124 THE TALK
"Berlin. Where Else?" Anita Tillmann always believed in Berlin and supported the Premium trade show in the German capital through the good times and the bad. The success proves she was right to do so. The Premium trade show is now undisputed among exhibitors and visitors. However, discussions about Berlin’s future as fashion capital refuse to stop. Anita Tillmann tells style in progress why she remains unperturbed. Interview: Stephan Huber. Text: Isabel Faiss. Photo: Juergen Schabes
Did you ever have moments in which you doubted whether this city is the right place to be?
No. The market will always experience difficult times, regardless of the city. What’s more important is how you deal with it. Berlin is the right place and has enormous potential for further development on both national and international levels. Foremost, it has the space to change. What would the alternative be? I certainly can’t think of one. I believe in Berlin more than ever, mostly because the city’s geographical location in the centre of Europe with the strong economic environment of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland speaks for itself. New concepts and hypes come and go; that’s the way of the world. Ultimately, everybody has to focus on their own product and ensure that it works, makes sense, and is justifiable. The Berlin fashion world around the Premium is currently in motion. Is there any communication between the key players?
Of course there is. For example, I quite openly discuss scheduling issues with Karl-Heinz Müller; we also talk about the general market development or how we assess the market situation. I talk to all the other trade show organisers on a regular basis too. Berlin works due to a constant dialogue. Currently we are witnessing very inspiring movement from every angle. There are a lot of new projects out there. We will have to wait and see which of them survive, but this constant change and renewal is what makes this city so unique. Some criticise that there approximately one dozen events during the Fashionweek…
314 style in progress
Nobody is forced to attend all events. We have an exciting list of possibilities and everyone can decide which one is relevant individually. I don’t see that as a problem. What was the most drastic change for the Premium over the last few years?
I would say the international positioning of Berlin. When we first launched the Premium back in the day, hardly anyone believed that Berlin could establish itself as a fashion city. Back then nobody could foresee that this city would develop into a melting pot for the entire fashion industry. In 2003, Berlin was a vast mass of creative potential which we used to launch a revolutionary trade show format and a whole new segment. After all, the premium segment did not exist then. We defined and established a product before turning it into an international brand that we will develop further continually. In hindsight it was a very smart decision, because the premium market is one of the few segments that are still successful today. Are there specific topics or concepts that you would like to develop for the Premium in the medium term?
A lot is happening in our industry from a fashion point of view, so we don’t want to constantly introduce new segments on top of the diversity of the fashion collections. Only two years ago, we introduced the Essence of Premium concept with highend Italian designer brands and the Dissonance Area for the new avant-garde, which both complement the other segments of the Premium perfectly. The Seek is in its fifth successful year and showcases the “Who’s who” of progressive and modern mens-
wear. Next season we want to focus on sharpening our profile and integrating new relevant collections. If we manage to bundle everything that’s new and present it conclusively, then we have achieved our aim.
Is this one of the reasons behind the continual positive development of the Premium over the last few seasons?
Yes, but it is also down to the continuity of our work. A constantly breathless industry simply needs reliable anchors. Instead of jumping from one thing to the next, I’d rather take an in-depth approach to optimise things. One has to give new ideas enough time to establish themselves. Volatility is one of the weaknesses of our industry and is often mistaken for flexibility. It is our mission to deliver quality, curate brands anew every season, and bring the right partners together. We perceive ourselves as a service provider and a platform for the retail industry to present new brands and topics. Our key strengths are content competence and our passion for fashion. We know what we’re talking about when we discuss fashion and the fashion business. That’s what differentiates us from trade shows that prioritise the sale of exhibition space and allocate the largest stands to the largest brands without any topic-related context. A lot of rumours about the corporate structure of the Premium surfaced recently… Are there any major expansion plans in the drawer?
Rumours are commonplace in the fashion industry. Everything remains as it is for the moment. We have Premium Exhibitions, which is a fully-owned subsidiary of Station Berlin. The fashion team of the Premium markets
