The standout themes of this show were sustainability (and the definition and education of same), materials innovation, and color.

This last one, color, is of no surprise to my readers as that is what I earlier stated as one of the top 5 2009-10 top trends (color cornucopia), and for that matter sustainability will be of no surprise to either my readers or my clients–the fact that housewares companies stepped up their game for all of the above is surprising though as aside from tabletop a lot of the housewares companies stick with their same programs for as long as they can. In other words, innovation has NOT been a hallmark of this industry, but I will say that this show in Chicago has most definitely and finally changed with the times.

That said, there are stand-out companies who have exemplified the attributes of these themes above and beyond, and that is how I hope to personalize each of the aforementioned themes (trends if you will) of the show.

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I’ll be posting beginning tomorrow my highlights of the Chicago International Housewares Show that exhibited Sunday thru Tuesday of this week. As a trend forecaster, it’s not my habit to post trends after a show…..since I usually work with manufacturers or retailers prior to shows, I tend to think it’s a little after the fact or that I may be stating the obvious. This Housewares Show was or is a little different. For one, it was important for me to see if the show had made progress from when I was there a few years ago and secondly if that progress was in keeping with what I’ve found to be important on a macro basis the world over. And, I am happy to report positively on both. The Housewares industry overall deserves a shout-out for stepping up their game especially in view of the current state of the economy in the U.S..

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