Berlin. Where Else?

"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 cur rently 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…

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 menswear. 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

"Our key strengths are content compe- tence and our passion for fashion. We know what we’re talking about when we discuss fashion and the fashion business“, Anita Tillmann

the trade shows in Berlin and Munich, while the Station Berlin team takes care of the locations as venues. The Station Berlin is well booked throughout the year for other events such as galas like Tribute to Bambi, various trade fair formats like the re:publica, and the art show ABC, as well as vehicle-related, industrial, and political events. Furthermore, we develop our own formats such as the bicycle show Berliner Fahrrad Schau, which is a public exhibition that is enjoying increasing national and international attention. The Premium generated significantly higher revenues last year. We receive so many requests from exhibitors that I could easily go out and organise a second fashion trade show. I am tempted to do just that. However, our next step is to focus on our core products, the Premium in Berlin and the further development and expansion of the Premium Order in Munich.

How much growth potential does the Premium still have?

Spatially our expansion opportunities are limited and that is actually quite a good thing. This means we will continue to grow content-wise instead. The Premium thrives on the fact that it showcases a mix of established and new brands. Our sole focus is on the product. The minute the Premium shows a lot of attention to a very well-known brand, we know we have done something wrong. That’s why we – regrettably so – have to turn down so many great brands on a regular basis, because we cannot – and don’t want to – offer such a marketing measure. Admittedly, that is not always easy from an entrepreneurial point of view. However, that is ultimately necessary from a conceptual point of view.

You have withdrawn from Düsseldorf…

That decision was overdue in respect of trade show management. I am glad that we have taken that step. All the major agencies that we cooperate closely with have their own showrooms there and the order period extends far beyond the core days of the trade show. As of now, we want to strengthen our competence in Munich. Due to an agreement with the Klinder family’s Munich Fabric Start show, we can now use the exhibition halls of the MOC, for which we have developed a new modern concept together.

Is that purely a location co-operation or also a content-related collaboration?

At the moment it is a content-related and logistical co-operation, but we are discussing a joint venture to further promote Munich as a location. The Premium in Berlin is an international event. There we negotiate contracts with brands from all over the globe to enable them to present their products to retailers on an international level. Furthermore, we have a high percentage of foreign agencies in Berlin; they are all looking for new brands for their portfolio. Munich, however, is the most powerful sales platform in Germany and we are working hard to turn it into a really big event. The Premium Order Munich is a trade show for distributors and sales representatives from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. There deals are made, but 40 percent of the collections are new and not yet finished in time for Berlin; they are mostly collections from the shoe and accessories industries. In Munich, we see a high growth potential up to a total area of 30,000 sqm and the demand is enormous. The premiere is scheduled for the period from the 9th to the 12th of August.

Berlin and Munich are also moving closer together in respect of the timing of the events. Will that be the crucial axis in the future?

I’m definitely convinced that the market needs a clear structure and better coordinated dates. We want to contribute to that.

So what are the long term possibilities for Berlin?

In times like these, when everybody is redefining themselves and wondering what the future holds, there are many new creative ideas and one can meet new exciting people. I, for my part, am very confident regarding the future of Berlin. The city is attracting more and more international customers, mainly Asians, Russians, and Eastern Europeans. There is still a lot of room for improvement. That being said, Berlin is still not on the map in many countries; that applies to brands and buyers. Berlin has only been perceived as a fashion location for ten years, while the traditional fashion metropolises such as Paris and Milan can look back at decades or centuries of history. We now have the unique opportunity to establish ourselves by continual redefinition. At that time I was responsible for putting the entire Berlin topic into one bracket, mainly because I believed that it should be communicated as a package. Now Berlin has established itself in that respect. But, as in every other city and in every other industry, you have to continue working on your product and adapt to the market conditions. This is not only necessary to satisfy existing needs, but also to create new ones. It is incredible how many cross-thinking opportunities this city offers. Berlin is a centre for start-ups, because here you can realise new formats and solutions. They are probably being created as we speak.

Does that not also offer new conceptual possibilities for the Premium?

Basically, it does. The only constant is change. This is also the motto that describes my own personality best. I am always on the lookout for new approaches, optimisation potential, and new solutions. We are a market place that constantly introduces new products. Once a company has presented its product and found its customers, it often retreats back into its own showroom. We show new products and designers, new positioning, new concepts and co-operations, new distribution policies, and more. That is our constant framework in which we redefine ourselves for a market in which there is enough movement as it is.

Photos: Harling & Darsell, www.harling-darsell.com Art direction & production: 128 MODE Mody Al Khufash, www.jlffstudio.com Hair/Make-up: Benjamin Becher with Kevin Murphy and Tom Ford products Model: Hanne Brüning Production assistance: William Schlesinger

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134 MODE Jacket: Costume NemutsoC Top: Blk Dnm Trousers: Closed Boots: Stylist’s own