In spite of the difficult state of the French textile industry in recent years the manufacturers who exhibited at Expofil and ITMA showed their determination to relaunch the knitting industry. At Expofil, held simultaneously with ITMA, three themes were proposed: urban style, luxury, and comfort and protection. Many innovative yarns were presented under these headings. The majority of spinners included special-purpose yarns eg. Coolmax, Modal Sun, elastane and microfibres. Among the knitting machine constructors who exhibited at ITMA the article highlights Stoll and Tsudakoma with flat-bed machines, Mecmor and Santoni with circular machines and others. It is noted that new markets for knitted fabrics are developing in menswear, furnishing, lingerie and bedding.