Denim Première Vision was presented in Berlin for the first time. After the last physical fair took place in Milan in October and was held digitally in the previous two years, the denim industry met again on site for the second time. FashionUnited looked around at the fair.
A colorful mix of exhibitors
Numerous denim heads gathered in the Arena Berlin, an exhibition hall in the Alt-Treptow district, on May 17th and 18th – the number of visitors rose to over 1,600. The light-flooded hall seemed empty at first glance – but the impression was deceptive: there was a lot of activity at the stands, and visitors sometimes queued at some exhibitors. A steady noise level reflected the enthusiasm of the conversations as plans were made here.
With 84 exhibitors from various areas of the denim industry – almost half of them fabric producers – the fair started well attended and diverse in the season. The areas of accessories, as well as ready-made clothing and finishing, were each represented by a dozen participants, followed by ten technology developers, as well as some fabric producers, laundries and a yarn manufacturer.
“The industry has expressed a need to return to a form of show where people can meet and where they can – more than anything else – do business,” says Fabio Dalla Val, Show Manager of Denim Première Vision. “The fair is not only for networking, everyone who is here really works – that’s a special feature,” he adds.
From fabric making to technology to craftsmanship
The fabric producer Isko used the novelty factor of the denim trade fair in Berlin to exhibit at a trade fair for the first time in a long time. “We wanted to come back with the Denim Premiere Vision, the timing was very good for the launch of our new collection,” says Keith O’Brien, Senior PR Manager at Isko. “It’s been a while since we’ve been to a trade fair. People have been really looking forward to us coming back and showcasing all our new innovations and what we’ve been up to over the past few years.”
The label also unveiled its latest collaboration with Paolo Gnutti, a capsule collection that caught viewers’ attention with an eye-catching Y2K-style design.
In addition to well-known names, some newcomers and niche companies were also present – including the Berlin design studio A New Kind Of Blue. At the fair, founders Tim van de Loo and Sandra Nielsen presented a denim fabric that is neither woven nor knitted and instead is felted from recycled denim leftovers. The material is then overstitched, creating a tweed-like fabric. The studio is currently striving to build a supply chain that will enable the innovation to go into production – from sourcing of materials and product development to embroidery specialists. “We hope to be able to make some contacts here. For us, it’s all about finding investors who are willing to put money into the project,” says co-founder van de Loo.
Giulia Perin from Emina, a label that uses traditional craftsmanship to bring dyeing processes back to their origins, hopes to gain direct business from participating in the fair – the focus is not on expansion and growth of the label. “I come here because I’m an artisan,” says Perin. “I offer my products here, but I don’t want to turn the label into a big name or a big company where everything is systematized. I’m more concerned with creating value.”
Wiser Tech, a company that produces washing machines for denim items, presented a washing drum at the fair for the first time that dyes without any water consumption. Fuat Gözaçan, founder of Global Mind Investments, to which Wiser Tech belongs, is satisfied with the participation at the fair: in a customer meeting, he secured the commitment of a large company that wants to switch between 20 and 30 percent of its production to Wiser Tech in the future . “We did good business, the machines have been sold from Italy to Tunisia,” reports Gözaçan. “It’s not about selling two or three machines, but about a far-reaching conversion,” he emphasizes.
The common denominator is sustainability
One topic runs like a red thread through the fair: sustainability. Dalla Val states: “For us, this show is about business and fashion. And sustainability is an integral part of business and fashion.”
“However, sustainability is being communicated far less than before,” says Dalla Val. “Companies have understood that sustainability itself is more important for the industry than just communicating it. Almost no one just makes empty claims anymore.” In fact, one does not see clichéd green lettering or circular arrows at first glance – but when entering the stands, prototypes fall into one’s hands that, on closer inspection, prove to be sustainably manufactured.
Berlin as the international epicenter of the denim industry
In addition to the two-day physical event, the Denim Première Vision was accompanied by a digital version that ran throughout the week. Some of the talks and performances that took place in the arena were partly broadcast live, partly at a later time – in order to “achieve a greater reach, also for customers from Asia and America or even those from Europe who did not want to or could not come ‘ comments Dalla Val.
Compared to Milan last autumn, the Berlin edition is even more multicultural, according to Dalla Val. Exhibitors came to Berlin from countries such as Italy, Germany, Morocco, Tunisia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China. The visitors were also of different nationalities – French, German, English, Italian and Turkish – the languages spoken were numerous. Dalla Val reports that the usual 50/50 split between international and domestic exhibitors and visitors in Berlin is a bit different: “I can confirm that there are a lot of international participants here compared to Germans.”
This differs from the Kingpins denim trade fair, which took place in Amsterdam in April. About 40 percent of the participating exhibitors showed at both fairs – a small overlap, according to Dalla Val. “It’s not about competition,” the show manager says of the kingpins. For him, the biggest difference is the purpose: while the Kingpins primarily serve to network, Dalla Val sees the completion of business as the core motivation of the participants at the Denim Premiere Vision.
Burcu Sevilir, Sales Manager at A14, a denim weaving mill who was also present at Kingpins, confirms: “This fair is more about business than networking.” Sevilir sees participating in the fair as an opportunity for new customers: to win inside and do business with each other promptly.
The choice of Berlin as the venue was a sure-fire success. Dalla Val reports that it was only a matter of time before the fair found its way into the “European fashion metropolis” of Berlin. “Berlin has always been a creative and inspiring city – it’s almost weird we haven’t been here before! Berlin has a rich history with streetwear – denim is also a kind of fashion culture,” says the show manager. In 2023 the fair will again take place in Berlin.
The strength of the denim fair also lies in the organizational experience of the parent company, Première Vision, which makes it easier to estimate visitor numbers. Dalla Val was satisfied with the Berlin edition: “The number of visitors exceeded my expectations – the booths are full, except for maybe one or two! The participants tell me good things so far – and they are my strongest source!”