Men’s fashion is receiving more attention in the Dutch trade fair landscape thanks to the new Shift trade fair. The men’s fashion trade fair is intended to serve the entire menswear segment, rely on an interactive program and concentrate on the basics. What are the first impressions of the brand new trade fair? FashionUnited visited Shift on Sunday and describes the first impressions of exhibitors, visitors and the organizers.
Three months before the planned date, the co-founders of Modefabriek and Denim Days, Lucel van den Hoeven and Rik van Rijthoven, announce the start of a new trade fair. The Shift takes place at the industrial site ‘Taets Arts and Event Park’ in Zaandam, the Netherlands. The exhibitors are spread across two halls: the Yada-Yada Hall and the Glass Pavilion. The Yada Yada Hall showcases men’s fashion in all its forms, from suspenders, glitter shoes and cufflinks to shirts, classic suits and knitwear. The glass pavilion shows streetwear and offers space for speed dates and conversations.
On Sunday there was a convivial atmosphere on the site. The sun illuminated the open interior, which is characterized by its old steel beams on the ceiling and the concrete floor. Soft background music sounds and the exhibitors are ready to enthusiastically welcome visitors.
First impressions
The trade fair appears reserved, so that the products are the focus. The stands are equipped with identical iron frames with the brand name on a red sign. This is reminiscent of the structure of the Dutch preview trade fairs. The exhibitors praise the structure of the trade fair and the fact that a new place for men’s fashion has been created. Patty Borgo, sales manager at Bestseller, is represented at the fair with brands such as Jack&Jones, RDD and Selected Homme and describes the fair as “the old fashion factory”. “With Shift there is a place for brands that are not represented at other Dutch trade fairs,” he says. Brogo calls the location, organization and atmosphere “fantastic”. RDD is officially launched on the Dutch market with its FW25 collection. The jeans brand is bringing timeless items of clothing to the trade fair.
It sounds similar with Claq Knitwear and the Markup brand. The Italian representative is looking for agencies to represent the brands in the Netherlands and Germany. “The fact that there is a place for men’s fashion again is very practical for us. There is a good atmosphere and everyone is very open-minded since the trade fair is taking place for the first time.” Michel Bergsma from the Compañeros brand shares the same experience. “The organization behind the trade fair knows how to handle such an event. It looks premium and the atmosphere is good. We will be back here in six months.”
It sounds similar with Claq Knitwear and the Markup brand. The Italian representative is looking for agencies to represent the brands in the Netherlands and Germany. “The fact that there is a place for men’s fashion again is very practical for us. There is a good atmosphere and everyone is very open-minded since the trade fair is taking place for the first time.” Michel Bergsma from the Compañeros brand shares the same experience. “The organization behind the trade fair knows how to handle such an event. It looks premium and the atmosphere is good. We will be back here in six months.”
Hiltl and Selected Homme also join in: (inter)national brands are happy to secure a place at a Dutch trade fair. The location is good and the atmosphere is sociable, there is a good atmosphere.
Buyers are happy about selection
The trade fair is also a refreshing innovation for buyers. Eric Claeys and Christine Stubbe, owners of the Trendwalk fashion house in Belgium, are enthusiastic about the offer. “The trade fair has a diverse range of offerings,” they say. Claeys and Stubbe declare that they will continue to visit the fashion factory. After all, Trendwalk serves women, men and children. The owners actually long for a place where they can be inspired. “We’re going to Modefabriek, Shift and Preview this month. It’s good that there are offerings for all of our segments, but we would prefer to have one place that offers everything. For us as Belgians, it is not profitable to attend all the trade fairs because of the distance.”
Ruben Worms, owner of men’s clothing store D-Men Fashion, describes the shift as casual and well-organized. “The trade fair is in a prime location and is easily accessible. In terms of content, the trade fair has a nice format and the casual look has a very positive effect.” Worms has discovered new brands but has not yet placed an order. “I’ll let it sink in and make an appointment with them in the showroom later,” he says. The owner of D-Men Fashion adds that the glass pavilion’s signage is a bit confusing.
Quiet start at Shift
Next door in the glass pavilion, more than ten streetwear brands are presented, including Croyez, Malelions, Mausons and Jorcustom. Tables and chairs are set up in the back area where visitors can take part in speed dating in order to find “true love” for their profession. Lectures are held on the other side of the speed dating area.
The exhibitors also find this part of the trade fair on Sunday to be rather quiet. “The fair still has to wake up,” says Mauro Wilsons Estevão, founder and owner of the Mausons brand. “It might have been better to bring everything together under one roof.” The two halls would create a certain separation.
Arno Weel, co-founder of Common Era, agrees. “The venue is really very good and the atmosphere is perfect, but the audience is still outside. In terms of layout, we would have preferred to be in the Yada Yada Hall. We are excited to see what tomorrow will bring.” Visitors are also waiting at the stand of Jorcustom, a label that differs from other streetwear brands by offering clothing that can be customized to suit consumers’ tastes still waiting for an answer. The brand is at the fair to expand on the Dutch market.
The speed dating area and the talk platform still need to be expanded to reach their full potential. According to several exhibitors, the audience response to the discussions was not very great.
Annemarie van Nijen, Head of Sales at Shift, admits that the trade fair got off to a quiet start. “We are very happy with the setup, but it is true that the trade fair got off to a modest start. We cannot compare the number of visitors with Modefabriek – this fair has been taking place for years. The Shift is new and takes time.” Van Nijen also explains that the glass pavilion is temporary. “The Yada Yada Hall was already sold out in December. Some brands asked us if they could still get a space on the exhibition floor. We then decided to move a number of brands, speed dates and conversations to this space.” The Head of Sales underlines the growth potential of the venue. “The great thing about Taets Arts and Event Park is that we had the opportunity to add another space. This is also important for the future, we can continue to grow.”
On Sunday the shift remains quiet. Here and there visitors bustle through the corridors. The fair has not yet awakened. Tanja van Bel at the Osborne and McAlson stand, for example, said she hadn’t spoken to many people yet, and the Hiltl stand also remained quiet during the day. Nevertheless, the mood is good, the exhibitors are enthusiastic about the location, the structure and the organization.
The shift runs until Monday, January 27th.
This article previously appeared on Fashionunited.fr and was created using digital tools translated.
FashionUnited uses artificial intelligence to speed up the translation of articles and improve the end result. They help us to make FashionUnited’s international reporting quickly and comprehensively accessible to a German-speaking readership. Articles translated using AI-based tools are proofread and carefully edited by our editors before they are published. If you have any questions or comments, please email [email protected]