WeAr Select London Fashion and Art Trade Show opened its doors for the first time on January 9 and 10, 2016. Over 4 floors, womenswear, menswear, footwear, accessory designers and street art galleries presented key items from their collections. Visitors could capture the essence of a brand in a glimpse, and target their potential collaborators.
Nerys d'Esclercs visited WeAr Select London for SUPERIOR MAGAZINE and met with Shamin Vogel, owner and organizer of this fair, who explained that they "decided to do this show because it’s very important nowadays to give the brands a chance to present their collections to buyers, given that less and less buying messengers go to actual shows." In the brands’ presentations, buyers have more insight into the collections’ characteristics, and the collaboration between WeAr Global Magazine and the new fair gave the opportunity to realise a follow-up – which is the whole principle of having the show so early in the calendar. WeAr Magazine’s March issue will use its big white pages to focus on the main pieces from this show’s collections. As Shamin says, "if a buyer is sick or not present here right now, because I don’t know he doesn’t like the rain at the moment, then he would still get to the show, because the show gets to him." With the magazine’s eight language versions and the fact it is distributed in over 50 countries, there’s "a really good chance that your brand name is communicated and gets the attention of buyers." The follow-up aspect is also destined to happen between brands and buyers, who can set other appointments during this exhibition, making it the starting point.
"I believe the future in fashion is concept stores, no doubt." This is why Shamin decided to create this high-end show. She wants to offer concept store retailers the opportunity to work with remarkable brands, which will then push forward their business. When they organized WeAr Select London, they "turned brands away who didn’t offer something special, something very superior". This show is the idea that a concept store can be exceptional, where every brand would have something to say. And the fair of selected brands got even more concise, based on the fact that, "at the bottom line, buyers are human beings". The flowing curation of the show followed this thoughtful attitude: a well-defined path leading from basement to top floor, with each brand and their major items facing you. Easy and simple.
The buyers who were invited to the show got a chance to gain trust in the brands, as well as the whole exhibition and what it brought to them. The brands were selected specifically for them by the organisers, who worked closely with World’s Global Style Network – the leader in trend forecasting. As a buyer, you thus had a feeling that these brands not only had something superior in their quality and innovation, but you could be sure that they would follow the latest trends, a plus for any marketing technique.
On the quiet top floor, art galleries exposed street art icons, Banksy, Alec Monopoly or Fin Dac next to upcoming artists like Yoshi Itu (abstract art on clothes) or Marine Verdan (explosion of colours on metal Bulldogs with her "Vegas Bulldog" collection). This range of fashionable artists illustrated the close relationship between fashion and art, and how each complements the other. The trendy concept stores can house both industries, because the woman who buys "a jacket for the husband", as illustrated Shamin, "and some shoes going with the outfit" might also be tempted to buy art for her living room.
WeAr Select Trade Show thought about buyers and brands as actual persons, and not just an industry, which got them a biannual save the date!
Der Beitrag WEAR SELECT LONDON | Trend, Art and Fashion Trade Show erschien zuerst auf SUPERIOR MAGAZINE.