Industry rejects Bread & Butter's move to Barcelona

Bread & Butter has officially announced its cancellation of its upcoming winter edition in Barcelona. Founder of the trade fair, Karl-Heinz Müller has decided to keep the trade fair in Berlin. “In numerous talks with the decision makers of our industry it became clear that in the current market situation,

they rather prefer to stick to the established format, despite the appeal and possibilities of the new. At the moment, most of the exhibitors are focused on the healthy and reliable German market,” said Karl-Heinz Müller in a statement.

“Therefore, we follow the fashion industry's calling and will hold the event as usual at the former airport Berlin-Tempelhof. Bread & Butter will take place, in parallel with other events in Berlin, from 19 to 21 January, 2015. At the moment I cannot say yes if or when we will hold an event in Barcelona in the future, maybe in addition to Berlin...maybe a summer event in Barcelona is more advisable.”

Karl-Heinz Müller added that although he believes that the advantages to holding the event in Barcelona “are perfectly obvious,” he think his plans to hold Bread & Butter in alternating cities needs more time to materialize and that any future step they may take will be with their exhibitors needs in mind. He also gave his thanks to Fira de Barcelona and notes that there is a big chance that the city will welcome the trade fair back in the future. “In Barcelona, we will always feel at home.”

Fashion industry refuses to move to Barcelona for B&B

The news hit Berlin like a bomb. Berlin's relevance as the capital for the international fashion industry is currently once again under debate, as other trade fairs, such as Capsule, cancel their winter editions in the city. Berlin, which is currently enjoying increasing popularity among tourists and investors around the world, is worried that it may descent into irrelevance within the international fashion industry.

Many of the regular exhibitors at Bread & Butter revealed to Karl-Heinz-Müller that they would rather remain in the “healthy and reliable German market,” as the market continues to prosper as never before. Due to low interest rates, Germans, especially the young, are not interested in saving and prefer to spend their money as they see just, with the majority of it being spent on fashion. This has lead to a number of international fashion brands trying to increase their presence in the country. Never before has there been so many flagship stores from the top international fashion retailers open in the country as now.

In hindsight, it seems as if Karl-Heinz Müller decision to move one of the city's most visible fashion platforms to a country in a state of economic crisis like Spain is not only questionable, but downright absurd. The move seems to have less to do with economic foresight, but rather one of personal choice, which has little to do with the fashion industry.

During his presentation after the last edition of Bread & Butter Berlin, the founder claimed that the “attraction of Berlin had eased considerably for international visitors.” However its seems to be that Bread & Butter's visitors and exhibitors share a different view, and for them a sustainable presence in the German market remains essential.

Karl-Heinz-Müller decision to move to Barcelona and then remain in Berlin comes not long after the intended addition of consumer days to the trade fair, which was also met with fierce resistance by industry insiders and exhibitors alike. Karl-Heinz Müller ongoing change of pace will undoubtedly make the trade fair buyers, exhibitors and wonder if Bread & Butter can be relied on.

Although the founder assures that the trade fairs plan for Seoul “will continue moving forward,” and the fair remains unaffected, one can wonder if Bread & Butter is a short skip and a hop away from slipping from one of Berlin's prestigious fashion fairs to a fashion circus show.