Copenhagen attracts more internatio​nal buyers

Last week, the eyes of the Scandinavian fashion industry were firmly fixed on Copenhagen. With three important trade fairs and more than 40 catwalk shows by big local names such as Henrik Vibskov, Stine Goya or Wood Wood as

well as a number of promising newcomers, the fashion week in the Danish capital once again proved to be the most important meeting place for Nordic brands and buyers from all over the world. Most noticeable this season was the increase of high-profile visitors especially from Asia, opening another export opportunity for the Scandinavian fashion industry.

It would have been no surprise if the atmosphere had been a little subdued – which it was not in the end: A few days before the start of Copenhagen fashion week, Dansk Fashion & Textile, the national trade organisation, published sobering results: In 2012, the turnover of the Danish textile industry fell by 3.7 percent compared to the previous year. The domestic market remained weak and international sales could not compensate for that ongoing problem this time. Whereas strong exports had propelled overall industry turnover to a growth of 11.8 percent in 2011, the financial crisis hit home last year. Sales of Danish brands in other Scandinavian countries continued to rise (Sweden +8.7 percent, Finland +7.3 percent) and exports to Germany remained stable, but in France, the Benelux region and Southern Europe the industry suffered a setback. Exports to Spain and Italy dropped by about 30 percent. All in all, the Danish textile industry recorded sales of 38.6 billion Danish Kroner (5,2 billion Euro) in 2012, of which 22.7 billion were generated abroad, making the sector the fourth largest export industry of the country.

As exports are so important for Danish fashion companies, a major focus of Copenhagen fashion week was to attract important international buyers. This season, the organisers of the three big fairs therefore agreed on a logistics partnership to make work easier for visitors: the collaboration, which was supported by Dansk Fashion & Textile, included easier registration, shuttle services between the fairs, and a free ticket for all public transport, sending out a strong message of unity and a common concern for the wellbeing of Copenhagen as a fashion capital – as well as creating a better working environment for visitors from all over the world. “We still compete of course, for both exhibitors and to attract guests to the fair. It helps to keep us sharp and current. But otherwise, it comes down to creating a logistics plan that works, so that it’s easy to be both a guest and an exhibitor in Copenhagen”, said Kristian W. Andersen, Fashion & Lifestyle Director of CIFF, the oldest and biggest of the Copenhagen fashion fairs.

CIFF celebrated its 20th anniversary this season and continued to reinvent itself. Andersen, who had joined the organisation in 2011, instigated a radical modernisation of the fair that had become a little outdated and complacent. After introducing clean, up-to-date visuals and social media initiatives last summer, he now premiered his latest idea: “Crystal Hall”, a space created by renowned interior designer Jean-Christophe Aumas for progressive fashion and lifestyle labels which added a new element to a fair that traditionally focuses on high volume, middle-of-the-road brands.

This season, the small but exquisite space situated near the entrance to CIFF was just a taste of things to come: Next summer, it will be a proper part of the fair, occupying a larger space in the huge halls of Bella Center. “It’s a sign of where we want to take CIFF”, Andersen said about “Crystal Hall”. But his reforms have already proved to be successful: The fair once again recorded a “significant increase in visitors, brands, buyers and press from the world over“ this season. Especially the all-important number of international visitors grew, “including four times as many Swedish buyers as last season“, according to the organisers.

Christian Gregersen, CEO of Gallery, the fair where most progressive Scandinavian designer brands show their collections, looked back at a successful season, too. “I cannot remember that I have spoken with so many happy exhibitors before“, he said. The published results support his words: Compared to last February, visitor numbers rose by 10 percent to 12.684. Maybe even more important, Gallery recorded “an increasing number of buyers from China, Japan and Russia“, some of the most important emerging markets for the fashion industry.

Vision, the third of the big Copenhagen fairs, had to admit a “lower visitor attendance” compared to last summer, when the fusion of CPH Vision and Terminal-2 celebrated its debut. Nevertheless, the organisers came to a positive conclusion overall: Exhibitors reported higher revenues and the number of international buyers grew once again – this time by 6 percent. “The continuous rise in Asian buyers, mainly from China and Japan, is also noticeable this season“, they said in their final report. CEO Peter Fenger Selchau stressed the importance of the fair's initiatives: ”We believe the increase in international buyers is a result of the long-termed marketing strategy at Vision as well as the PR strategy focused on Northern Europe and Asia”, he said. And after all, quality beats quantity: Like the other fairs, Vision managed to attract “important key buyers“ from renowned international retailers such as Isetan, Quartier 206, Debenhams, House of Fraser, Gerzon, Bendorff, El Corte Ingles, Asos and Takashimaya.

Photo: CIFF