At first glance, it’s a typical Modefabriek morning: the crowded hall with the rows of stalls inside will be a familiar sight to many. This edition also features lectures and seminars by various experts. In general, the fair is still the same. But it’s the first physical edition of Modefabriek in two and a half years, and a lot has changed in the meantime.
To start with the organization behind the fair, not long after the last physical edition of the fair in January 2020, Creative Director Caroline Krouwels succeeded her colleague Lucel van den Hoeven as Managing Director of Modefabriek. Krouwels and Van den Hoeven have worked together since the beginning of the fair in 1996, and have become even closer in recent years, Krouwels said in an interview on Sunday. When the pandemic hit, Van den Hoeven asked Krouwels to take over his duties fully. He said: “I believe you can handle the transition that is coming. Krouwels accepted. “That was still with the idea that one day we would not have a trade fair. Of course I didn’t foresee that we would have to drop four.”
New CEO Caroline Krouwels opts for a more compact and intimate structure
The absence of trade fairs also gave Krouwels the opportunity to attend to what goes on behind the scenes of the organisation. This is where perhaps the biggest transition took place: the Modefabriek organizers moved to a smaller office with less storage space and the workforce was reduced. The organization became more compact and a lot was cleaned up: the IT systems were cleaned up, from the invoicing software to the customer care system. Krouwels: “The classic things that usually fall by the wayside. But we are very happy with it now, everything is going much smoother.”
The green light was finally given to Modefabriek SS23. The stands were sold in a very short time. Krouwels: “We noticed that everyone was enthusiastic again. Nevertheless, there are fewer exhibitors than at the last edition in January 2020, when one more hall was open. That has nothing to do with the number of applications, says Krouwels – there were more than enough of them. For the first fair after the pandemic, however, the organization deliberately opted for a “compact and intimate setting”.
This is also reflected in the design of the stands. “Sometimes there used to be real locks,” says Krouwels. The organization doesn’t do that anymore. The stands are now on average less high and less heavily decorated. That makes the fair more equal, says Krouwels. But it was also partly a practical decision : Modefabriek, like many other companies, struggled with staff shortages up to the last moment, and high stands were simply too demanding for the limited number of craftsmen and technicians available.
This development also contributes to the manageability of the trade fair, which may also be due to the fact that there is one less hall this year. The visitors agree: the owners of the boutique Toeti Noemi in Bergen, who are looking for new brands, say that they find the fair clearer than before. The vibe is more relaxed, say several retailers — perhaps because there’s less of a sense of rushing to see everything.
Modefabriek works with The Fashion Gallery
An important change is the introduction of no less than three new items at the show. The first is cooperation with the fashion initiative The Fashion Gallery, for which a corner in the right hall has been set up. Various brands from a slightly higher segment are exhibited here than elsewhere at the fair. These were previously part of the Fashion Gallery event previously organized at De Goudfazant in Amsterdam.
“After Covid, I didn’t want to take on all that anymore,” says initiator Karin Vink. “We preferred to work together, and it worked.” Krouwels is also enthusiastic about the cooperation. “Most brands have been here in the past, but eventually went their own way. I am very pleased that we are joining forces again with the relaunch of Modefabriek. The combination of initiatives is ultimately better, also for the customer.”
The Fashion Gallery’s brands, including Tiger of Sweden, Bruuns Bazaar and Femmes du Sud, are now represented together at the show. Good news for the brands, says Vink. Maarten Janse from agency Lexson Brands, which is represented by Tiger of Sweden in the fair’s Fashion Gallery, agrees. “It’s nice to be surrounded by brands from the same segment. This is exactly why the customers come here.”
Platform for young entrepreneurs
The second element is the Young Entrepreneurs Platform (YEP), which is located in front of the entrance to the fair. Modefabriek has always had its eye on young entrepreneurs and fashion creators, says Krouwels, but this year it found a new form. YEP was curated in collaboration with the shop and agency ABCNDstore in Amsterdam, founded by Jarwo Gibson. A selection was made from the labels hanging in the ABCNDstore including Studio Nani, Reconstruct, Hedone, Versatile Forever and Ties Amsterdam.
Gibson likes the fact that this way he can provide a platform for emerging Dutch designers, he says. He not only sells their brands through his own store and occasionally advertises them, but also to other companies here and there with ABCNDstore. ABCNDstore is still mainly focused on the Netherlands, but also wants to work internationally. Next week ABCNDstore will also be present at the Unfair art fair, with which Gibson seeks a middle ground between commercial fashion and contemporary art.
The Sustainable Stop aims to help companies to make sustainable change
Finally, there is The Sustainable Stop, the platform for sustainable brands. Sustainability is often a matter of course for young brands, says Krouwels, but this is not always the case for established brands – of which there are many at the fair. “These companies really need to change, you can’t do everything at once. There are so many elements to think about: fabrics, production, transport… I would like Modefabriek to play a supporting role in this.” The Sustainable Stop square in the middle of the left hall therefore houses not only fashion brands, but also companies dealing with sustainable lighting or software for a more transparent supply chain.
Modefabriek had previously bet on sustainability with Mint, a platform for sustainable brands founded by Marieke Eyskoot, but the fair stopped doing so in 2016. In 2022, Krouwels believes the issue will become even more pressing, partly due to recent economic and social developments – just think of the pandemic and high inflation leading to logistical problems and rising transport costs in complex supply chains. “We’re forced to face facts,” says Krouwels. “There’s no turning back.”
Rachel Cannegieter of Rethink Rebels helped select the brands for the platform. Brands were evaluated based on seven criteria: working conditions, sustainable materials, ambition, transparency, environmental friendliness, circular economy and location. The selection ultimately included brands such as New Optimist, ArmedAngels and Thinking Mu, but also lesser-known names such as the Spanish label Lavandera.
It’s the first time for Monica Lavandera and her business partner Mikel Coléra to be at the Modefabriek. If there wasn’t a sustainability section at the show, they wouldn’t be there, they say. The pair used to be at the more sustainable show Neonyt, but since it’s consumer-focused, many brands have been forced to swerve to shows that are still business-to-business. For Lavandera and Coléra, Modefabriek is a good opportunity to introduce their brand to Dutch retailers, as the label doesn’t have representatives here yet. Thinking Mu is also happy with a spot in a separate part of the show, although commercial director Eri Velázquez thinks the platform could have been more eye-catching: “So retailers really can’t ignore it.”
In the future, Krouwels would also like to further expand the Sustainable Stop itself. She also wishes that the integration of the Fashion Gallery will continue and that the focus will be on young entrepreneurs.
Krouwels has already reserved an additional hall for the 2023 winter edition. She has confidence in the further growth of the fair, she says. “Before Corona, I thought: How long is the breath of the trade fairs? There was so much going on on the internet back then. But during the pandemic we realized that in our industry it’s very important to be able to meet and see and feel the products in real life,” she explains Things that you have to experience physically, so now I see that these shows are important.”
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.