Collections have been on display and orders placed at the Düsseldorf Fashion Days since Wednesday. With temperatures sometimes falling below zero degrees, the weather was made for the autumn/winter collections after the rather warm December.
Overall, the mood in the North Rhine-Westphalian state capital was positive despite concerns about consumer sentiment in the current macroeconomic situation. The fashion industry has finally left the pandemic behind and seems to have learned how to deal better with difficult circumstances. Julius Brinkmann describes the situation as a “departure” in which brands and retailers “want to get everything out despite the difficult conditions”. It is therefore important for the Bugatti CEO that both parties now motivate and build each other up.
Good atmosphere and international flair in Düsseldorf
Many international buyers have also set out for Düsseldorf. In the corridors of the Fashn Rooms order fair, a lot of Dutch and Italian can be heard in addition to German. At the Supreme Women&Men, guests were also sighted with a further journey, including from South Korea and the USA, reports Aline Müller-Schade, Managing Director of the trade fair organizer Munichfashion Company. The individual showrooms were also delighted with the international audience. “We are pleased that a large number of international customers are also coming to order,” said Gerry Weber boss Angelika Schindler-Obenhaus, who is in the showroom of the clothing supplier from Halle in Westphalia.
In Germany, sales in fashion retail were better than expected in January, but there are still “uncertainties about the further development of consumers’ propensity to consume,” says Schindler-Obenhaus. In the higher price segment, the situation is much more relaxed than in the mainstream, agrees Hiltl CEO Gerhard Kränzle. The trousers specialist closed the second half of 2022 with good figures and is taking the positive mood into the new season. In view of the first appointments he has had so far, Kränzle seems confident. “We are positive, even if the circumstances ‘out there’ say otherwise,” said the Hiltl boss in the Düsseldorf showroom.
Also Joop! started the new season with confidence. In the past week, the brand of the textile company Holy Fashion Group had already met the larger fashion retailers, but the brand from Kreuzlingen was also “quite optimistic” about the smaller ones, which only came to order from the weekend, says Thorsten Stiebing. “It is so amazing that they have also struck out during the Covid situation. Now the situation is a bit more normal. There are a lot of balls in the air – deliveries and how the economy is. But I do sense optimism,” summarizes the Brand Managing Director at Joop! the mood of the buyers together.
Outerwear is growing
From Bugatti to Gerry Weber, clothing suppliers agreed that outerwear was performing well. After a mild winter in 2022, temperatures are falling at the beginning of the new year, boosting hopes in this area. The younger Gerry Weber brand Taifun is focusing more on wool this season and reducing the quilted jackets a little, which can still be found in all of the group’s collections.
The trend towards the “dressed up look” is also continuing. However, a certain nonchalance also plays a role. Pieces that formally function as two-pieces, but are also broken up by other pieces and styling. Among other things, Bugatti tried a rust-colored corduroy suit that Brinkmann wore during the interview and combined with sporty sneakers.
Especially in menswear there is a trend towards cord trousers. However, the brands are not quite in agreement about the performance. The Bugatti boss is optimistic, but cannot yet give a forecast. Things are very different at Hiltl. “Even though we know that the cord didn’t perform all that well overall, we sold it extremely well and are now selling it well in the orders,” says CEO Kränzle.
Brands react to rising costs
Despite the cheerful mood in Düsseldorf, the rising costs continue to concern the industry. In the mid-price segment, brands are trying to hold prices and not pass on the costs to them. Gerry Weber is careful to keep the entry price ranges per item group. According to Gerry Weber boss Schindler-Obenhaus, the clothing supplier from Halle in Westphalia has made “moderate price adjustments” for individual items where “the qualities have been raised”. Also Joop! tried to keep the “important corner price ranges”, but had to adjust the price by ten to twelve percent in some cases.
Hiltl particularly noted the “extreme developments” in the raw materials market for wool, where prices were adjusted by around ten to 15 percent, depending on the article. However, significantly more was raised for the trousers brand in the past season. According to the Hiltl boss, the prices for autumn/winter 23 could be maintained for around 80 to 90 percent of the collections.
skills shortage
After some fashion retailers launched waves of layoffs and hiring freezes in response to the losses during the pandemic, the counter-movement now seems to be setting in. In many corners, companies lack skilled workers. At the Joop! mother Holy Fashion Group, more than 70 positions are currently vacant, said Thorsten Stiebing. Gerry Weber also notices the shortage of skilled workers in some areas such as IT very clearly, said Schindler-Obenhaus. The womenswear specialist has only recently repositioned itself in other areas – among other things, Brigitte Danielmeyer has been Brand Director for the group’s main brand since mid-November.
The Bugatti brand has also noticed this problem, but sees itself well positioned with the superordinate Bugatti GmbH, which also owns other brands such as Wilvorst and Eduard Dressler. When filling new positions, the brand “still gets good, qualified staff,” says Brinkmann. For him, this will be “an essential key for the coming years to find good, qualified employees” in order to strengthen the future of the company.
Supply chain calms down
Overall, the supply chain situation seems to have calmed down a bit for clothing suppliers and they are getting their goods on time for the most part. Since the fourth quarter of 2022, the reliability of sea freight has been increasing again. Overall, we expect the situation to ease somewhat,” said Schindler-Obenhaus. In the meantime, Bugatti had planned goods early and thus “took the risk” in order to deliver on time, according to Brinkmann.
Nevertheless, there is still significant upside potential in some areas. yup! would need even more capacity in the sewing workshops, especially in the menswear sector. “We could sell a lot more if we could order the goods and they were there. The never-out-of-stock topic is incredibly attractive,” says Stiebing. Hiltl felt the effects of long waiting times, especially in the wool sector. There, the company sometimes works with weaving mills, where the waiting times are up to ten months, according to Kränzle.
Newcomers to the order days
The future of the fashion industry was also revealed with some newcomers who were attending the order days for the first time and whose wholesale business is still in its infancy.
The young brand Fevre Vinet from Remshalden near Stuttgart is brand new on the market. After three years of preparation, the brand started a little over a week ago at the Premium trade fair in Berlin and at the same time with its own online shop. They have already received positive feedback for their streetwear-oriented basics in Berlin and now in Düsseldorf at the Fashion Rooms, but no orders have been placed yet.
Prince Berlin is also attending the order days in Düsseldorf for the first time. Co-founder Zaza Börm, who founded the Munich-based brand for silk and cashmere accessories with her mother during the pandemic, draws a positive balance. In addition to “good conversations”, the first orders have already been placed, Börm is pleased at her stand at Supreme Women&Men.
On the other hand, the Düsseldorf designer Julius Bach felt somewhat out of place with a selection from his twenty-piece debut collection. His “eccentric creations” seemed a bit “too special” to the audience at the Fashion Rooms, explains the young designer. Therefore, his first participation in the order fair will probably remain an exception. But overall, at least on Saturday, the first day of the fair , not to be particularly busy on the grounds of Areal Böhler – not even at the premiere of Neonyt.