Premium Group launches Frankfurt Fashion Week

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jun 9, 2020

In a surprise announcement on Monday, Germany’s Premium Group and Messe Frankfurt revealed plans to launch a new fashion week in Frankfurt in 2021.

The companies, both organisers of major trade shows, said Frankfurt Fashion Week will be “the new home of a forward-looking fashion and lifestyle community”.

Making its debut in summer 2021, the event will see trade shows, conferences, runway shows and events take place throughout the city.

The initiative is backed by the City of Frankfurt am Main and the German state of Hesse with the aim of giving Frankfurt, one of Europe’s leading finance hubs, a fashion edge.

“Organising a Fashion Week in Frankfurt presents a unique economic opportunity for the City of Frankfurt am Main. We are expecting positive knock-on effects with the generation of more than €200 million per year for our hometown and the region,” said Peter Feldmann, the Senior Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main, at a press conference. 

A core component of Frankfurt Fashion Week will be its fashion fairs. Premium Group is relocating its entire portfolio of events including the Premium exhibition, Seek trade fair, Neonyt platform for sustainable fashion, and the FashionSustain and FashionTech conferences.

“Frankfurt Fashion Week is purposely aimed at a forward-looking, digital-savvy fashion and lifestyle community. B2B, B2C, B2P, P2P – all avenues are open. A synthesis of fashion, lifestyle, digital innovations and sustainability is always guaranteed to result in something new and unexpected. And that is exactly our aim,” said Anita Tillmann, Managing Partner of the Premium Group.

Organisers acknowledged that choosing Frankfurt was a rather surprising move, announcing the launch with an “Unveiling the Unexpected” slogan. 

“Frankfurt is a fresh, new location for this. We’re looking forward to it,” Anita Tillmann continued.

The launch of Frankfurt Fashion Week comes as Berlin Fashion Week continues its evolution to meet new needs and challenges. The event, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, relaunched with a revamped format and new venue earlier this year after a period of struggles for direction.

Premium’s departure will be a significant blow to Berlin’s fashion credentials, as Premium and Neonyt are among the city’s leading trade fairs.