Noodle shops and showrooms at CIFF: How do brands get attention in a flooded market?

As soon as the Modefabriek in Amsterdam and the Düsseldorf Order Days were over, the fashion industry moved on to the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) in Copenhagen. Despite the tight trade fair calendar and slightly fewer brands and visitors at the CIFF, there was no sign of fatigue or bad mood at the 64th edition of the fair.

Entering the CIFF site was already an experience for the senses. After tickets had been checked, jackets stowed away and the first orientation points set, a neon green corridor - a color reminiscent of "Brat Summer" and now apparently adapted as the "CIFF January" tone - together with strobe lights, a video installation and driving beats led directly into the heart of the fair.

Once there, visitors were initially greeted by a large DHL stand, but most passed by with single-minded determination, ready to meet old acquaintances and make new contacts among the nearly 1,200 exhibitors.

But the first familiar face that greeted visitors at the Bella Center in Copenhagen from January 28 to 30 was not the imposing stand of a prominent brand. It was the third edition of the Neudeutsch concept by retail and trend expert Julian Daynov. The space he curated, deliberately designed in the style of a concept store - and more modern than many existing stores - housed 40 German labels. Neudeutsch not only presented Germany's fashion expertise, but also its outstanding understanding of design.

This philosophy is also reflected in the DNA of the CIFF, which combines not only clothing, but also shoes, accessories and interior design on a common platform. But Neudeutsch goes a step further and delivers the perfect product mix for a concept store on a silver platter - as a source of inspiration and, ideally, not only incorporating the vision but also the brands presented.

Order in the midst of the hustle and bustle?

A few steps further, in the heart of the CIFF, it looks basically similar. But the first impression of the fair, which in modern German is a haven of peace, somewhere between a gallery, a concept store and a communal space, is deceptive. The further you delve into the fair, the more its true character unfolds. In fact, the fair also offers everything that a store - whether a large department store or a selectively curated concept store - could only dream of. However, these dreams should ideally already be pre-formed, because without a clear line, the sheer variety quickly threatens to become overwhelming. Curated concepts and design visions still dominate at the entrance, but with every step it becomes clearer that the CIFF is first and foremost a trading platform where for many brands the order is the point of the matter, or at least a preliminary discussion before the actual order.

This is especially true for Danish brands, explained Maren Banzhaf, Country Sales Manager at JJ XX, the young fashion brand of the Danish clothing group Bestseller. "It is mainly Danish customers who place their orders here," she told FashionUnited. "Others, such as German customers, have already been to the Modefabriek in Amsterdam or the Düsseldorf Fashion Days, or they have seen the collections in the showrooms - for them there is no longer an immediate need to place orders here. But for Danish retailers, this is the key time to order."

Nevertheless, the fair seems to be paying off - otherwise the company, which was not present at CIFF last season, would hardly have made the decision to return. However, Banzhaf points out an interesting aspect: positioning within the exhibition grounds is a bit more challenging this year - especially compared to previous seasons, when all the best-selling brands were housed in one large common area and did not have to strive for attention in the middle of the busy halls - even if the fair was a bit quieter in January than in the summer, according to many participants.

As lunchtime approached on Tuesday, the stands became noticeably quieter. But the long queues that formed in front of the cafes in the Bella Center instead did not dampen the spirits of the exhibitors. At least not those who had managed to stand out from the crowd and be unmissable. Not an easy task at a trade fair where one exhibitor admitted that it took him a full 45 minutes to find his own stand that morning, despite an app with an integrated map function.

Attention Economy at CIFF

It's not just about the business at the show itself, but also about recent developments that raise questions about the long-term relevance of trade shows. After all, many events have not survived in recent years, which calls into question the reasons why brands continue to participate in major shows like CIFF. But those who have cracked the secret may provide the best evidence of why trade shows continue to play a central role. Because it is precisely these brands that know how to gain the necessary visibility in a flooded market and build a lasting connection with the right audience.

However, that doesn't mean that you have to resort to the tactics of market criers at the Hamburg fish market. At the CIFF, however, "the louder the better" seemed to be an effective concept - at least this time. While DK Company attracted customers to their stand with a live concert, Mos Mosh served espresso martinis on Wednesday afternoon - a welcome mix of caffeine and alcohol after a long day at the trade fair, and Gabor also invited people to a cocktail hour.

Italian sportswear brand Fila didn't bring drinks or snacks, but it did bring a new direction, both visually and in terms of retail strategy. Bringing 70s flair and tennis culture to CIFF, their stand was a visual representation of a collaboration with German streetwear magazine Highsnobiety that took place this year and stood out clearly among the many somewhat bare clothing racks elsewhere.

"We are returning to our Italian roots. In recent years we have been more commercial, logo-oriented and more focused on the US market. But now we are shifting the focus back to fashion. Everyone talks about sports fashion, but for us it is more about fashion in the classic sense. We are inspired by the cool tennis players of the 1970s - they were rock stars. There was this energy, like with the Rolling Stones or the Beatles at the time. We want to bring this feeling into today's fashion - and also to our stand," explained Henrik Johansson, Sales Director FILA Scandinavia and Baltic.

Meanwhile, Philip Krause, co-founder and managing director of Berlin-based streetwear label Prohibited, admitted that the stand was relatively small. However, the large barista machine and the decision to show 80 percent of the collection - without classic T-shirts and hoodies - certainly helped to encourage curious shoppers to stay at the stand for a longer period of time.

However, he also believes that the days of simply waiting for customers to come by on their own - especially at a trade fair as big as CIFF - are over. "Expecting walk-in customers at CIFF is not an option for me, the trade fair is too quiet for that. But the buyers who were contacted and invited were there." Despite all this, orders were not the focus at Prohibited either: "We wrote one or two orders, but in most cases order calls or order appointments take place at our premises or directly at the customer's premises. At the end of the day, it's about preparing well for the order and guiding the customers a little."

At first glance, Woodbird seemed even less interested in in-person orders, as their focus was not on fashion but on food. The brand, which describes itself as a mix of Scandinavian and Asian culture, brought a pop-up noodle shop to CIFF that served Asian cuisine, bringing part of the brand's DNA closer to trade show visitors.

"Before the CIFF, the team was a little worried that we wouldn't get any orders during the fair, but that's not the point. I'm interested in human habits, culture and the new DNA of Woodbird, not just clothes," said Chung W. Cheung, explaining the unusual concept. As we all know, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and a look at the brand's constantly packed stand may prove this saying right, even if the commercial success of the idea is difficult to understand.

Deceptive silence in CIFF Village

One floor up, the CIFF Village offered a break from the traditional trade show booths, with showrooms that felt like shops in their own right. The corridors seemed surprisingly quiet, especially on the second day of the fair, but once you entered the individual showrooms, it quickly became clear that the CIFF Village was doing serious business.

Most brands, from Fynch Hatton to Marc Cain and the Betty Barclay Group to Bugatti, were so busy - either in the middle of an appointment or waiting for the next one - that longer conversations were almost impossible. But when a moment arose, a common opinion seemed to emerge among the sales managers: CIFF is mainly aimed at the Nordic market for these German brands. This is an opinion that could also be found on the stands below - at least on the stands where orders were a priority.

Nevertheless, Anna Sfaiter, sales representative for Brax and Fuchs Schmitt, has even managed to get New York stores to come to her, although she admits that it is almost impossible to find time for those who come without an appointment. "It's sometimes hard to find your way around because my day is completely booked with appointments. But downstairs you have a normal trade show where people just come in and look around. And I think they expect the same thing up here," she explained as she waited for her next customer, who she hoped would not only order for Brax, but also take a look at the company's latest acquisition, Fuchs Schmitt.

Leineweber GmbH & Co. KG, to which Brax belongs, took over the Aschaffenburg-based clothing retailer on August 1. While the brand is already established in Germany, Sfaiter is now working on making the label known on the Scandinavian market.

The sales representative couldn't say much more before her next appointment entered the showroom and demanded her full attention - after all, despite all the spectacle, Copenhagen is still about business.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.DE, translated and edited to English.

It was translated using AI. .

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