Yesterday: TheyKey.to, Berlin: Day 3 – Traditions, Commitment & Best Of
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The issue with attending trade shows is always the same: What do you get out of spending the money on traveling and staying over night?
For people who are either running their own brand, or responsible for one, the answer is rather straight forward:
If enough orders have come in during the event, or else good leads as for potential buyers are generated, then it was worth it. In all other cases it was a waste of time and money.
The exception to this rule are possibly brands and designers completely new to the business, for whom it is a brilliant way of how to get feedback, see reactions of buyers and the public – although they may not necessarily be able to afford the price of attending the fair …
For buyers the answer is less straight forward, at least from an outsider’s perspective.
Of course, they’re main reason to attend is finding promising collections to take aboard their retail outlet, and therefore finding the right combination of design/quality/price/reliability/novelty/experience is central to complete their task successfully.
But beyond that, it is at trade shows where new trends may manifest themselves for the first time more widely, new techniques, fabrics and ideas bubble to the surface and become visible to a larger public. Hence, another reason for buyers to attend is what I would roughly qualify as ‘trend scouting’. Essentially, it is about getting a feel for what will sell a little bit further down the line, and possibly be worth heaving an eye on during the events happening the following season.
For the general public, obviously, it is the thrill of ‘being part of it’. Although, the reality is that it’s always only partially true, since the fairs often exclusively are for professionals, with exception of the last day where the display items are sold off individually at a reduced price. Which means, of course, that for the public it is the opportunity to score one or several designer piece at a very reasonable price – certainly when compared to what it is bound to cost once on a retail rack.
And then there are people like me: journalists, bloggers, consultants and all the rest of the 'we know it all (or: better), and dare to judge you' group. For us, some goals coincide with that of a buyer’s point of view: trend scouting, talent scouting, technique scouting. It’s about seeing what is happening, where it is happening and how it is happening.
But beyond that, we’re in the luxurious position to be able and chat with designers rather candidly about their motivation, challenges they face, visions from different angles, and jumping from the ‘larger’ picture to the more intricate details. In short, we are the ‘academics’ among the attendants. Those that learn, analyse and compare based on the information we accumulate.
So – how did TheKey.to fare with respect to all these different categories?
There is no doubt that TheKey.to overall is probably the most innovative fair focused on ‘green’ fashion that is around, and as for the ‘scouting’ and ‘learning’ aspect is doing rather well I’d say.
It is also the most international I know of, but it still struggles to get recognised by buyers as a valuable opportunity and by Berlin Fashion Week as a serious partner. One of the big challenges over the upcoming editions will be how to tackle the marketing and PR on the one hand. And then how to manage and pull aboard those all important well known buyers to drop by even if for a fleeting visit, and then to making sure that each buyer – ideally – will be able and spot at least 1 designer who fits the schema.
It’s noteworthy that even rather established events like EstEthica and Paris Ethical Fashion Show struggle with the balance between innovation and commerce.
In the case of EstEthica, for instance, they have sacrificed innovation – the discovery of new, sometimes edgy, up and raising designers and brands – to the commercial success. As a consequence, the overall feel is rather bland, and represents – sketching a white-and-black image of the situation – an unimaginative idea of what the fashion mainstream is. But then again, that is pretty much in-line with London Fashion Week overall.
And in the case of Paris Ethical Fashion Show, having been bought by Messe Frankfurt in 2010, the 2011 edition only will give us a better idea of the direction in which it is heading.
For TheKey.to, I feel that the general direction is the right one.
They fare rather well in the areas where knowledge exchange – across all professions – and thoroughness of work is concerned, notably in their vetting procedure
But: At the same time it is evident that they have still ground to cover in order to carve out a niche as ‘innovative’ event with more determination, and that a lot of hard work is required to have their voices heard so as to attracted the all important buyers, and hence commercial success – the one single decisive factor after all, because where there is no sales, ethical brands cannot survive on thin air …
“Every journey begins with a single step” a Japanese proverb says. TheKey.to has taken a lot of steps ahead in the only 3 editions since its launch. For the organisers, the key will now be to be more sensitive and determined in their work with public and professional entities, specifically the mainstream fashion publications and the important ‘gray eminences’ in the (mainstream) fashion scene not the least in Berlin.
Next: London Fashion Week February 2011: Day 1 – Woolly milestones
Yesterday: TheyKey.to, Berlin: Day 3 – Traditions, Commitment & Best Of
