Translated by
Roberta HERRERA
Published
Sep 20, 2022
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Momad concludes its latest edition exceeding expectations

Translated by
Roberta HERRERA
Published
Sep 20, 2022

The aisles were packed during the latest edition of the fashion, footwear and accessories trade fair Momad, held at Ifema from September 16 to 18. Optimism could be felt in the air while the fair returned to pre-pandemic activity led by intersectoral synergies thanks to the coincidence in dates with the Intergift, Bisutex and MadridJoya fairs; as well as Momad's change of location. From occupying halls 12 and 14 to moving to hall 8, a smaller area in which more than 300 brands from 18 countries coexisted, compared to last edition's 175, the new venue created a dynamic atmosphere among attendees. According to the organization, a return to the figures of 2019 is expected, when the fair welcomed around 15,000 visitors.


Exterior of the Ifema site - FNW


"We had to hang the full house sign. We were sold out," enthused Julia Gonzalez, director of the four trade fairs for professionals, in an interview with FashionNetwork.com at the close of the event, on Sunday, September 18. The fair was effervescent and customers told us that they were delighted throughout. "We worked hard on the event's communication strategy and it definitely paid off and brought in more companies," said the director regarding the success of this year's second edition, stressing that it has also helped "the progressive stabilization of the sector after the pandemic and the change in consumers' mentalities, tired of always wearing clothes from big brands and now looking for a different and special product".

For her part, the commercial manager of the professional event, Mercedes Ferrero, said: "We have worked hard on the aesthetic pieces of the fairs, something very important as they are all linked to the fashion industry; as well as the carefully selected range of brands that we're displaying, where established brands coexist with other new young and digital native brands". According to manager, this qualitative strategy will also be carried out in the trade show's future editions.

"The aisles are very full and people seem very enthusiastic. It is a quite noticeable recovery," said a representative of Martina K, an established brand of clothing, handbags and accessories which also organized a fashion show on the Momad catwalk, in which other participants included Adlib Moda Ibiza collective, the Centro Superior de Diseño de Moda and brands like Faride, Fuga or Alenia Brand. "The fashion show format brings us much more visibility than just having a stand," they explained, underlining the presence of Spanish, Portuguese and Italian clientele.


Hall 8 corridors - Momad


Optimism was also seen rampant in crowded stands such as the Madrid-based brand Brave Soul's stand, the Greek bohemian brand Coocu Resorts' stand or the Indian firm Surkana's booth. A recurring trend seen in many brands' collections, such as Tartaruga, Mele Beach, Piti Cuiti, and Ibiza-based brand Adlib, were products clearly oriented to 'resort' fashion, which included relaxed beachwear and bright summer colors. 

"The recovery of the sector can be appreciated, although the fair has been the same for us as last February", commented the representative of the emblematic firm Don Algodón, pointing out that the company would have preferred to maintain the fair's dates at the beginning of September, instead of delaying Momad to coincide with the other fairs. In making this decision, the management of the event carried out a consultation with its exhibitors, which resulted in 85% of the votes in favor of the change of dates. Isla Bonita also shared this opinion: "For us it has been as in previous editions, with mainly Spanish clients".

During its first participation in the Madrid fair, Italian swimwear brand Denisi Francesca was happy with the fact that swimwear fashion is more popular in Spain than in other markets, adding however that more established brands manage to attract more customers. "We are doing things little by little. In this first edition, we have managed to establish more contacts than close deals. People are reluctant to buy when first discovering our brand, probably because of our higher price range," they acknowledged.


Momad entrance - FNW


Brand positioning was also one of the main concerns of Barcelona-based firm Souvenir. "Although there are quite a lot of people at the fair, the medium-high price brands do not manage to close deals," explained the brand, arguing that most visitors come to Momad in search of affordable products. "Holding the event together with MadridJoya or Bisutex does not really benefit us since those customer are totally different from ours," they acknowledged, mentioning how they will instead strengthen ties with MBFW Madrid, which was held in parallel at Ifema during the same weekend.

The role of footwear and sustainability



Despite a limited representation, footwear had some of the most visited stands, especially those of brands Alma en Pena, Exé, Daniela Shoes and Agot. Some already established names such as Pons Quintana, Mascaró or Victoria were not absent from the event either. The latter said: "We are feeling optimistic. We have seen a lot of affluence and the organization together with other shows is positive. As there is not only a footwear show, it is good that a little bit of everything is offered at the fair. That's what people are looking for in stores."

As in previous editions, the event featured the Foro Imagen informative area, located in the communication corridor of Momad and MadridJoya. During the three-day-long event, talks and seminars were held, among which sustainability-oriented discussions notably stood out. "It seems that awareness is catching on. And slow fashion is no longer something that a few people do, but is becoming a necessity for everyone," said the executive director of the firm Roberto Verino, Dora Casal.

For his part, the president of the ModaEspaña confederation, Ángel Asensio, concluded: "The circumstances of the pandemic forced us to move forward rapidly in many aspects. It is important that we maintain this attitude to continue advancing in digitalization and sustainability".

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