacker said he saw clear signs of a renewed interest in velvet, especially in épinglé qualities, where, he said, relief and structure effects were at least as important as colors and patterns. D.V.W. Textiles, for one, benefited from the renewed interest in velvet at Decosit. Deslee called this Decosit edition "simply a super fair," and said that the company made several new clients. "Certainly our new high level flock quality Bel X has aroused quite some interest, resulting in several containers of sales at the fair. It fits in the revival of velvet but offers a considerable price advantage for an equally strong and easy care product."