Copenhagen fashion fair round-up

Copenhagen Fashion Week, which took place last week, was marked by a couple of new ideas. As the domestic market is still stagnating, the local fashion industry is trying to find ways to keep domestic buyers happy, as well attracting additional international guests. This time,

several new initiatives focused on Asian visitors. Moreover, two of the fairs which took place during Northern Europe's biggest fashion event, Gallery and Vision, moved their opening day forward: It was the first time both three-day events started on Wednesday. The change of date was also seen as a concession to local retailers, who are keen to be back in their shops on Saturday, usually the most lucrative day of the week.

At Gallery,

the new schedule appeared to work well: The visitors response on Wednesday had been "fantastic", according to CEO Christian Gregersen. In fact, the fair which boosts most comprehensive portfolio of Scandinavian designer labels in Copenhagen, had started even before it's official opening. On Tuesday, an exclusive preview for important buyers and journalists showing 50 selected brands, took place in one of Copenhagen's flashest hotels.

Overall, Gallery attracted 11.615 visitors, a slight increase from last August. The largest contingent came from Denmark (39 percent), followed by Sweden (23 percent) and Norway (10 percent). Apart from the Nordic Countries, German visitors (7 percent) made up the biggest group of visitors. The atmosphere was encouragingly, vibrant and optimistic during the three day event, as buyers from prestigious international department stores such as Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and Galleries Lafayette as well as buyers from big online retailers, for example Zalando and Asos, browsed the new collections of renowned Danish designers such as Henrik Vibskov, Stine Goya and Asger Juel Larsen.

The biggest of the Copenhagen fairs, CIFF, stuck to its traditional five-day-schedule and opened from Thursday to Sunday. "For our Scandinavian exhibitors, Sunday is an important day to meet buyers", said spokesperson Janne Villadsen. CIFF made the next step on its transition course that was initiated when Kristian W. Andersen set out to remodel the event in 2012. The most obvious innovation was the enlargement of the "Crystal Hall" area right behind the entrance, where progressive local brands such as Muuse, Freya Dalsjø or Han Kjøbenhavn presented their new designs. The adjacent "Style Setters" area, featuring established Danish premium labels such as Ganni, Est. 1995 Benedikte Utzon and David Andersen, provided a smooth transition to the big halls full of mid-market, high-volume companies that form the traditional core of CIFF.

CIFF and Gallery were busy and received positive feedback from exhibitors and buyers

So far, Andersen's strategy to introduce ambitious cutting-edge designers without alienating his long-time exhibitors has worked out well. This season was met with very positive feedback from buyers, journalists and exhibitors once more. "On the first morning, CIFF had twice as many visitors as the same period last season", Villadsen said. "We are very pleased, on behalf of all our exhibitors and guests, to have shown that CIFF and Copenhagen are on their way to become one of the top destinations on the global fashion scene", Andersen commented after the event. For next August's edition, he expects "more than 350 new brands" at CIFF.

With CIFF evolving and Gallery offering its tried and tested successful formula, Vision, the third of the fairs, has become increasingly overshadowed by the other two fairs. The visitor frequency appeared to be underwhelming on all three days and the overall atmosphere was less optimistic than previous seasons. "Generally, Copenhagen is not as well visited as it used to be", the organizers stated in their final report without publishing visitor numbers. "We can't expect to reach the same level. This is the new normal", Vision's founder Jan Carlson added. Spokesperson Trine Fruergaard said, the organizers had been "very satisfied overall" given the circumstances.

For next August, further crucial changes are already planned as CIFF decided to break its established schedule. The fair announced that it is going to open from Sunday to Wednesday for the first time. After discussions with brands and buyers, Andersen said: "What they all have in common is a wish to place the Copenhagen summer slot as early as possible, so it will fit better into the seasonal sales period." With the new schedule, CIFF keeps the Sunday as an important day for Danish and Scandinavian visitors while offering international visitors more attractive visiting dates. "We will hold the fair four days earlier so international buyers can spend Monday through Wednesday in Copenhagen and be home again before the weekend", Andersen said. Vision already followed suit and announced opening days from Sunday to Tuesday. The other two major players, Gallery and the organizers of the Copenhagen Fashion Week runway shows, have not officially revealed their plans yet.

Picture: Gallery