Business to Business

Trade Shows

Initially, trade shows in Milan, Berlin, Copenhagen, Netherlands, UK and Paris were discussed with the businesses who wanted to wholesale or build connections with retailers.

Some SMEs had existing relationships with trade fairs. If you already have a connection that is still useful, it makes sense to revisit those relationships. The pre-existing relationship between Fashion Revolution Open Studio and Studio MM04 with Berlin Fashion Week’s 202030 Fashion Summit as well as Premium and Seek proved to be the most relevant spaces for SMEs with B2B businesses and new systems of working.

Fashion Revolution Open Studio has been part of Berlin Fashion Week since 2019, creating a programme of events in the city in collaboration initially with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin and then the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Enterprises.

Studio MM04 are the organisers for the 202030 – The Berlin Summit which is a conference and exhibition hosted during Berlin Fashion Week, to create a space to discuss new ideas, circular systems and issues around sustainability as well as to showcase brands’ new collections.

The challenge with showing at trade shows for SMEs still developing their product, was that deadlines were difficult to meet within the timeframe of the SbP project. As well as Premium/Seek, Future Fabrics Expo with The Sustainable Angle was earmarked as the preferred trade show for a number of SMEs working on material innovation. However, the date for FFE 2023 was outside of the timeframe of the SbP project.

Overall, 11 businesses showed their R&D outcomes at the following trade shows in Berlin, Milan, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Utrecht, Salzburg, Dallas and New York:

PREMIUM SEEK, BERLIN, GERMANY

–

NÄZ, NILTEXTILE, WAYZ, TIZZ & TONI/ GREENSTYLE E-XPO SALZBURG, AUSTRIA –

CORA HAPPY WEAR/

COTERIE NEW YORK – FASHWOOD/

FA LA GIUSTA, MILAN, ITALY – R-COAT/

MODEFABRIEK, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – PALANTA/

202030 – THE BERLIN FASHION SUMMIT, GERMANY SOLOSTUECKE, SICA/

DUTCH DESIGN WEEK, EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS – PRELOVED BY STUDIO

SARMITE X ROUA ATELIER/ MATERIAL DISTRICT, UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS – PRELOVED BY STUDIO

SARMITE X ROUA ATELIER

CASE STUDY: Small but Perfect x Berlin Fashion Week

Six purpose-driven businesses showcased their innovative approaches towards circularity at Premium New Conscious Talent, in conversation at 202030 – The Berlin Summit and in action at Haus der Materialisierung 17 - 21 January 2023

Nil Textile; NÄZ; Tizz & Tonic; Solostuecke; SICA and Patchwork Family unveiled the projects they had developed. The six projects showing each took a different approach.

Patchwork Family workshopped upcycling techniques with small designers at Haus der Materialisierung, a workspace and sustainable fashion community centre in Berlin.

Portuguese brand NÄZ showed how they have brought traceability and recyclability into their collections and built rental into their business structure.

Tizz & Tonic based in Bremen, an independent womens’ intimates brand showed their plantbased basics with a TWIST.

From the Czech Republic, NIL Textile introduced the first circular PLA textile achieving the lowest environmental impact from all currently available textile materials along with the fully circular solution including revolutionary molecular recycling technology.

The German brand Solostuecke works with Resortecs’ closed loop textile recycling system to redistribute disassembled pieces through its Circular Flow system. Founder Svenja Bickert-Appleby discussed the technicalities of how this works as part of the talks program at 202030 Summit.

SICA showcased the Cultural Sustainability Strategy for SICA’s Collaborators and Replicability.

N Z

The project

During the SBP acceleration program, NÄZ developed their initial idea, which had been more focused on a renting solution for the brand. However, it evolved into a 360º solution called the Mindful Consumer Club. This platform allowed consumers to reuse, resell, and recycle their Näz garments. Prototypes were developed for the Timeless Collection, which was 100% recyclable. A video pitch for the Mindful Consumer Club can be viewed here.

Where Premium, Berlin

Target audience

Retailers, press, and potential business partners

Format

Tradeshow. The Timeless pilot collection, made with recyclable materials, was showcased at the event. It will later be resold and recycled into new garments as part of the Mindful Consumer Club project.

How did it go?

– More than 50 people attended.

– Engagement was established with retailers and other interested parties regarding the environmental outcomes of the project.

– The project was mainly showcased to retailers, who play a crucial role in establishing the link between the Mindful Consumer Club and consumers through recycling boxes in their stores.

– The collection of 11 traceable garments, created using only cellulosic, natural fibers, will be part of the circular model of the Mindful Consumer Club.

Conversations were initiated with Fashion Revolution to develop partnerships with seamstresses in key European cities and with MUMSTER, a PR agency in the Netherlands focused on environmental and social impact brands management.

Learnings

– To establish a position within the community, it is important to improve both online and offline communications, foster partnerships with retailers, seamstresses, and collecting points, and engage the community through word of mouth, social media, website, newsletters, and other online platforms.

– To expand the solution to other small-scale European brands, fostering relationships with these businesses is crucial, either through tradeshows or in person.

Website www.naz.pt