Translated by
Clementine Martin
Published on
6 Feb 2023
The winter edition of the Spanish fashion, footwear and accessory trade fair took place from Friday February 3 to Sunday February 5 at Ifema, Madrid’s exhibition centre, following on from the Danish CIFF and Revolver events, closed February 3. The professional meeting was once more held at the same time as three other professional fairs: MadridJoya, Bisutex and Intergift. And the pandemic seems almost forgotten: foreign visitors are back and attendance has benefited from the synergies between the different events.
More than 300 exhibitors occupied Pavilion 8, including around 20 shoe brands and more than 40 gala or ceremony brands. “We are satisfied with the results. The context is so uncertain that it was difficult to predict what was going to happen during the show. It all depends on the days on which the event takes place“, argues Julia González. FashionNetwork.com spoke with the show director of Momad, Intergift, Bisutex and MadridJoya.
According to the organisation’s first figures, the winter edition of the various shows recorded an average increase of 12% in attendance. Visitors came from more than 70 countries. The four shows brought together more than 1,000 brands from 25 countries in total, 30 of which took part in the shows.
At Momad, Spanish brands were by far the majority among exhibitors. Some labels had made the trip from Portugal, such as Lion of Porches; others had come from Italy, Greece (a growing market at the show since last September) or even Poland, such as Ryba and Glamorously. Foreign buyers, on the other hand, were mainly from Portugal, France, Italy, Latin America and Miami. Compared to pre-Brexit editions, however, the number of visitors from the United Kingdom was down.
“We felt an optimistic atmosphere full of good humor. The change in state of mind is palpable and the participants are motivated, perhaps even more than in some editions prior to the pandemic“, greets Julia González, highlighting the success of the parades. She cautiously adds: “The exhibiting brands have shown great resilience. But the current context has undermined the purchasing power of participants. Trade is suffering from the situation. When the shops still have a lot of stock to sell, the show suffers.“
According to the leader, Momad will never return to what it was before the Covid-19 pandemic. The event must reinvent itself to adapt to the new reality of the sector. “There are so many companies that have gone out of business that it’s going to be very difficult to get back to the results we had before the pandemic. Some customers will never come back“, she meditates.
“The results are returning to the level of previous editions of 2019. The Momad must adapt to the transformations that the sector has undergone in the meantime”, analyzes the commercial director of the show, Mercedes Ferrero. She launches with optimism: “A lot of companies and buyers had not come for a long time and we saw them once more this year“.
Optimism dominates, despite some regrets
The Madrid brand Eñe y Punto, one of the essentials of the show, underlines “the increase in the number of exhibitors“, of “better quality“. She has been attending the show since 2018 and recently made her first trip to Who’s Next in Paris, but says she feels more comfortable at Ifema. “We get better results in this kind of show“, smile its representatives.
Cast Pack, also a long-time Momad regular, is a company specializing in reusable bags that does not hide its optimism: “We haven’t stopped. We have established more contacts than before the pandemic“, indicate its leaders.
But not all brands share this opinion. Confía, a brand from Tenerife (Canary Islands) which participated for the first time, is sorry: “The show does not really correspond to what we imagined. It’s not as avant-garde an event as we thought.“ Luisa Castañeda Beloqui, its founder, regrets that “Spanish clients are looking for more classic proposals. International customers are the only ones who understand the importance of eco-responsibility in our offer.“
Several brands also indicate that a high price constitutes a strong obstacle for customers, which obviously harms firms with a high-end or more responsible positioning. “The fashion sector in Spain is strongly influenced by low cost. Inevitably, many Spanish visitors attending the show are looking for more affordable prices”, analyzes Julia González.
Attracting the footwear sector once more, a challenge for Momad
Regarding the product offering, shoe brands were better represented than in previous editions. Since the integration of the specialist salon Momad Shoes into Momad, their number had only decreased. At the sneaker brand Victoria, originally from La Rioja, optimism was in order, as at Disorder Orban, a Colombian label which was taking part in an international fair for the first time: “Everything went very well for us. We have a strong online presence in the Latin American market, but we are not well known abroad. We wanted to probe the European market“, explain the representatives of the label.
Nomadic State of Mind, a brand founded by North American Chris Anderson and offering handmade vegan sandals and shoes in Nicaragua, thinks it has found new customers in Portugal. “We had signed more contracts in September, but the results are positive”, explain its spokespersons, regretting however that the eco-responsible sector is “a little hidden”.
Other essential Spanish shoe brands were also present at the event, such as Alma en Pena, Pons Quintana, Cuplé, the Nipa espadrilles label, the Ebarrito bag and shoe brand or the Breezy Rollers roller shoes. “Shoe brands that have a fashion positioning and can complement looks in multi-brand stores are doing well at Momad and can find customers they haven’t reached before. Prospects are good. This is a sector that should grow in September,” says Julia González.
Bisutex, a growing partner
As in previous editions, the Bisutex show in pavilion 4 established itself as one of the most frequented events. Organized from February 2 to 5, this professional meeting specializing in jewelry and fashion accessories brought together many brands offering bags, backpacks, suitcases, scarves, tiaras and even fans. The targeted buyers are more those from lifestyle boutiques, but the show resonates with the Momad, according to the organizer of the two events.
“Our job is to respond to the demand we identify. We need to make sure visitors are onboarded to stores. This is why we are evaluating the possibility of adding novelties to the show“, anticipates Mercedes Ferrero. The diversification of the offer might continue with new categories integrated from the next editions.
“The synergies are obvious, especially between Momad and Bisutex“, points out Julia González. “Bisutex is a very well organized and structured show, with excellent attendance figures“. She adds: “It far exceeds other international fairs. There are more and more expectations and interest from abroad.“
The events will therefore take place once more at the same time in their next edition, which will be held in the third week of September. The objective: to continue to encourage partnerships and intersectoral synergies. Momad visitors and exhibitors will meet from Friday September 15 to Sunday September 17, 2023.
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