Moda February edition cancelled, focus now on digital platform

Hyve Group has announced that the planned February 2021 physical edition of British trade fair Moda has been cancelled and instead will be replaced with a digital edition due to the ongoing global impact of Covid-19.

The event was originally set to take place in September 2020 but earlier this year organisers announced it would be pushed back to February and run alongside Hyve’s retail show Spring Fair due to the pandemic.

But Hyve announced Wednesday that can no longer go ahead due to new restrictions.

Hyve’s next planned home, gift and fashion retail event will be Moda, together with Autumn Fair, which will take place at the NEC Birmingham on 5-7 September 2021.

Hyve-run shows Autumn Fair and Jewellery & Watch and Fashion (JWF) will no longer take place this year.

The focus for this season will instead now be on the company’s digital platform, Fashion Together, which was launched earlier this year to replace cancelled physical shows.

Moda February 2021 cancelled

The virtual forum, intended to allow fashion professionals to do business despite Covid-19 travel restrictions, will take place on 23 February 2021 and will be open to both brands and buyers.

More information on Fashion Together will be available on the Moda website in due course, the company said.

Hyve Group’s managing director for UK Retail, Julie Driscoll, said in a statement: “We have been carefully monitoring the situation and have been responding to the announcements made by the UK Government throughout the pandemic. Whilst we had been looking forward to welcoming our exhibitors and visitors back to the halls of the NEC Birmingham in February, we must comply with the Government restrictions, putting the safety and comfort of our community first.

“Moda is one of the UK’s longest-standing and best-loved fashion trade shows, and this is down to the people who make it so special; be they buyers or brands. Whilst it is regrettable that we won’t be able to meet in person this year, we hope that Fashion Together will provide a great opportunity for our community to connect in a virtual forum. We are now looking ahead to September 2021 and beyond to ensure we can bring our physical shows back in the safest way.”

Photo credit: Hyve Group