The Neonyt fair, which focuses on more sustainable fashion, took place in Düsseldorf for the first time. FashionUnited summarized how the Neonyt and the order fair Fashn Rooms harmonized side by side and what was going on at the green fashion fair.
Messe Frankfurt’s B2B platform took place from Saturday to Monday in the industrial halls on the Böhler site in the Lörick district of Düsseldorf. At the same time, separated by a corridor, the fashion rooms took place in the side hall. The trade fair organizer Igedo Exhibitions carried out both formats for the first time, which were accessible with a combined ticket.
The ‘Neonyt’ brand is licensed to Igedo, which plans, acquires and markets as a partner of Messe Frankfurt, explains Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt. “We always work in close exchange, bring in our network, organize our Fashionsustain conference format as part of the Neonyt in Düsseldorf, which also acts as a magnet, and we all pull together.”
Until January 2020, the Neonyt in Berlin took place at the same time as the fashion week. Then she changed her location with several interruptions due to Corona and moved to the Main as part of the Frankfurt Fashion Week. However, it only took place there last July as an event for customers. For the more sustainable brands, this realignment left a gap in their fashion calendar to connect with the industry. In the months that followed, the hopeful message came that the trade fair would take place as a B2B event in Düsseldorf and Paris.
More about the first Neonyt in Paris:
Two trade fair fashion worlds
At first glance, it seems as if you are entering a new world of fashion when you go through the lock from the ‘Alten Schmiedehalle’, where the Fshn Rooms is held, to the ‘Kaltstahl-Halle’ to the Neonyt. Despite the more compact arrangement of the individual stands, which are divided into two long aisles, the Neonyt appears much livelier than the much larger format next door. The vibe at the stands of the more than 80 labels at Neonyt is also much more relaxed. For example, visitors to the stand of the Hamburg brand Derbe tried to throw small sacks through a hole in the game ‘Cornhole’ (also known as a blind hole). Elsewhere, exhibitors and visitors exchanged ideas in a good mood during a relaxed conversation.
Nevertheless, there wasn’t really anything going on in the aisles of Neonyt on Saturday either. “The location of the Neonyt is very charming and the brand environment is great. A little more frequency would still be desirable,” said Lennart Unterhuber, sales manager of KSports GmbH, which is behind Derbe. Sophie van den Berg also noticed that it was a bit quieter on the first day, but expected more visitors on the other days. The Dutchwoman, who had secured a place at the trade fair ‘last minute’ with her LoveSophia brand, was warmly welcomed and has already had her first orders, she says at her stand. She has been running her own brand, the auf ‘Smart Casual’ with knitwear made from organic cotton. When it comes to frequency, Mazine co-founder Henry Canton agrees with the other brands. He finds the organization of the fair very good, but would also be happy to see more visitors on the first day.
Trade fair to order or new customers?
Actually, when Neonyt was still held in Berlin, it was less about writing orders than about networking and winning new customers. For the orders in the area of sustainable fashion, it was more likely to go to Innatex. With the new location and time of the Neonyt, however, this will take place before that. So what is Düsseldorf about? As can be heard from the brands, it seems to be a mix. First and foremost, new contacts should be made, but the brands also make an effort – some more, others less – to invite their existing customers to the trade fair or to convince new customers on site.
With his appearance at Neonyt, Derbe wants to underline his sustainability-oriented focus, give existing customers the opportunity to get to know the brand and the people behind it better and promote new customer acquisition. “Our commercial agencies actively approach potential customers and invite them to our stand. But it’s just as gratifying when customers who you may not have known come by and make new contacts,” says Unterhuber. It’s primarily for the sporty, urban brand Mazine, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year It’s about winning new customers. “Of course, if the customers want to place orders, we’re happy to do it. That also saves us time for our own order appointment abroad or in our showrooms,” says Canton. But the brand was also represented at the Seek in Berlin and the Innatex in the past few weeks.
Van den Berg was also at the Premium fashion fair before Neonyt in Berlin. But she didn’t like it that much there – it was too big and the mood was quite cool. The visitors were only there “to look” and not to order. That’s why she wants to take off at Neonyt. She uses the fair to make her brand better known, but also as an opportunity to arrange orders and thereby grow. Because she only organized her stand one day before the start of the fair, she didn’t have too much time to contact retailers in advance, explains the LoveSophia founder. Nevertheless, she invited a few customers.
The first Neonyt in Düsseldorf
Several exhibitors have heard that they appreciate the organization and the atmosphere in the old, industrial hall. So it doesn’t bother that a classic order format is held next door. Derbe sees it more as an opportunity. The label, which appeals to both sustainability-oriented and commercial retailers, also hopes to attract new customers who are currently reorienting themselves and want to become more sustainable.
Of course, the costs for the brands also play a role. Unterhuber finds the stand rent “totally acceptable” as it is between the Innatex, where “the price-performance ratio is great” and the Premium, which is in the upper price segment. For the Ruhrpottler:innen of Mazen, the proximity is a plus, as there are no large costs for travel and accommodation. The Neonyt is not one of the mandatory dates for the brand from Mülheim an der Ruhr. She’s there because it’s a home game for her. Otherwise, “we would definitely reconsider,” says co-founder Canton. Van den Berg was satisfied even after three days of the fair and was happy about the positive feedback from buyers, bloggers and influencers. The Neonyt is definitely on her list for summer too.
“Three successful trade fair days of the first licensed Neonyt in Düsseldorf are now behind us, after our first compact Neonyt Preview Edition took place in Paris a week ago,” summarizes Schmidt. “We are very pleased that more than 80 labels – strictly curated according to sustainability and fashion – were able to present themselves in the ambitious environment of Neonyt in Düsseldorf.”
For the upcoming edition in July, Neonyt is to be further expanded, but still remain a “curated event”. Schmidt sees interest from brands that were already there in January to come back, as well as exhibitors who weren’t there yet. There are said to have been some potential exhibitors in the aisles of the trade fair who “first looked at the Neonyt in Düsseldorf before they are there in the summer”, according to the representative of Messe Frankfurt.