While ongoing geopolitical tensions and high inflation rates cause restraint and unrest in the fashion industry, the Unitex Fashion Festival continues to grow undeterred. For what is now the fifth edition of the event organized by the group of the same name – which deliberately avoids a classic trade fair name in its name – the Ulm Donauhalle was expanded to include a fourth hall. In total, over 180 exhibitors presented themselves with more than 250 brands on an area of 22,000 square meters. Around 3,000 visitors, around 700 more than last year, came to Ulm over two days.
As in previous years, the offering was varied. Shoes, accessories, womenswear and menswear as well as some service providers filled the now four halls. Around 90 percent of the exhibitors present are part of the Unitex group, but around ten percent also find their way to Ulm without a direct connection.
Anyone who stepped outside despite the many exhibitors in the halls saw a scene that had little to do with what one would expect from a classic trade fair. Some visitors played football, others sat in the sun with a burger in their hand, others listened to the sounds of a pianist who, seemingly out of nowhere, provided musical accompaniment before the evening concert series. A relaxed playground character that fits the concept of the event and makes it clear what is primarily about: not the conclusion, but the exchange.
Deadline ‘courage to take a gap’
May remains an unusual trade fair date. However, compared to previous years, it is becoming increasingly less controversial. Autumn and winter items are hanging on many stands while the temperatures outside are rising. This is because the spring/summer 2027 collections are still in development for most exhibitors, and the range of goods on offer is correspondingly thin. And yet a consensus seems to be emerging: the appointment is valuable not despite this gap, but precisely because of it. One order phase has been completed, the next one is still ahead of the industry, and that is exactly what is changing the dynamics of the conversation noticeably.
“This is about orientation, about having conversations and finding out what’s new, what topics are coming up and what else we can perhaps do together,” says Mathias Eckert, Managing Director of the S.Oliver Group, who was there himself. It is no coincidence that the group had a lot to say this week of all days. Just in time for the start of the trade fair, it was announced that the Rottendorf-based clothing supplier was acquiring the trademark rights to Baldessarini from the R.Brand Group, thus adding the next brand to its growing “House of Brands”.
In the future, Baldessarini will represent the range of the S.Oliver Black Label Men men’s line and will be positioned independently; the relaunch is planned for the beginning of 2027. The group is relying on a stronger brand presentation and a higher quality positioning with a more attractive price-performance ratio, says Eckert.
At the festival, the group used the takeover and the recently announced collaboration with Heidi Klum as the S.Oliver brand face to start conversations and as a signal of trust to retailers. Accordingly, the group’s stand showed all brands in the portfolio, which, in addition to the flagship brand, also includes Comma, QS, Lala Berlin, Liebeskind Berlin and Copenhagen Studios, but only based on selected individual parts.
It looks similar at Olympus. “I always say, we have to massage the issue in,” explained Kai Graf, Sales Manager Wholesale National, describing the idea of providing impetus before the budgets are distributed. “The trade fair is read at the order table – the budgets are distributed there and only what makes sense per brand is selected.” Unitex, on the other hand, offers the opportunity to place topics early, in this case the hybrid look, which is intended to transform Olymp from a shirt specialist to a full-service provider.
Mirjam Guggemoos, who is the Sales Manager for Southern Germany for the xyz DK Company in Ulm, formulated the question of the date pragmatically. A later date would make more sense in terms of content, but would inevitably collide with the order dates in Düsseldorf and Munich. “And then people go there to actually write orders.” Tenka Polgar, who represented the ailing Marc Aurel brand at the festival for the first time as a representative of the Much fashion agency, also praised the positioning. Retailers who cannot afford expensive trade fair trips while running their business would find an accessible framework here to prepare. “You look at what you could perhaps change in terms of the range, get inspired and start thinking about what you could include in the next order or perhaps what you could leave out.”
Still, some brands are more proactive than others. While many seem to be sitting out the current situation, Lerros is actively taking advantage of it. Provocative trade fair signs with slogans such as “Ready for returns” or “Market -3%; Lerros +12%” made the appearance unmissable and seemed to have an impact. In less than two hours, right at the start of the trade fair, the label collected five new order appointments for July.
“We are now having concrete discussions with new customers,” says Lerros managing director Alex Ibakasap. His assessment corresponds to that of Corinna Sebald, sales manager at Steilmann, which is active in wholesale again after a relaunch. Those that deliver value for money in difficult times and send the right signals could grow – even if the industry as a whole is shrinking. “It’s simply important to introduce ourselves to retailers again and to send a signal that we’re back,” said Sebald.
The reality between the halls
Because of course reality has not disappeared, it has simply retreated – into the corridors and into the gaps between brand conversations. It was noticeable that the stands in the halls were at times rather sparsely occupied. The frequency built up slowly and spread through the halls with a time delay. Especially in the morning, many visitors initially stuck with the industry heavyweights such as Olymp, Hiltl and Digel, who were positioned at the entrance, but the exchange never stopped, even in the back halls. The conversation density remained consistently high in the corridors as well as outside and at the bar tables. The industry sought conversation, both between retailers and with the industry.
These discussions are not always positive, and everyone present in Ulm is aware of that. Frequency problems, purchasing reluctance, pressure on goods and liquidity concerns characterize the current situation, and if you listen carefully you will hear these topics everywhere. Eckert, however, was one of the few to speak to her openly. Sales were extremely weak until the end of April, and the first positive trends in May came too late to save the season. In addition, there is a structural consumer reluctance, which in his opinion is caused less by false trends than by media uncertainty: Middle East conflict, rising oil prices, geopolitical nervousness. “We are already extremely reluctant to buy,” says the Managing Director, summing up the situation. Ibakasap is also aware of this, but nevertheless summed up the perhaps even surprisingly good atmosphere on site: “There are problems. But they are not so loud here.”
Only in the case of Marcus Aurelius were problems – or perhaps even the resulting opportunities – communicated openly. The appearance of the womenswear brand from Gütersloh, which has been in self-administration proceedings since the beginning of May, came as a surprise to some visitors. Visitors repeatedly came to the stand to express their concerns about the insolvency, and this is exactly where Polgar came in: reassuring customers and reassuring them that the label will continue to operate and will continue to deliver was the priority. To make the message clear, the representative also had the first visual impressions and mood boards for the coming season on site. “You can’t just bury yourself and do nothing anymore – that doesn’t drive business.”
Between sprinkling and acting
The big industry topics – space management, customer loyalty, pricing in a downturn – were discussed less at the stands than in lectures and panels next door. Andrea Krumme, CEO of Fuchs Schmitt, put it clearly in an interview with FashionUnited: “Why is trading called trading if I don’t do it anymore?” Recognizability on the floor, active communication with regular customers, the courage to focus – these are the orders of the day. “Providing visibility on the surfaces is the be-all and end-all.”
Olymp representative Markus Graf added: “I can’t influence the market situation, but I can provide an impulse here and ensure that the customers who are there take home a big, good receipt.”
Krumme described precisely what the festival makes structurally possible: “Because they don’t have to confess, retailers can let themselves be influenced to a certain extent. I think the industry needs that too.”
The Unitex Fashion Festival is thus increasingly positioning itself as what the industry is currently missing: a structured space before the actual seasonal decision. Not a trade fair venue in the classic sense, but a place where the course for the next season is already being set.
