On September 2, the "Bread & Butter" 2016 Autumn and Winter Fashion Fair under the German e-commerce company Zalando kicked off. Different from ordinary exhibitions, "Bread & Butter" is more like a cultural festival with a fashion theme, food and music, and is open to the public (you need to purchase a single-day ticket priced at 15 euros, or a pass for 30 euros to enter). It is reported that the three-day exhibition received a total of more than 20,000 tourists.
As a well-known men's and women's fashion e-commerce company in Europe, Zalando acquired Bread & Butter in 2015 and changed it from a B2B-style professional exhibition to a B2C model for ordinary customers. The revamped Bread & Butter has attracted long-term brands such as Converse, Eastpak, G-Star Raw, Selected, Lee, Levi's, TOPSHOP, Nike, adidas, etc. to hold shows and open booths on Zalando. Tommy Hilfiger, who had previously announced a collaboration with popular model Gigi Hadid, officially exposed the series here. Hadid himself also made a special trip to attend; Marni, which is not a direct brand of Zalando, but under its leadership, announced the launch of a Zalando exclusive limited series consisting of 19 shoes with Timberland, Dr Marten, Vans and Reebook; HUGO BOSS also decided to release its HUGO branch brand's 2016 autumn and winter new show here...
In addition, Bread & Butter also invited the well-known electronic music live broadcast platform Boiler Room to hold performances with musicians such as Hannah Faith, Little Simz, Angel Haze, Palmistry, etc.; the arrival of the popular hip-hop singer A$AP Rocky attracted many young audiences. The participation of local catering brands such as Mogg, Paletas, Hei'er Hobel, Fuchs & Ganz, etc. has also transformed Bread & Butter from a simple exhibition into a carnival-style fashion entertainment event. As for those viewers who cannot attend the show in person, Bread & Butter also set up a live online broadcast channel on its official Facebook platform, which is estimated to have received more than one million views.
"Focus on the present" is the main theme of Bread & Butter. Combining the industry trend of show-now-buy-now and direct-to-consumer, Bread & Butter after Zalando took over tried to transform fashion weeks and trade fairs that only faced professional media, buyers and merchants in the past into activities that ordinary customers can participate in. The trade fair held at the Berlin Stadium was divided into two venues: the show area was used for brands such as HUGO, Puma, and TOPSHOP to hold their 2016 autumn and winter conferences; the brand hall attracted brands such as Nike, Levi's, Herschel Supply Co., and Marni to open Lab booths with the same name. Here, visitors can purchase customized products, appreciate new products up close, or learn about behind-the-scenes technology and other knowledge - "Project Muze", an online fashion design platform developed by Google that utilizes technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence, also chooses to display its actual works to the public here.
Most brands have a favorable attitude towards Bread & Butter and believe that through this exhibition, they will get closer to consumers. The voices of visitors are polarized. On the one hand, they agree with this model, but on the other hand, they are disappointed with the crowded crowds and the singleness of the participating brands. "I have always hoped to open professional trade fairs to the public. Four years ago we said that fashion is a consumer-led market. Zalando is the first company to launch fashion trade fairs for the public. They may face some difficulties in the early stages, but they have made a good start," said Karl-Heinz M'ller, founder and former CEO of Bread & Butter.
Overall, Bread & Butter's exhibition model is similar to the auto shows in various places that domestic automobile brands are keen to participate in - a new product release and sales channel for consumers. Considering that almost all of the participating brands are mid- to low-end products sold on the Zalando website, which tend to be mass consumer products, the Bread & Butter trade fair, which is entertainment-oriented and popular, may be a beneficial test. According to Zalando Vice President of Marketing Carsten Hendrich told WWD, the next Bread & Butter will be held in September 2017 and will be adjusted based on the feedback received from this exhibition, but the main direction will focus on social media, new technologies and the participation of KOLs.
