The Korea Fashion Association will host the 2025 Trend Fair on August 20th and 21st.
Opportunities to open stores and collaborate with rising K-fashion brands at a glance
2024 Trend Fair Fashion Show
# In 2023, ‘FILA’ launched a swimwear collaboration collection with the energetic new brand ‘OJOS’, and some of the products sold out. This unique attempt with ‘OJOS’, a leading brand in women’s golf core look, became an important opportunity to win back the hearts of women in their 20s and 30s. ‘OJOS’ began to make a name for itself after first participating in the 2021 Trend Fair and winning the gold prize at the 2022 K-Fashion Audition, and is gaining popularity as a top brand preferred for collaborations with ‘FILA’, ‘Descente’, ‘ASICS’, and ‘Hunter’.
# For ‘Ohesio,’ a women’s vintage casual brand gaining popularity, Musinsa Partners, who recognized the brand’s potential, served as a stepping stone for online expansion. The trend fair they participated in for the first time in August of last year served as a catalyst for offline expansion. Despite being a rookie brand in its first year, they captured the attention of numerous buyers and successfully entered the global market through appearances on the Japanese nugu platform, a pop-up store at The Hyundai, the Shanghai Mode Show in China, a live commerce platform in China, and offline stores at Musinsa and Kasina.
# ‘Paul Newa’ launched with handbags in 2021 and operated exclusively online until its first participation in a trend fair last year. Since then, it has tapped into the global market with pop-ups at Tokyo Daimaru and Osaka Hankyu Department Store, and this year, it has steadily expanded its apparel line with the opening of a flagship store in Hannam. The offline buyer response at the trend fair served as a catalyst for ‘Paul Newa’.
2024 Trend Fair event overview
Select shops, which bring together various brands based on categories or concepts, once boasted a unique sense of style at the forefront of fashion trends. Not only did they quickly reflect the latest trends, they also served as incubators for discovering rising gems.
However, with the changing times, changing business environments, and, above all, the shift in distribution structures to the e-commerce era, legendary select shops like Colette, Maria Luisa, and Opening Ceremony have faded into history. Fashion select shops, once a key launching pad for new brands, need an alternative.
# Trend Fair, the current ‘Colette’
“Trend Fairs are no longer simply fashion exhibitions. They are business hubs that connect distributors, brands, buyers, and designers at the heart of trends.”
The ‘2025 Trend Fair’, held by the Korea Fashion Association at COEX The Platz on August 20-21, is evolving beyond an exhibition showcasing trends into a B2B exhibition platform for practical business matching.
What began as an indie brand fair in 2011 to provide new business opportunities for promising indie designers has now evolved into a platform that serves as a debut stage for rising stars. Above all, it fills the void left by fashion select shops, primarily by connecting emerging designers and rising brands, the future leaders of K-fashion, with retail buyers.
2024 Trend Fair Event Overview
Trend Fair is gaining attention as a practical B2B platform that can fill the void left by select shops that served as incubators for new fashion brands, and is becoming a business venue for discovering real “hidden gems.”
Representative rising stars that have grown through trend fairs include ‘OJOS’, which participated in the trend fair for the first time in 2021 and won the gold prize (Prime Minister’s Award) at the 2022 K-Fashion Audition; ‘RHEE’, which successfully entered the global market by appearing on the Paris Fashion Week stage; and ’51percent’, which captivated global men in China, Japan, and other countries. ‘OHESHIO’, a women’s clothing brand that grew based on social media, stood out at the trend fair last year and opened a pop-up store at The Hyundai just one year after launching, and is maintaining a strategic collaborative relationship with Musinsa Partners.
This year, 81 rising brands are scheduled to participate, allowing you to experience the uncontaminated uniqueness of these new brands.
‘Lee’, which has grown into a volume brand that participates in Paris Fashion Week and operates flagship stores in Myeongdong, Seongsu, etc., has been participating in trend fairs for five years, from 2021 to this year.
Lee Jun-bok, CEO of ‘Lee’, said, “While we’ve already established a global fan base, Trend Fair remains a platform for new business opportunities. From collaborations with designer shoe brand ‘Elnor’ to opening stores at major retailers and even entering the European fashion platform ‘fasfs,’ new connections are emerging every season.”
# Expand your horizons… Find collaborative brands
Trend fairs offer retail buyers an opportunity to discover promising new entrants, while fashion companies can discover collaborative brands and brands with production capabilities suitable for wholesale. B2B business is flourishing, allowing attendees to meet potential brands in person and discuss planning directions.
In addition to the 2024 Trend Fair seminar,
various forms of business matching are possible, such as pop-up stores and investments, and practical support programs such as 1:1 buyer consultations, brand showcases, and trend seminars will be linked on-site.
Last year, Trend Fair hosted 250 retail store opening consultations, 138 collaborations, and 32 full-scale purchase consultations. Notably, while the number of collaborations through Trend Fair in 2023 was only 19, last year’s number increased more than sevenfold to 138. These figures aren’t mere statistics; they represent the tangible results of collaborative business between brands and distributors.
“It’s rare to have the opportunity to see so many new brands all in one place,” said Mr. A, a fashion company employee who attended last year’s Trend Fair. “There are so many brands that are particularly suitable for collaboration, so we’re currently coordinating preliminary meetings.”
Trend fairs are changing from simply being a place to ‘see’ trends to a place to ‘buy’ trends directly.
Yeom Ji-hoon, Senior Manager at Hyundai Department Store Pangyo, said, “Trend Fairs go beyond mere exhibitions to serve as a platform for discovering potential. Every year, I participate and enjoy discovering new talent for distribution channels or pop-up stores.” He added, “However, some brands lack the necessary preparation for distribution. If we can address this, we believe there will be ample opportunity and potential.”
BOX> What about Ohos, Ohesio and NEXT?
The 2025 Trend Fair, held on August 20th and 21st, will feature 81 brands. While each brand offers its own unique approach and fresh tastes, there are a number of names that are poised to capture buyers’ attention. With many brands boasting fashion, practicality, and even collaboration potential, the potential for partnerships with distributors is high. Who will be the next rising star to follow in the footsteps of Lee, Ohos, and Ohesio?
▷ ‘Wednesday Oasis’ _ Designer Woo Seung-ju
With the goal of providing clothes that can be worn by anyone as a rest in life, we provide a little comfort in our tiring daily lives @wednesdayoasis_
▷ ‘Epingler’ _ Designer Lee Hye-yeon
The best quality and trendy design that conveys the wearer’s individuality and sophisticated mood with carefully selected high-quality fabrics and the lines of the clothing’s structural pattern are well utilized @epingler.official
▷ ‘SQUARELINE’ _ Designer Jiyoung Chae
A 2030 designer bag brand with a Y2K style that finds and expresses various imbalances within the balance of a square.
@squareline_official
▷ ‘Atelier Park’ _ Designer Park Hyun-joo
A classic concept that emphasizes simple forms and vivid colors, expressing timeless values through modern design @atelier_park
▷ ‘ERTR’ _ Designer Park In-deok
A brand that pursues a free street mood, derived from the word ‘Errator’, meaning a wanderer.
@ertr_____
▷ ‘MEN IN JUNGLE’ – Designer Seunghee Pyeon
A contemporary fashion brand that examines past cultures and introduces valuable collections through reinterpretation and redesign.
@meninjungle_official
Editor Hwang Yeon- hee [email protected]