The Berlin fashion trade fair Premium is discontinued.
The next edition, which was supposed to take place on January 16th and 17th, has already been canceled, the trade fair operator Premium Group announced on Tuesday. The Seek format, which is held in parallel and is aimed more at a younger target group, will continue to take place.
“Our flexibility and creativity enable us to react dynamically to changes and always offer innovative solutions,” explained Jörg Arntz, CEO of the Premium Group. “Together, we strive to continue setting standards in our industry while having a positive impact on the community.”
The reasons for the Premium coming to an end are the developments in the industry and the change in the global economic situation, which present “large trade fair formats with a new dimension of challenges”. Formats like Premium are no longer up to date. Instead, boutique trade fairs and specialized events are expected to gain in importance.
“Premium was more than just a trade show. In 21 years we have been able to achieve a lot, have been the stage for an incredible number of success stories in the industry and have moved the whole world to Berlin,” adds Anita Tillmann, who is retiring from the management of the Premium Group at the end of the year. “But we are also entrepreneurs and concepts have half-lives, nothing lasts forever. Two decades is a long time in which the premium has absolutely outperformed despite all odds.”
Seek continues
The Seek was very strong compared to the Premium at the last edition in the summer and led to good results, said the Premium boss. That’s why the shareholder Clarion, which, in addition to Premium and Seek, is also behind the wholesale trade fair ‘Womenswear in Nevada’ and the sourcing event Global Sources in Hong Kong, is also relying on the younger format. “The Seek generation is the future – constructive, cooperative and honest,” says Arntz.
At Seek, in addition to the core streetwear segment, the topic of sustainability is also becoming increasingly important, which is implemented in the form of the “Conscious Club”. In this area, trends, impulses and collections from a more sustainable segment are presented.