Exclusive event will showcase premium yarns, innovative knitted fabrics and advanced digital knitwear design technologies.
Archivi Punti Aperti will run from 14-28 October, with opening hours from 9am to 6pm.
© Shima Seiki9th October 2026
Knitting Industry
| Milan, Italy
Japanese knitting technology specialist Shima Seiki will hold a special event in Milan from 14-28 October 2026, bringing together premium yarns, innovative knitted fabrics and advanced digital design technologies in collaboration with Milano Trend and its Italian subsidiary, Shima Seiki Italia.
Entitled Archivi Punti Aperti (Open Archives – Knit Stitch Collection), the appointment-only event will take place at Milano Trend’s showroom in Via Visconti di Modrone 33, offering designers, fashion brands and textile professionals an opportunity to explore the latest developments in knitwear materials and design.
The event will feature premium yarns from leading European manufacturers, particularly Italian suppliers, alongside selected materials from companies participating in Shima Seiki’s yarnbank online platform.
yarnbank provides comprehensive yarn information and digital yarn data from manufacturers worldwide, enabling designers and knitwear producers to explore materials and integrate them into digital product development workflows.
Visitors will have the opportunity to examine yarns and knitted fabrics normally viewed online, experiencing their colours, textures and handle first-hand. In a special feature, selected fabric samples will be available for visitors to cut and take away, providing physical references for subsequent design and product development projects.
The event will also demonstrate how digital yarn data can be used to create realistic virtual knitwear prototypes through Shima Seiki’s APEXFiz design software. Using digitally reproduced yarns, the software enables designers to simulate knitted structures and evaluate designs before physical sampling and production.
These virtual simulations demonstrate how digital yarn information can be translated into production-ready knitwear designs, supporting greater accuracy in product development while reducing the time, materials and costs associated with conventional sampling.
Alongside the digital demonstrations, Shima Seiki will present its latest knitted fabric samples, highlighting advanced structures, knitting techniques and material innovations that are helping to shape the future of knitwear manufacturing.
The planned yarnbank participants include Italian manufacturers E. Miroglio, Filati Biagioli Modesto, Filatura Tollegno 1900 and New Mill, together with suppliers from Japan, China and Hong Kong.
Other participating companies are expected to include Jiangsu Lugang Science & Technology, Kyototex, Matsumura, Sawada, Top Line (Ningbo) Textile, Toyoboshi, UPW and Yarns & Colors.
The event reflects Shima Seiki’s continuing emphasis on integrating physical materials with digital design technologies, enabling fashion brands and manufacturers to streamline product development and explore new creative possibilities.
Founded in 1962 and headquartered in Wakayama, Japan, Shima Seiki is a leading supplier of computerised flat knitting machinery, including its Wholegarment technology, which enables complete garments to be knitted directly on the machine without subsequent linking or sewing.
The company also develops integrated design systems and software for virtual sampling, supporting more efficient knitwear development and demand-driven manufacturing.
Archivi Punti Aperti will run from 14-28 October, with opening hours from 9am to 6pm. Attendance is strictly by advance appointment, with visitors required to register directly with Milano Trend at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).