
This was Riga Fashion Week!
- United Fashion Event
This Autumn, United Fashion took place during the biggest fashion event in the Baltic region, Riga Fashion Week. The Baltic Fashion Federation, official partner of United Fashion and host organization, provided a program that offered new opportunities for 15 selected European designers and fashion professionals through a United Fashion showroom, various seminars and workshops, a networking opportunity and the participation in fashion shows to present their collection.
15 YOUNG EUROPEAN FASHION TALENTS
At the designer showroom, 15 fashion brands from 8 countries presented their collections to international buyers, journalists, bloggers and influencers: luxury handbags of Agnes Nordenholz (Germany) and Vaskala (Latvia), minimalistic and ultra feminine jewellery by Gamme Blanche from France, the gender-neutral collection of the Macedonian designer Teodora Mitrovska, artistic pieces of Sander Bos and Ruud Antoni (Belgium), the conscious slow fashion collection of Doriane Van Overeem (Belgium) and unique leather pieces of Snobe (Belgium). Duarte (Portugal) presented its luxury sportswear collection based on the Monaco Grand Prix, while Imauve (Portugal) showcased its pure and timeless pieces. Among the Baltic Brands were Diana Arno (Estonia), Kristi Andress (Lithuania) and the elegant dresses by Undress (Lithuania). Local designer One Wolf (Latvia) represented street fashion, high quality shirts by Talented (Latvia) and the effortless streetwear from Pixie Won’t Play (Latvia)
“The participating designers of the “United Fashion” project got acquainted with the Latvian market, besides, this international cooperation allowed us to expand the geographical profile – this year, for the first time, on the podium of Riga Fashion Week”
Jelena Strahova, Baltic Fashion Federation President
DIGITIZATION AND BRAND MANAGEMENT
During a series of lectures and workhops, the designers and fashion professionals learned about topics as digitization and brand management for the development of their business. As the development of the digital environment is very fast nowadays and its latest technologies are being applied in various business fields, the seminar aimed at providing an international, innovative and practical vision of fashion brand management in this fast-paced digital era.
After the introduction to the Baltic Fashion Market by Beatrice Stivrina, representative of BOLD Concept store, Jonathan Chippindale (UK), co-founder and CEO of creative agency Holition talked about how brands are reinventing customer relationships and transforming the way in which they build engagement, whether it be on-line or in physical stores, or indeed on the catwalk. Fundamental tactics for emerging brands were reached to the designers by Kristina Dimitrova (UK), founder of INTERLACED.
Vésma Kontere McQuillan, tutor at Westerdals Oslo School of Arts, illustrated the ‘Scandinavian cool’ and what the Baltic state can learn from it. Senior Tutor and Programme Leader of Fashion Business Master at Istituto Marangoni Fiorenza Sarotto argued why young designers should put all their efforts in building a distinctive and relevant Brand Identity, working on emotional and cultural values.
Kristaps Silins , CEO of White Label, highlighted the five biggest B2B strategy mistakes during his ‘Strategy of NO’ lecture; thinking too much about your product, engaging too much in competition with competitors, speaking too rationally, withholding risks and not branding your philosophy.
Finally, Latvian brands AMORALLE (Agnese Kazaka, Marketing Manager) and INCH2 (Maxis Uskans, Digital Marketing Strategist) shared their success stories to illustrate the practical view and inspire the designers.
“The seminars were very interesting. Especially the introduction on the Baltic market of Beāte Stivriņa of Bold Concept Store which gives us a good indication on how the Latvian market works.”
Melissa Deffense & Paris Malungu, SNOBE