Digital market entry by Eastern European companies

The global COVID-19 pandemic has hugely disrupted the exhibition world. The vast majority of exhibitions didn’t take place in their physical form and visitor numbers were significantly down wherever this was possible. Some fashion fairs managed to repackage themselves and are instead now offering online trade fairs and B2B platforms. The current circumstances means online sales & marketing is now more important than ever before for fashion companies and participation with online fairs seamlessly fits in with this. Two Belarus companies participating with the Ready to Trade project by CBI and ITC have recently been preparing to participate with such an online fair. We are pleased to present Priorstil and Panda from Belarus.

Priorstil

Priorstil produces nightwear, homewear and lingerie and has an extensive product range which offers more than 200 styles of different designs and sizes. The range mainly consists of nightwear and homewear for ladies and underwear. They offer their exclusive collections for private labels and other manufacturers. Priorstil recently launched its new Mirolina brand. Mirolina offers beautiful and comfortable nightwear for ladies, for rest and relaxation. The Mirolina collection can be seen on their new website.

Priorstil has been given the opportunity to participate with the online version of the Salon International de la Lingerie fair with its new Mirolina brand. Salon International de la Lingerie is normally held in Paris in February, but has now developed an online platform called Lingerie Connect. Priorstil is working hard at preparing for the online fair and is very enthusiastic about this opportunity: "Salon International de la Lingerie is the most important venue for a new brand to be introduced to buyers and potential partners. So we are very happy to have been given the opportunity to participate, thanks to our participation with the CBI scheme, despite the exhibition’s online format. We see this form of participation as progressive and most appropriate in the present circumstances." You can visit the virtual Mirolina stand here until 21 February.

Panda

Panda is also based in Belarus and has an extensive product range: children’s clothing, as well as ladies wear and evening and bridal wear. Panda is an established name in its domestic market, but is already selling in Russia and the Ukraine too. The company’s ambition is to now export to the EU with, among other things, its children’s clothing products. Panda makes children’s clothing for everyday wear, with a strong focus on clothing suitable for school-age children. Important details are taken into account during the production of every children’s clothing product: natural fabrics, comfort, durability, tailoring quality and, of course, following fashion trends. The collections are supplemented with new designs of elegant dresses and skirts, comfortable sweaters and T-shirts, sports trousers and shorts, workwear pinafores and jackets every year. All the finished products meet the high clothing requirements and quality standards.

Panda is currently developing its online sales & marketing strategy and is in the process of preparing to participate with online B2B events for children’s clothing. Panda is hoping to use these events to meet potential partners or clients during the current pandemic.

Ready to Trade

The Ready to Trade project is run by the Centrum ter Bevordering van de Import uit Ontwikkelingslanden (CBI, Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) and is funded by EU4Business, an initiative for SMEs in the EU’s Eastern partnership countries. You can find more information about the companies, the scheme and contact details here. You can contact the companies via the CBI’s sector expert Carinke Dijkstra: carinke@textilesupport.nl.