Seek settles into solo presence while looking ahead to new plans

German event organiser Premium Group presented its last remaining trade show, Seek, parallel to Berlin Fashion Week last week. The trade show, which specialises in streetwear labels and sustainably oriented brands, showcased a selection of well-known names such as Lyle & Scott and Veja as well as some newcomers over its two day span. In addition to national guests, the fair was also visited by international buyers, including fashion retailers such as End Clothing, Browns and HBX by Hypebeast.

After Seek made its solo debut in January after the demise of its sister trade show Premium, normality seemed to have returned at this edition. The compact trade show with more than 100 brands was represented at its usual event location 'The Station', a historic hall of a former post office at Gleisdreieck.

Here, fashion brands could often be seen sharing stands with lifestyle products, as evidenced by docker cap provider Béton Ciré, which presented itself on a small podium within the area of another brand. As in January, the showroom concept 'The Junction' with the Union showroom was located in a cold storage facility next door.

"It's a bit too easy to judge Seek by its size, the number of exhibitors and visitors," said Marie-Luise Patzelt, show director at Seek Exhibitions, in a press release on Thursday. "All the changes in the past provide a great opportunity. We are all moving closer together."

New and old faces

With eight years of trade fair participation, Unfair is one of the old hands at Seek. The Munich streetwear brand still likes to come here to make new contacts and write orders, explained Dennis Forster from Utex GmbH, the company behind the brand. He even saw an improvement compared to the last edition, as he noticed a "better flow of visitors" on the first day of the trade fair.

It was also not the first Seek for Bash in the Sun. The French brand, which is active in markets such as Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the US in addition to its home market with around 200 retail partners, was another to show enthusiasm. Now in its fourth edition, this season the label took on a large area directly opposite the entrance, which immediately caught the eye with its summery colours and prints by artists. The menswear brand, which offers pieces made of cotton and linen produced in northern Portugal, is supported by a German agency, bringing a sense of comfort to its marketing manager François Verdet.

Hanover-based brand Klotzbach, which is completely new to the industry, also worked with artists. For founder Silke Klotzbach, Seek was the perfect opportunity to present her new brand for the first time, despite feeling that she "stands out a bit" from the other exhibitors with a coat for 1,600 euros, said the designer. In return, however, she offered season-independent pieces that were something very special thanks to the expensive artist's license.

Dutch brand Lendgolf, on the other hand, was not new to the fashion trade fair scene. The Utrecht-based label was already represented at Preview in its home market, but made its international debut with Seek. Now, the golf brand with a fashionable touch wants to open up to European retailers. Co-founder Laurien Engelman liked the vibe and structure of the event, she explained to FashionUnited.

There were a few complications with the setup for trade fair newcomer Vicinity. The streetwear brand from Böblingen in Baden-Württemberg criticised the trade fair organiser for the way it dealt with the exhibitor. At the end of the setup day, elements such as roll-ups that were positioned too high had to be repositioned. However, those responsible for Seek communicated this in a way that made the brand question whether they would return next season, said CEO Berkan Yildiz. Despite this, he and his team were enthusiastic about the mixed audience of buyers, press and models who visited their stand.

Looking to the future: Different location and new concept

Looking ahead, Seek revealed that it wanted to present a new concept and a new location soon, which should offer brands and agencies individual spaces, facilities and sales times. The trade fair is thus reacting to the tight international schedules, production and sales cycles and deadlines as well as the different sales agendas and strategies.

"The direct, regular, honest and friendly, uncomplicated conversations are and have always been the unique selling point of Seek," says Patzelt. "There is no one-size-fits-all solution. The requirements and needs of our customers are very different. The future of Seek must be realistic, highly flexible, solution-oriented and creative."

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.DE. Translation via AI and edit by Rachel Douglass.