Despite celebrating its 20th instalment, Fashion Exposed will be business first and foremost at next month’s Sydney extravaganza. Melinda Oliver finds out what buyers can expect.
February will see the 20th edition of trade show Fashion Exposed come to life, with organisers more intent than ever to ensure it positively impacts the business of fashion after a tough economic year.
Australian Exhibitions and Conferences (AEC) managing director Marie Kinsella is behind the event and says a key aspect will be the launch of a new online Fashion Exposed Club for retailers.
“Fashion Exposed Club members will have access to a year-round online solution for ordering specials and incentives from our exhibitors,” she says. “This online business portal will provide exclusive offers for Fashion Exposed attendees, with the opportunity to meet face-to-face at the show twice-yearly.”
To be held at the Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour from February 14 to 16, Fashion Exposed & Preview will comprise informative business and trend talks, pop-up Live Look Book shows providing snapshots of key trends and more comprehensive catwalk shows.
For the first time in Sydney, Fashion Exposed and high-end fashion precinct Preview will be held in conjunction with the Australian Shoe Fair and Bags and Accessories Fair. It is also being held earlier in the selling season than usual.
Kinsella says the changes are proving popular with interstate retailers who are happy to make just one trip to Sydney to fulfil their buying needs.
“Visitor registrations are well up on previous seasons at this stage,” says Kinsella. “We are hearing that in tough economic times retailers are choosing to stay at home and visit local fairs rather than travel to places such as Hong Kong to visit international exhibitions.”
This has not stopped international visitors from expressing interest in coming to Australia for the show, with 150 people registered at the time of press - a figure AEC expected to increase by 75 per cent.
Educational experiences include Hot Half Hour industry talks conducted by the Australian Retailers Association, offering retail sales, service and management advice. New to the fair will be Runway to Reality - comprising retail and style workshops presented by iSpyStyle director Kate Vandermeer.
These comprise a workshop exploring how to improve the retail experience through visual merchandising, buying and customer loyalty programmes. The style workshops for both menswear and womenswear will look at key trends from exhibitors and how retailers can interpret them for consumers.
Visitors will have over 500 exhibitors to peruse across menswear, womenswear, Streetlab, Preview, Debut and Junior precincts, as well as the shoes, bags and accessories areas. They will show over 2000 labels on approximately 23,000 square meters of floorspace. Kinsella feels this strong presence reveals optimism is returning following the impact of the global financial crisis.
“The kids section is 60 per cent larger than last year... in accessories we have a full space and have waiting lists. [For] the Australian Shoe Fair we really had a resurgence this season – we’ve filled one whole hall with footwear and that space normally incorporates accessories.”
The menswear precinct is also proving particularly strong, with 88 per cent of floor space booked at the time of press.
After launching at Fashion Exposed in Melbourne last August, lingerie and sleepwear precinct Allure, Intimates and Body Basics, will appear in Sydney for the first time. Brands including loungewear label SpencerLacy, sleepwear brand Misoh and Underwear of Sweden will be on show.
Established fashion brands to participate include New Zealand sport-inspired brand Canterbury, which Kinsella says is returning to the fair after a break. “It is a sign of confidence that they are showing and want to expand their retailer base,” she says.
Other big names include Breakaway Apparel, Jockey Australia and Yarra Trail Menswear. In Streetlab, Brisbane label Vanguard, new men’s rock inspired brand Acadeo and men’s label Macri Brothers will show among many others.
First-time exhibitors include denim brand Embody, which offers sizes for women up to 26, Spanish creative brand for men and women Desigual and Australian-made swimwear label Kooey.
The annual Debut competition for fledgling labels will appear, with twelve finalists on display across apparel and accessories, each vying for a share in a $20,000 prize pool.
“The prizes are seen as valuable and well worthwhile, including individual stands at the next event,” says Kinsella.
The Avant Garde category, usually part of Debut, will now appear as a standalone category on the floor.
Despite the business-focused approach, the 20th installment milestone will not be ignored.
“We think this is a great achievement and we are committed to another 20 seasons, “ says Kinsella.
In honour, a number of prizes for visitors have been sponsored. These include 10 prizes worth $2000 from exhibition stand company Synergy Design and 20 prizes worth $500 each to use at shopfit company Shop for Shops.