The conclusion of the major fashion events in Berlin created a hole in the fashion calendar. Previously, the capital was where the German-speaking industry gathered to preview collections and find new brands. Now, fairs from Florence to Amsterdam are attracting businesses and customers from Europe’s largest fashion market.
The fashion label Lara Laurén’s display at this year’s Modefabriek was extremely popular. The owner displayed her collection to two German purchasers. This incident between a German label and buyers occurred multiple times during the Amsterdam trade exhibition. Traditionally, Modefabriek, held in early July, is the gathering place for the Dutch garment industry, but the German language has grown more visible at kiosks and in the aisles in recent seasons.
The same could be said about the exhibit of the German pants brand Mac. “Five years ago, there were very few [German buyers], but now that Berlin no longer exists, it’s easy for many people from North Rhine-Westphalia and the Hamburg area to travel here,” Lydia van Egmond, a Dutch agency, told CNN. She believed that approximately 20% of visitors to the booth were from Germany, some of whom she knew well because they attended every season.
The trade expo had also seen an upsurge in visitors from its neighboring countries. In January, the number of visitors from Germany doubled. Modefabriek organizers report that visitors came from approximately 850 German stores. The Expo featured 36 German firms during its summer edition in July. The surge in the German-speaking crowd comes at an appropriate time, as internationalization has long been a priority for the trade fair, which has been attempting to reinvent itself since the pandemic.
