Trade fair start of Premium and Seek: With new concepts against the mood of crisis

Like the global situation as a whole, the Berlin trade fair landscape has been characterized by uncertainties and upheavals in recent years. Constant relocations, farewells, bankruptcies and more or less successful attempts at a new start raised the first doubts about the future of the capital as an internationally relevant location.

The impression that the Premium and Seek trade fairs conveyed on Tuesday, the first day of the current summer season, was all the more pleasing. The obvious innovations were received very positively by the numerous trade visitors who came, and the bright midsummer weather did the rest to ensure an amazingly good atmosphere in difficult times.

Trade fairs are characterized by innovations

Some things had changed compared to the previous edition. For the first time since winter 2020, the Premium took place on the site of the former postal freight station at Gleisdreieck – and it immediately became clear how important the right location is for the atmosphere of a trade fair. The historic halls, which had been Premium’s domicile for many years until the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, offered the atmospheric setting for the collections on display that had been missing in the meantime, after the trade fair had last two seasons in the rather sterile exhibition center under the radio tower.

Also new was that the sister fair Seek, which also belongs to the Premium Group and is more geared towards sportswear, denim and classic leisure fashion, shared the halls with Premium for the first time. Both formats maintained their proven profiles, but complemented each other under the common roof to form a coherent and comprehensive overall picture.

The brand selection is more conclusive than last

A sharper focus when selecting the exhibiting brands was particularly evident at the Premium. While gigantic stands of less exciting mainstream suppliers had dominated the halls last winter, these had now largely disappeared. The range of brands was again more diverse, more exciting and more coherent – and thus invited the buyers to go on real tours of discovery again.

The premium makers have always counted the act of “curating” among their strengths. This time the targeted selection of the participating brands had a particularly positive effect. With the minimalist-elegant showroom of the Fashion Council Germany, even selected avant-garde young designers found their place at the fair.

The crises are not hidden

However, the numerous global crises were by no means ignored. Labels from Ukraine featured prominently, representing the war and its ubiquitous effects on the economy and society.

The topic of sustainability, which remains a hot topic, was present on various levels – in the established Seek area “Conscious Club” with its environmentally conscious brands, but also in the panel discussions in the so-called “Content Cube”, which were dedicated to the current challenges in the industry. A large number of upheavals were discussed there, which are currently occupying the fashion trade.

The changes in media use and shopping behavior were discussed there as well as the effects of the increasing use of AI on the clothing industry and retail. In addition to critical analyzes of the not exactly rosy situation in the industry in many areas, the aim was to open up future prospects and to counter the widespread pessimism with a spirit of optimism as realistically as possible.

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