Since Monday, Seek in Berlin has been presenting a new trade fair concept, but the restart is being overshadowed by several departures in the management team.
Creative Director Maren Wiebus, Sales Manager Damien Winpenny and Senior Sales & Project Manager Ellie Moreno announced their departure from the trade fair, which specializes in streetwear and sustainability, on the career network LinkedIn. But the three are not the only ones. Show director Marie-Luise Ahlers had already announced on Monday that her 13-year work at the trade fair, which is part of the Premium Group, would end after this season.
Wiebus worked at Seek even longer. She began her career almost 20 years ago as an intern at the Premium Group, as she shared in her LinkedIn post. She then took on various positions within the group before taking on the position of Creative & Event Director at Seek in 2020. However, Wiebus seemed to have been essential to the creation and further development of the Seek concept long before. For the 20th anniversary of the Premium Group in 2023, former Premium boss Anita Tillmann attributed the idea for Seek primarily to Ahlers and Wiebus. Both recognized and implemented the industry’s need for a “culturally influenced, creative concept” early on.
Moreno also worked for the Premium Group for over a decade. After working as a sales manager, she was appointed Senior Sales & Project Manager at Seek in 2020. Damien Winpenny, on the other hand, worked for the Berlin trade fair organizer for seven years. Before moving to Berlin in 2018, he worked for the London BP Showroom Ltd.
What’s next for the Seek?
January was actually supposed to herald a new start for the Seek. In October, the last remaining fashion order event in Berlin surprised everyone with a comprehensive overhaul of its concept. In addition to a new date, from January 13th to February 2nd, a new location on Oranienstrasse in Kreuzberg was also presented.
The unusually long period of time should offer brands the opportunity to design their presentations flexibly and individually, it was said in October. Through bookable periods and tailor-made conditions, companies can target their presence specifically at different target groups – be it for meetings with existing customers, exchanges with the press or addressing potential new customers. So far, according to the published calendar, the majority of exhibitors seem to have concentrated on the period between January 13th and 20th.
Even before the trade fair could really start and the new concept got underway, initial speculation arose as to whether the new concept could be a final liberation for the Premium Group’s only remaining event. After all, the former sister trade fair Premium had repeatedly announced new concepts and locations before it had to finally close in January of last year. However, creative director Wiebus clearly denied this in an interview with FashionUnited and emphasized both the justification and the need for the Seek.
What impact the departure of Wiebus, Winpenny, Moreno and Ahlers will have on the future of Seek remains uncertain for the time being. However, it seems almost certain that the trade fair is once again facing a turning point.
Editor’s note: FashionUnited has asked Seek and the Premium Group for a statement.