After experiencing CIFF's Does Berlin event last night, we wanted to give those who weren't able to attend an opportunity to see what it was all about.
The leading and most innovative fashion platform in northern Europe, Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) was nice enough to invite us to take part in their Berlin takeover last night. Consisting of carefully curated areas for premium brands, CIFF serves as a leading destination for art, fashion, design and lifestyle.
"We don't really see ourselves in competition with London, Paris or New York - we're much smaller for a start - but where we do compete is by being much more innovative with new talent, by curating our brands in a different way and by presenting them in a much more beautiful space," explained CIFF's fashion and design director Kristian W. Andersen. "It's really important, especially for the younger brands because they work their asses off all season and then come to a trade show at some of the best cities in the world and then their collection is crammed into 5sqm."
Held at Soho House Berlin, the show was presented in a sleek, clean and minimalistic look, showcasing a comprehensive sampling of Scandinavian culture, coupled with a mix of the best design-driven international brands. Having attracted a Berlin crowd interested in seeing what the future of fashion trade shows looks like, the Spring/Summer 2016 preview offered attendees a first look at forthcoming collections from Casper and The Beast, Han Kjøbenhavn, Halo Newline, Martin Asbjørn and BLS Hafnia. "The higher end, exclusive brands normally don't go to trade shows so the combination of good curation and a beautiful set up is really crucial to attract buyers and brands," he continued.
As much as Copenhagen sees itself as a bridge between Scandinavia and continental Europe, CIFF sees itself as a bridge between Scandinavia and the world. "Copenhagen is rated as a very dynamic, very exciting city, so people are quite curious to go to Copenhagen to see what's actually going on - but we don't just want it as a tourist destination - we want people to come here to do business," said Andersen.
"There are bigger cities and bigger fashion weeks, but it's not about being the biggest, it's more about the most selective and the most well curated - it's a very relaxed atmosphere in Copenhagen, so even the high end buyers enjoy themselves more, and maybe they don't have 65 appointments like they have in Paris!"
