Marie Kinsella gives you a quick rundown of her vision for trade event Fashion Exposed Now, set to run from August 26 to 27 at Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne.
Fashion Exposed Now is a trade show connecting independent fashion brands with buyers. What is the idea behind launching it now?
I sat back and thought there was something missing in Australia that was desperately required for the fashion industry. In particular, to support independent fashion retailers because there are more and more international retailers coming to Australia. It is getting more difficult for the independent retailers and we say that the pendulum will swing back.
Where will it swing back to?
There will be a push from consumers who want to find unique offering. They will want to have the service and support of independent retailers and we are working with them now. To ensure that they remain strong in their offering and that we create new pathways and opportunities for independent retailers to be create. So that is part of our focus as well to grow the independent fashion retailer base.
What makes Fashion Exposed Now different from other trade shows?
We have a focus on developing a premium event. That's how we are creating the foundations - by putting a criteria around the brand selection. It is reviewed here by a knowledgeable group in the fashion industry who believe they're offering would suit the Fashion Exposed Now event. So you apply and then it is reviewed by a curating team.
So what are some of the steps in that review process for brands?
We look at the website, we look at the stockists, we review the price point of the offering. We call and have conversations, whether it be an individual brand or an agent taking a stand at Fashion Exposed Now.
What do you hope to achieve?
That business rises for these brands, with these retailers. They'll find new stockists, new retailers and build right across Australia and New Zealand. We are all about business to business, so it's about brands writing strong orders with retailers who confidently place their orders.
What do you want people to walk away from the event thinking?
I want retailers to walk away and say, “Yes, we really need this and we had a great experience here. We've discovered a whole lot of new brands that really work within our store and would suit our current offering.” So they've discovered new brands and they’ve connected and developed more loyalty with their existing brands.