Melbourne steps up to the plate

The city of lattes and erratic weather had a hard act to follow after the NSW capital's first dibs at the Australian Shoe Fair, but ultimately acquitted itself well, as Belinda Smart reports.

:"A journey of a thousand steps begins with a single step" says the Chinese proverb - an apt enough saying for a newly minted shoe fair where footfall is a key measure of success. However it's only when the inevitable comparisons with the shoe fair in that other major Australian city kick in that the Chinese wisdom really hits home.
Melbourne's Australian Shoe Fair (ASF) - staged from August 13 to 15 at the renowned Exhibition Centre - was the first held in the Victorian capital. But while some claimed it went off with less of a bang than the inaugural Sydney event in February, the general consensus was its first single step had been decisive.
Showcasing a wide range of footwear from around 150 global suppliers, a strong point of difference in Melbourne was the emphasis given to Australian raw materials by a smattering of domestic labels offering tyQueensland men's footwear label Vein Wear had gone out on a limb with a niche Australian offer. Its offering - including four styles in two colours each and made from Australian crocodile, emu and kangaroo hide -proved a big hit with buyers, including one from Dubai who attended specifically to source authentic Aussie product.
Sydney women's label Lotus Bloom - a new player having launched in February - also used Australian emu, ostrich and kangaroo leather as well as imported salmon and stingray hides.
"I generally take the leather as the starting point for my designs," claimed Lotus Bloom director Louise Nguyen, adding the Melbourne show had certainly been worthwhile.
"It's been very good, easily as good as Sydney. I've While many exhibitors reported slower traffic on the last day, a Tuesday, many - including first timer Michael Kouranos of Kosheen - said the first day's activity had exceeded expectations.
"Our label has only been going for a few years and we thought we had all of the best stockists covered, however we have secured more accounts in one morning that we have in the past few months," he said.
Melbourne branded product giant Pacific Brands was equally pleased, reporting a standout response to fashion labels Candy and Sachi.
However, while not necessarily in the order of a thousand steps, there was room for improvement according to Victor Farid, owner of fashion label Miscellaneous. Farid suggested the fair might benefit from being held over four rather than three days.
"The last day seemed a bit empty. It might be worth starting the fair off on a Saturday rather than a Sunday; then you would get a bigger weekend crowd coming through."
A number of exhibitors agreed, with more than one claiming timing was a problem, with visitors limited to one trip more likely to attend fashion trade fair Fashion Exposed in September.
ASF organiser Australian Exhibitions and Conferences (AEC) rebuffed this comment, claiming that as the shoe fair was specifically aimed at footwear retailers, there was unlikely to be any conflict with Fashion Exposed.
Timing issues were unavoidable due to the availability of the venue, AEC managing director Marie Kinsella said.
"Australia is very restricted in terms of exhibition space. It's really a case of taking what you can get.
"I would have liked to have seen more people coming through [in Melbourne]. On the other hand this was an autumn/winter show so it was bound to be quieter. Furthermore the feedback I got from exhibitors was that while the footfall was less the value of orders was much higher for the Melbourne show than the Sydney show."
Bag and accessories label Urban Originals, which came to the show to launch its footwear line, said the Melbourne show had been positive.
"We've seen loads of potential regional clients. Our purpose in being here was to "It's true the traffic might have been a bit quieter but in our view the people coming through were more serious. I think the Sydney fair created a lot of attention because it was the first one, but the attendees in Melbourne were here to do business."
There appeared to be little doubt from overseas exhibitors -- including UK
and China based company Zoom International -- about whether the Melbourne
edition was worthwhile.
"The response to our ranges has been great," said Zoom shoes international merchandise director Marlene Ginsberg.
"There might seem to have been less people coming through than in Sydney but the bottom line is if you're a supplier you have to be here."