On/Off launch

On/Off got off to a rocking start with its launch party during London Fashion on Sunday. The event, which has changed locations from Royal Academy of Arts to the Royal Horticultural Halls in Victoria, showcases up and coming designers who represent an internationally bright future for the British fashion industry. Attracting over 6000 buyers and press per season, On/Off will only work with designers that can produce what they showcase on their catwalk, in an attempt to reverse the growing reputation that London is conceptually strong but unable to deliver when it comes to taking order.

On/Off, which represents designers such as Spijkers & Spijkers, uniquely bridges the gap between on and off schedule shows. On/Off offers designers a prestigious yet affordable showcase produced by experienced professionals and a commercial platform from which to sell. Once selected, On/Off nurtures those designers who can demonstrate they can not only create unique womenswear, but that they also have the business infrastructure and manufacturing back-up to supply potential buyers.

www.thedoll.org
18 September 2006

Oxford Street not back to shopping mecca it once was

Last Saturday's “Celebrate Oxford Street – Dress to Impress” event did help lift shopper numbers in the Congestion Zone by 10.0% compared to the previous week. And in Oxford Street itself, stores' footfall levels were up by just over 30% against the previous Saturday. However, the year-on-year figures were less flattering and more revealing; in the Congestion Zone shopper numbers were down 12.1% and in Oxford Street itself numbers were down by over 5%.

According to Dr Tim Denison, Director of Knowledge Management at SPSL; “These latest figures demonstrate the size of the challenge facing Oxford Street in 2005. Not even the glitz and glamour of celebrities nor roads closed to traffic could encourage as many shoppers into the West End as there were on a normal Saturday in October just last year.

“Welcome to retailers as they are, promotions and marketing campaigns alone are not going to be sufficient to attract shoppers back permanently to the West End. The issues are more deep-rooted than that. Some of the blame can be attributed to the fallout from 7th July and the general retail slowdown, but certainly not all of it. The downward trend in shopper numbers there was present long before this summer, the terrorist attacks and the Congestion Charge Zone.

Oxford Street and Regent Street used to be a magnet for shoppers worldwide, offering a combination of destination stores, high quality retail environments and exclusive products that couldn't be equalled elsewhere. Today this simply isn't the case and no amount of cosmetic treatment will make it so, as revealed by these figures. The numbers simply vindicate this year's establishment of the West End Company and the urgency of its aim: ‘to make the West End a world retail destination'.

5 October 2005

Book Now For Retail Events Conferences

Retail Events Ltd. has announced the topics of two conferences to be held this Spring. The first, Interactive Kiosks 4 Retailers is to be held on the 18th of May. The second, Strategic Outsourcing 4 Retailers will be held on June 15th.For more information visit www.retailevents.co or contact 020 7430 0077.

6 April 2004

20th IAF Convention Barcelona next month

The celebration of the 20th IAF convention will take place in Barcelona at the same time as another very important event, the Universal Forum of Cultures 2004. This new world event will enable open dialogue between different life styles, social, political or religious points of view, building new ways to help people live in peace. For centuries mankind has pursued this utopian goal and it is a permanent exercise of creativity and consensus to keep trying to achieve it.

The apparel business reflects similar aims. People around the world wear different clothes, showing cultural diversity and a wide variety of tastes. We have an emotional business where fashion tries to satisfy these needs by creating individual clothes and accessories according to each personality. The industry becomes increasinglymore global and manufacturing around the world becomes faster and faster. Communications break all barriers and we can send information to make a garment instantaneously.

Barcelona shares mountains and sea, clear skies and blue waters, science and leisure, museums and an active life. We believe you will enjoy staying with us, discussing the issues we are facing today, which include the lower economic growth of the developed world, the enlargement of the European Union, the liberalization of trade in textiles and apparel in 2005, and the political environment, and how to deal with them. We are operating across borders as global players through designing, sourcing, marketing and distributing products. We are meeting highly competitive markets with a consumer attitude which is leading to individual tastes and buying habits.

IAF will have interesting speakers, from all over the world, delving into the state of art and science, giving their opinions and sharing with you their views and knowledge. Their long-standing experience in our industry and retail trade should be a key element to define or reinforce our own opinions, providing a firm ground which will help to make decisions in the future.
The convention's program is divided into four areas: Cultural Differences and Creativity, Global Perspective, Social Impact, and Value Chain from Designing to Retailing.

www.iaf2004barcelona.com
april 1 2004

Register For Retail Fraud Seminar

Retail Events is hosting a Retail Fraud seminar for UK retailers in London on March 31st 2004 at the London Marriott. Industry experts will provide case studies from renowned retailers including Woolworths, Lastminute.com and B&Q The event is further poised to provide great networking opportunities with over 80 leading retailers already registered to attend.

The event is free for retailers and costs GBP495 for technology and solution provider companies. For more information please contact 020 7430 0077

10 March 2004

London Streetwear Shows To Merge Events

Streetwear shows London Centre, London Front Cover and London Edge will merge to all take place at Kensington Olympia next season. Show director Carole Hunter said the three shows will occupy the ground floor and level one of Olympia, creating 25 per cent extra floor space for new exhibitors. The decision to merge the shows came after a mixed response from exhibitors and buyers this season.

Although many exhibitors at London Central and Front Cover, held at Olympia last weekend, were pleased with the high international turnout, which accounted for 40 per cent of visitors, they were disappointed by the size of the show and lack of buyers from the UK. Attendance at sister show London Edge, which took place 10 minutes away at the Commonwealth Institute, was better, although no figures were available. The show will run next season from September 5-7.

17 February 2004

Busy Times for Fashion in Berlin

Berlin and fashion - probably a perfect match. For the third time, two fashion fairs - the Bread & Butter and the Premium - took place in the German capital last weekend. Even though the city does not have a high design fashion tradition to speak of, there definitely is a blooming street scene. Therefore, both fairs initially concentrated on the sports- and streetwear market. But this year, they started expanding their range to the new men's and women's wear, featuring a lot of young designers and brands. Thus the two fairs also gave an insight into the latest developments of fashion design in Berlin. Established young labels such as Soto Stich or Firma were present as well as newcomers like Choucroute or Smeiliner.

The Bread & Butter, located in an old industrial building complex in Berlin Spandau with a space of 45.000sqm, is by far the larger of the two fairs. This year, it was divided into five segments: jeanswear, sportswear, independent, casual/outdoor and superior, which was specially added to feature high quality labels. Among the 380 exhibitors commercial giants such as Adidas, Levi's and Nike as well as independent brands like Etienne Ozeki, Paul Frank and Punk Royal presented their new collections.

Over all three days, the event was crowded with international visitors which mostly came from Italy, Scandinavia and the Netherlands. The atmosphere which used to remind of a fairground last summer when merry-go-rounds and dodgems provided entertainment now turned out to be much more professional. This may reflect the positive development of the German fashion market over the last months: Obviously, it is time to do business again. Another innovation of this year's Bread & Butter was the introduction of fashion shows into the fair. For the next event in summer, B&B's manager Karl-Heinz Müller even envisages organising shows by Dries van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester, which shall take place in historical buildings all over Berlin "to catch up with traditional fashion capitals such as Milan, Paris or London".

The aims of the Premium, which housed about 290 exhibitors this year, are quite similar. Anita Anic, who is part of the management, says: "At the moment, there is still a hype about Berlin. We need to get to the next level and become more professional." Their high ambitions were reflected by the fact that the Premium had managed to invite stars like Hussein Chalayan and Marc Jacobs who presented their menswear collections. The growing international importance of the fair is reflected by the fact that even British buyers ordered pieces from Duffer of St. George there - something you would not normally expect to happen in Berlin.

The question remains why fashion people are generally more and more attracted by the city. Dave de Boer, Dutch manager of the agency Fashion Soutions, puts it this way: "The people come for inspiration. The multicultural atmosphere typical of Berlin is similar only to Amsterdam, London and New York. There are lots of people who are really creative with limited resources." And there is another advantage: Compared to London or Paris living in Berlin is much less expensive which makes it easier for people to develop their creativity and concentrate on designing.

20 January 2004