Moda fair: new exhibitors to know about - Perla Blanca

In a new mini series in the lead up to the host of internationally recognised trade fairs happening across the UK over the next couple of months, FashionUnited is looking at some of the emerging designers exhibiting at these events

for the first time. Founders and creative directors from across the continent are giving us insight into their labels and why they decided on a specific trade fair. Here we talk to Ozlem Moss, founder and UK based director of Turkish based womenswear label, Perla Blanca, which launched in 2009 but is making new waves into the British market.

Who

is Perla Blanca - whats the design direction, how did the label come about?
Perla Blanca label was established with the purpose of offering trendy, fashionable, contemporary women's clothes at high street prices. Fashion doesn’t have to be expensive. Our collections are created by 3 designers who travel around the world and visit all major fashion shows and take inspiration from directional trends.
 
Perla Blanca is a trademark owned by DF Garments based in Turkey where most fashion brands are designed and produced. DF Garments has been producing non-branded and private labels to some of the biggest brands i nEurope, including France, Spain, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, aswell as to the Middle East and Russia. With so much experience, know-how and skill in their portfolio, the partners have decided to launch their own label Perla Blanca in 2009.
 
What fair are you at and why did you choose Moda?
This is our first year in the UK market and we chose Moda as our starting point. It’s located in the heart of the country and attracts visitors from all directions. The visitor profile is predominantly buyers and business owners, therefore, it’s the right place to be for us. We also expect that a lot of people may not come to London this summer due to the Olympic Games and so we decided to focus on Moda Birmingham.
 
What makes Perla Blanca niche and to know about in the market?
Perla Blanca offers individual and interesting clothes at high street prices. Perla blanca is for women who want to be trendy and fashionable but do not want to spend a fortune on clothes. Our collections are inspired by the biggest catwalk shows, which are reflected into our designs.
 
Who is your target customer?
Style has no age. Perla Blanca targets all women who want towear trendy and fashionable clothes. Our styles come in a large range of sizes to suit all shapes and sizes. Perla Blanca women are strong and sexy, confidentin style, and like to stand out from the crowd.
 
What do you expect of your first participation at Moda?
We see Moda as a platform to start new and long term relationships with potential buyers and boutique owners around the country.We’re not exhibiting to make one off sales, our primary goal is to establish an ongoing partnership with independent retailers.
 
What is going to be your bestseller this coming season?
The year 2013 brings neon colours. The favourites in the Spring’13 season are orange, turquoise, red, fuchsia and more vibrantcolours for passionate, strong and sexy women. Perla Blanca Spring’13 collection reflects the re-awakening of the nature with the colours andpatterns used in our new designs. We are at one with nature this season. We used romantic colours full of passion and love, and we used feminine fabrics including cotton, linen and satin that make us feel free and relaxed in ourclothes. We then added sequins, jewels and foil prints to express our passionand energy! We hope you love them as much as we do!
 
What do you hope target/sales wise to achieve from exhibiting at Moda?
We don’t have a sales target as that is not our approach to business. We are here to meet boutique owners and buyers and start a new long term relationship. We are committed in our support to independent retailers sowe have exclusive promotions to show this support. Our free “Champagne,Fashion, and Style Advice” evenings at our buyers’ premises for their owncustomers, and our free POS merchandise vouchers with every order are just afew examples.
 
In our new digital days, why do you think trade fairs have stayed strong presence wise?
People buy from people. In fact, people buy from people that they know and trust. It’s not realistic to expect a boutique owner to buy 500 t-shirts online without ever meeting us. We do use technology in our busines sbut we do this to support our communication with our buyers and customers in different ways.However, our business is always done in person.