From Paris with love
A new look. A new direction. A new league of designers with a preference for escargot. Organisers of trade fair Fashion Exposed aren't taking a light approach to the new year, as Assia Benmedjdoub discovered.
There's something not quite right with the upcoming instalment of Fashion Exposed (FEX). It looks different, it sounds different and more importantly, organisers are hailing it as the next chapter in the eight-year-old trade fair.
"We've made a few changes," says Australian Exhibition and Conferences director Jane Harris, who points out that 95 per cent of stands have already been sold for the March 9 to 11 fair. "The new mix of quality labels is the best we've had to date and the response to our new advertising, marketing and website has been very positive."
The trade fair's latest promotional campaign, created in collaboration with graphic design agency Studio Brave and featuring a cool palette of snow whites and mint greens, marks a new direction for organisers, who are hoping to draw in the next generation of retailers.
"With fashion, it has to evolve and develop with the times," Harris says. "We've had an increase in new labels, new brands and new markets and felt it was time to embrace the next chapter of the fair. To reflect the stimulating changes at Fashion Exposed, it was essential we had a creative to communicate this message."
Visitors attending the spring/summer 2008 instalment can expect a number of changes to the traditional FEX schedule. At a practical level, there's the launch of the Australian Retailers Association Hot Half Hours - a series of open discussions about retail strategies, marketing, visual merchandising and buying profitability.
Presented by key industry figures, the three-day program will be divided into subject areas of 'Retail sales and service' and 'Managing retail options' and can be attending sporadically throughout the fair.
At a business level, there's the third instalment of The International Designer Showcase. Following on from the success of previous editions - which have included spring/summer collections from Belgian and Israeli designers - the March fair will see five top talents from France exhibit their wares in an exclusive fashion hub.
Designers include Paris designers Chantal Thomass and Virginie Castaway, Martinique designer Michaelle Merlin and labels Lejaby, Cannisse and Syryzya. Castaway, who launched her label in 2006, is already stocked in Gallerie 66 at Champs Elyees to New York department stores Saks and Henri Bendel.
"On top of that, we have 125 new companies exhibiting at the fair which is very exciting," says Harris. "Our pre-registrations are up more than three per cent on this time last year and we feel its because we have an unrivalled offer of labels across key categories including new labels launching from around the globe together with established names introducing new ranges."
Trade visitors can also expect the fifth instalment of 'debut', a competitive initiative which offers emerging designers a break in the Australasian fashion market. Curator Uli Hasel says the number of applications across the apparel, accessories and avante garde categories has swelled.
The 12 finalists include Holly Chalmers, Natalie Pietraszek, Phong Tan Kim and Ellen Adele from New South Wales; Jaime Beattie and Emily Stewart from Queensland; Alexi Freeman, Emma Vick and Karen Wong from Victoria; Selina Ding and Kim Nyugen from Western Australia and Yumi Holder from ACT.
"The quality of designers we have seen over the past few seasons has resulted in buyers making debut their first port of call at the fair," says Hasel. "It's great to see emerging talent mixing with some of Australia's leading buyers, media and industry at large."
All in all, approximatley 2000 labels will be on show with new and established labels from across Australia and overseas.
The spring/summer 2008/09 instalment of Fashion Exposed will be staged at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre from March 9 to 11.
By Assia Benmedjdoub