Blog

We’ve seen watched an episode of Dragon’s Den where a candidate has entered sweating, tripped over their words and not known their financial figures.

In the wake of Earth Day, many consumers are left reeling from retail mixed messages.

Hearing smaller, marginalised voices has always been a difficult mountain to climb in business and in public.

Across the world, the need to shift our collective focus to greener practices is becoming extremely apparent.

There’s no doubting that HILOS are changing the way we think about design.

Without a doubt, the last year has proved that we truly live in a digital-first world.

We all know someone who’s taken to selling perfume on our Instagram stories, or inviting us to join a Facebook page filled with cosmetics, crafts or other services.

*“If you can’t find the solution, be a part of it”.

There’s no corner of the world that’s a stranger to Nike.

As a consultancy that continuously champions small and independent brands, it’s great to see an undeniable boom in new business launches.

March has been a rough month for many marginalised groups across the globe, from Meghan Markle’s interview raising a divided backlash to the Sarah Everard spotlight on women’s safety and harassment.

Shopping online has become something of a hobby – if not a pleasant distraction – for the modern pandemic consumer.

A discussion with Moni Rab about her inspiration, with whom she works and her response to the changing world of fashion.

Following International Women’s Day on March 8th, the media fallout has only become more turbulent.

Wondering why your latest online purchase still hasn’t arrived? There’s a strong chance it’s stuck in a logistical pile-up.

If nothing else, 2020 generated a lot of buzzwords.

Navigating a third national lockdown in the midst of winter is hard enough for any individual, let alone small brands trying to stay one step ahead of the unpredictable.

The face of physical retail has drastically changed across the globe, from fashion’s famous capitals to the hidden-away local high streets.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have heard about the latest social media app to take the digital world by storm – Clubhouse.

When life becomes hectic and stressful, it’s easy to prioritise things that don’t need to be immediately achieved.

 We can’t hide from the fact that many retail industries are in dire straits.

It was bound to happen – with consumers cooped up inside, many have become disenfranchised with the idea of downloading another new app.

Something we’ve discussed in detail is the life expectancy of trade shows, particularly internationally.

Lockdown 3.

Whether it’s for business or pleasure, we now spend a great deal of time mindlessly scrolling through our social feeds – especially since the effects of lockdowns.

Brands and their products have become more than just a material purchase.

It would be a surprise to very few that online commerce has sensationally boomed.

Most of us are no strangers to data checkpoints through our shopping journey, arguably making the overall experience better tailored to our needs.

A lot of brands and industry professionals have debated and questioned how fashion elevates and rebrands the shopping experience to suit the changing needs of the modern consumer.

Surprisingly, physical retail hasn’t entirely been a sob story over the last ten months.

As we have touched on[blog/the-2021-expectation/] and have overwhelmingly experienced, 2020 was a year of unprecedented challenges and change.

Somehow, we’ve navigated the choppy waters of 2020 and found ourselves thrust into a brand-new year.

Somehow, it’s December 2020 and many of us are scratching our heads wondering how we made it here.

China has unarguably been the epicentre of attention for 2020.

Many social media users can be found impatiently scrolling through their feeds, waiting for the announcement of Pantone’s Colour of the Year.

Have you ever walked down a London road and wondered why there’s a seemingly random queue spilling down the street? Chances are that they were keen consumers for the latest brand ‘drop’.

UK retailers and consumers alike are emerging from another period of locked-in isolation, understandably paranoid as to when the cycle may start all over again.

As many small and independent brands are set to re-open their physical doors in the run up to Christmas, it’s safe to say many may have lost their spark and motivation along the 2020 road.

Personal spend is something which has had to come under detailed consumer scrutiny after the unfolding of 2020.

HOW TO BUILD A GLOBAL & PROFITABLE FASHION BRAND DURING TURBULENT TIMES    So, you’ve finally decided to take action and turn your business dream into reality and to build sales for your Fashion Brand.

Sitting and waiting for your delivery to turn up might now be considered as an indoor sport.

It’s fair to say that the likes of Primark are not usual points of inspiration for small or independent brands, but their circumstances are especially unique.

According to Cisco, 80% of entire SEO traffic will consist of video material by next year.

Black Friday is a point in the annual calendar retailers simultaneously dread and strategically plan for.

Eleven years ago, after the recession, Campaign Magazine explored the increase and growth of businesses known as ‘comfort brands’.

Alas, the dreaded second lockdown is now looming over us.

A life lead in lockdown may have prompted many of us to face our wardrobes and ask the question we often put off answering – why did I buy this? The psychology behind fashion and what we buy plays an essential part in both consumer and brand behaviour, creating data that could be imperative to navigating such a difficult time.

The battle for the best brand technology has waged on in the hands of the high-end and luxury market – but it’s now the small brands that are feeling the extra pressure to satisfy the growing rates of online consumers.

Customer experience may often be one of those business principles that individuals and brands alike may think they wholly embody, but the wider picture reveals that crucial steps may have been missed.

There’s no doubt that the world of international retail has changed beyond recognition with the space of ten months.

In the fight for survival, data is pushing to prove itself as the way forward.

You may have heard it said before that both Millennials and Generation Z will continue to be pivotal driving forces in the future of fashion retail.

For being a company that helps brands find agents and distributors in the main trade countries in the world, this gives us a unique chance to speak with both sides of the coin, agents on the expectations and fears coming into a selling season that was most unique, and brands, on stockpiling inventory by necessity, finding new ways of selling, at the same time as understanding that retailers could be more conservative on their order writing this season.

As much as we hate to dwell on the past… unfortunately we have to in order to keep the fashion and creative industries in the best form possible.

There sadly remains a high chance that if someone looks to a brand advertising campaign, they will not see themselves reflected in it.

One topic that’s not been far from people’s lips is that of sustainability.

Ah, Christmas – a pressure-cooker period of time even in the best of circumstances.

We’ve seen it over every newspaper, programme break and social promotion – coronavirus isn’t just a pandemic that take a virus form.

Throughout the entire uncertain mess that is the year 2020, trade shows have remained the Achilles Heel of the fashion industry.

In the wake of global lockdown, a new kind of problem is emerging.

As we live with the pandemic we are adjusting to an ongoing home-based remote reality supplemented with COVID safe office time.

The words that best sums up the times we live in would be ‘unprecedented’.

Whether you’re a consumer or a stay-at-home worker, we’ve all been forced to confront the growing rates of the digital way of doing things.

There’s a very small chance that your consumer self hasn’t spent some amount of time in a Jewellery’s picking out a piece for yourself or a loved one.

We have come through a difficult period and now although it's not over, it's time to look with positivity to the future and focus on what is good.

Something we talk a lot about is the importance of being able to blend the digital with the physical.

Being a part of a distinctly unique industry means you could be quite hard-pressed to find two people who do exactly the same job in exactly the same way.

If you’re a fan of flappers or The Great Gatsby, you might find it hard to believe we’re now 100 years after the fact.

There’s no two ways about it – it’s going to be a challenge to win customers back into the physical store.

Another couple of weeks on the road and after a slow start I have noticed my appointment diary is now starting to fill up which is a positive sign!  I have not actively chased too many accounts yet, knowing that most are doubtless struggling with high levels of existing stock to clear, however over the last few days I have noticed customers starting to contact me to arrange appointments.

Staunton Legend – Amsterdam Being present in the present.

We sat down with Cathie (at a distance) for a chat about her new project Retaissance, that we believe can help many brands - established and emerging - to venture the digital world that’s becoming more and more part of our daily lives.

Retaissance: A fervent period of cultural, artistic, creative and economic rebirth, where community and inclusion are a priority.

It’s been a tough few months for the fashion industry.

As physical events are put on hold for the foreseeable future, there remains a question of how best to provide physical services on a digital level.

If we’re honest with ourselves, excess stock is not a problem that is new to us.

Since COVID-19 life has changed for everyone.

One aspect of post-COVID “normal” we would expect to see some sort of increase in is digital advertising and website spend.

As the physical shopping experience makes its first steps to resume, small and independent businesses arguably have an extra problem on their hands.

If you scroll through the majority of well-known fashion publications, you will be guaranteed to see a lot of talk about the status of luxury and how they are navigating the current circumstances.

It will come as a shock to absolutely no one that traditional retailers aren’t the only industry members to be falling on extremely hard times.

In Italy we waited until May 5th for reopening, we lived the lock down with extreme anxiety and listening to criticism from several independent journalists on how this emergency was faced, to the point of wondering if it really was worth the effort to make such a huge sacrifice, if it were commensurate to the entirety of the drama when it will seriously endanger deeply the economy of many micro enterprises! The bad management of this pressure has greatly ignited the awareness of Italian entrepreneurs, especially small businesses, 140,000 units which represent 24% of the total industries in Italy.

At the end of June 2020, trade show giant Who’s Next unveiled their revised plans for their forthcoming exhibition between 4th-7th September 2020, including: * Mask wearing is obligatory for all staff, exhibitors and visitors * Hydroalcoholic gel provided * No paper support during the event (including badge printing).

Today is July 3rd, 2020, and in America, we are celebrating Independence day tomorrow.

In every facet of business, there is tension.

Spain picture from The One Showroom, textile distributors from Bilbao.

Those trying to break into the fashion industry – especially the fashion graduates of 2020 – are currently left in a difficult go-between.

  The question we must now be asking ourselves on a more-than-daily basis is “how on earth can we navigate this forever changing landscape?” We don’t need to look at the news to know exactly what changes are happening within our creative industries, with many of us wanting to keep calm and carry on as much as possible.

I'm deliberately not going out on the road at the moment as I want to give my customers some time to adjust to social distancing and working with limited numbers of customers in the store at one time.

The industry cycle becoming a seasonless one is something that has been on the lips of many over the last few years.

On 24th May, Hanifa set a possible precedent on the future of the runway show.

*Our team is happy to present you a new series of posts: Diary of an Agent.

Any brand without a compassionate conscience at its core will be one that suffers at the hands of the modern consumer.

If you’ve ventured to any British high street, chances are you’ll be met by a looming multi-storey building fitted with mass stock and blue neon lights.

Many industries – creative or otherwise – may currently feel as though they are navigating their way through a never-ending crisis.

As many of us remain in the clutches of lockdown, it is still too early to call how the long-term effects of store closures and their subsequent re-openings will affect small and independent businesses.

For many of us, the lockdown period has been a time of both self-reflection and self-preservation.

During the past weeks and months, there has been a distinct push to make every aspect of a brand as digital-friendly as possible.

One of the issues small and independent brands have faced in pre-lockdown society – but have been greatly emphasised by the current climate – is the question of discounting.

Most will not be strangers to much of the news from the across the pond over the last week, with the death of George Floyd sparking protests across the country and internationally.

One of the many concerns that has been at the forefront of the fashion industry handling the current pandemic is that of the supply chain.

Since the very start of 2020, China has been the epicentre for the Coronavirus pandemic, with news outlets from all over the world looking to how they handled the virus itself – as well as the additional challenges.

If you’ve recently been looking through your Instagram feed, you may have come across the story and sticker feature ‘Support Small Business’.

Marketers in particular are having a particularly tough time in establishing what the ‘voice’ of their brand or company should currently be.

Something we are only all too aware of here at the Consultancy is both the importance and power the agent is increasingly holding.

As time continues to pass us by, we find our collective time often preoccupied by an international disaster or event of extreme concern.

It’s pretty safe to assume that your social media feeds are currently full of posts concerning only one thing: our faithful friend COVID-19.

Behind every brand newsletter, social media post and ad campaign and behind every consumer account, review or profile is an actual human being.

*In turbulent times, there will be winners and losers.

It’s pretty safe to assume that your social media feeds are currently full of posts concerning only one thing: our faithful friend COVID-19.

It’s pretty safe to assume that your social media feeds are currently full of posts concerning only one thing: our faithful friend COVID-19.

At The Anton Dell Fashion, Gift and Home Consultancy, we have over twenty-five years of experience within the experience under our belts.

At The Anton Dell Fashion, Gift & Home Consultancy, matching brands to the right agents worldwide is an integral part of the work that we do.

Regardless of your stance, trade shows are proving to be an ongoing issue for many members of the fashion industry.

In the American market alone, up to 68% of female consumers now wear a size 14 or above.

The beginning steps of a fashion start-up often raise concerns of how best to raise money alongside managing to successfully grow sales.

The signs of the global ‘retail reckoning’ are sadly not showing any signs of stopping as we start afresh in a brand-new decade.

In November 2019, GQ Magazine released an issue with a theme of “New Masculinity”, with the likes of Pharrell Williams embodying a role in print filled with feelings and self-rejection.

Particularly in the UK, retailers are currently facing many conundrums.

It’s safe to say we’re heading into our new decade extremely ‘conscious’.

The festive fun is now over and a brand new year has begun, meaning one dreaded thing for many brands – returns.

It’s either a time we dread or a time we throw ourselves into whole-heartedly, but regardless of which side we fall on, Christmas is a period that we cannot avoid.

There is no doubt that we live in the era of the PR crisis.

In the wake of Black Friday, many of us have spent our weekend scouring the web for the last (or first) bits of Christmas shopping.

The appointment of an agent who then goes on to appoint one or more sub-agents is fairly common.

It’s no surprise that as modern consumers, we are always on the look-out for more.

If you aren’t a convert already, chances are you’ve had an in-depth conversation with someone you know about the new ‘taboo’ V word - Veganism.

At The Anton Dell Fashion, Gift & Homeware Consultancy, we receive a lot of questions surrounding the work we do.

By the end of Summer 2019, Sportswear brand Gymshark announced an unveiling of their brand spanking new ‘Innovation Hub’.

Unless you have been living under a rock, stayed blissfully ignorant or have successfully dodged the daily headlines, Brexit is something that has remained at the forefront of both the public and political mind-set.

As the anticipation of post-Brexit life build, many British brands are still looking to expand on an international, European scale.

The landscape for buying a product has now changed for good.

The decline in trade show success is a topic our blog, and many other fashion media outlets, are no stranger to.

Something we can all relate to is the want for an easier life, in any way we can achieve it.

Just like the residential property ladder, retail space is proving to be a tough nut to crack.

The fashion and homeware trade show circuit being in dire need of change and renovation is something our blog has never shied away from.

All too often, the world of e-commerce is seen to be getting a pretty hard time when it comes to the current state of the physical retail market.

You can’t beat facts – and the facts show that the ‘bottom’ of the retail market (such as Primark) is working extremely successfully, matched by the premium end (such as Selfridges), leaving brands in the middle at a bit of a loss.

Fashion, or any commercial industry, would never even get off the ground if it were not for the talent of the salesperson.

As a UK based consultancy, we often discuss the landscape of the British retail market, but radical changes are just as noticeable all over the world.

Choice is something that the modern consumer has become extremely accustomed to.

For 25 years now, we have been the market leaders in matchmaking brands with agents and distributors so we can help you find the right sales partner for your brand! These are just some of the companies we have helped throughout the years: United Nude, Sandwich, Brandtex, Celine Dion Handbags, Sarah Pacini, Hummel, Gerry Weber, French Connection, Garcia etc.

It’s a story we’ve all heard before – trade shows are shrinking and attendance is in decline.

In May of this year, online luxury fashion retailer FarFetch announced the introduction of a ‘resale platform’ – a space allowing customers to trade “pre-loved” items, such as luxury bags, in an effort to boost their sustainability strategy.

Lego kids is not owned by the Lego company but is an independent company based in Denmark.

By the end of May this year, it was reported that a third of male consumers now believe that their shopping experience has improved over the last ten years.

As we sift our way through the many news bulletins, articles and opinion pieces we are bombarded with on a (more than) daily basis, it can sometimes feel hard to make sense of the state that our current creative industries lie in.

Summer is now in full swing, meaning retailers may once again be looking to discount their wares, despite potential risk.

When it comes to running a business, there is one topic that is seldom spoken about – knowing the right time to leave it.

This year sees the arrival of a new brand on the UK high street, as Danish company Samsøe & Samsøe launches its first brick-and-mortar store in London’s Carnaby Street in late 2019.

Gone are the days of brands relying solely on their catalogues to get promotion and the attention of the wanted consumer base.

Being able to make yourself (or your brand) global is a key part of ensuring longevity and continued success.

As the act of shopping changes, maintaining brand transparency remains essential to keeping consumers onside.

London, Paris, Amsterdam… choosing where to visit when it comes to trade shows is never an easy subject to navigate.

For brands and agents alike, developing a rapport with someone with the title of ‘influencer’ in their job description is now becoming second nature.

This week, we’re back to a classic Anton Dell conversation – the basic foundations of making your fashion business ‘successful’.

If the fashion industry has taught brands and consumers anything, it’s that we all work better, together.

THE BRAND Linea Raffaelli is a family business established in Belgium in 1952 designing elegant ladies’ occasion-wear and bridal lines with 600 sales points in 20 countries.

For many members and admirers of the fashion industry, attending events in the trade show calendar often becomes something you aren’t able to avoid.

ABOUT THE BRAND Zaket & Plover is an Australian womenswear brand offering luxury knitwear.

It’s a crazy world we live in, and finding a voice can be a hard task to master.

Orientique Australia is an old friend of the Anton Dell team!  Since 2017 we have been helping Orientique to explore the European market for the best sales representation for their brand.

*2019: The Lifestyle Highlights* At The Anton Dell Consultancy, we no longer only cater to fashion brands and agents, but have expanded our horizons to gifts, homeware and other elements of ‘lifestyle’.

We may use it everyday, but the Internet is continuously changing the way we shop more than we are even aware of.

London, Paris, Milan, New York… you name it, we’ve been there.

As promoting products online continues to be the preferred method of advertising, the ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) is beginning to crack down on retailers who misleadingly sell what isn’t really there.

The game of good Public Relations is one that always has, and always will, constantly change.

A new year is dawning, and the light feels like it could be at the end of the ‘flailing industry’ tunnel.

And now, the end is near – of 2018 that is.

As another year draws to a close, you don’t have to look hard to find how much of an influence technology has been in the fashion industry throughout 2018.

At The Anton Dell Fashion, Gift & Home Consultancy, we are no strangers to attending a trade show or two.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably all too familiar with the idea of ‘fake news’.

As far as ‘buzz terms’ go, ones relating to the younger demographics are well worn out.

Around this time in the retail year starts the calm before the Christmas storm.

ABOUT THE BRAND Established in 2010, FARRA[[sitetree_link,id=]#https:/antondell.

Influencer promotion is a sector of the marketing world that’s growing thick and fast.

The blurred line between humanity and technology has never been more vague - or confusing.

Quay Australia is one of the biggest sunglass brands worldwide, second only to Luxottica Group! We have been asked by the European Sales Director to find a series of agents to cover Germany, but after a deeper talk, they have decided to follow our advice and look for a bigger distributor that could handle the market better and ensure the high sales volumes the company was expecting.

Time and time again the question of how the overall shopping experience can be made more current and enticing has come into play within the fashion industry.

According to a recent survey, the majority of global consumers are almost at a ‘delusional level’ when questioned about how much of their wardrobe they don’t wear per year.

First let me tell you what a gross profit margin is.

We are all already aware of the constant changes that the fashion world can bring, every second of every day.

We live in the most connected generation yet; with world travel more accessible than ever and our whole lives organised with a touch of a smartphone.

With more and more males purchasing socks for the purposes of fashion, the market is truly expanding.

Last week, we jetted off to Addis Ababa to attend our second annual Africa Fashion Business Summit in a row.

Retail is changing quickly and concept shops are now the hottest trends.

According to Entrepreneur Magazine the definition of a competitive analysis is " Identifying your competitors and evaluating their strategies to determine their strengths and weaknesses relative to those of your own product or service"  In other words who do you see as your competitors and what makes you stand out from your customers.

In 1994, fashion agent Anton Dell saw a gap in the industry for change and cohesion, brainstorming the idea of a networking hub of brands and agents, matching each in a perfect pairing.

Earlier this month came the news that Swiss watch giant Swatch Group would no longer be taking part in the Baselworld watch and jewellery fair, only adding to the increasing concerns that trade shows themselves are on a downward spiral.

Parents are actively  spending  more  and  more  on  garments  for  their little  darlings.

As many of us are now all too aware of, retail is both a volatile and unpredictable place to be.

Within the past year alone, total ecommerce sales in China have exceeded $1 trillion.

Money, money, money.

As avid global consumers, we are no strangers to finding our feet when it comes to footwear.

We all want our ‘brands’, whether they are professional or personal, to embody the best and most authentic view of what we believe in.

  Calling all agents… The future of footwear is here, in the form of brand new shoe based technology.

  The concept of ‘modest fashion’ is one we’re only just beginning to scratch the surface of.

Whether you’re a graduate student fresh out of fashion school, armed with a degree and a whole lot of enthusiasm, or a well seasoned professional looking for a change in direction, deciding to start your own business or not has always been a tricky question.

Anton’s no stranger to sharing his advice across the globe, and has now had the privilege of being invited to talk to 50 Korean brands in Seoul.

  *BREXIT*: noun.

*1.

We’re no strangers to clichés in our everyday lives, but hearing that technology is taking over again and again is something no one seems to enjoy hearing.

It’s 2018, and the landscape of the fashion industry is challenging and uncertain.

There’s no denying it – premium is in.

As premium fashion takes its place in the limelight, Anton Dell’s *Premium Search* service also promises to be the ‘next big thing’ when finding a perfect match for your brand.

  Vive la Révolution – of menswear, that is.

So you’ve made the jump into the world of fashion and frocks – you’ve got the gear and all the ideas, and you’re ready to set the world alight with what you have to offer.

We’ve probably all done it.

It’s officially April, meaning another selling season has come to a close.

At Anton Dell, we are proud of our extensive connections with both brands and agents – and after over 20 years, one of our very first brands has come back in the search for more representation.

What we buy and sell is constantly changing, and the way we do has become more important than ever before.

As another fashion week season draws to a close, sneakers are back in the spotlight, with fresh styles hotly anticipated for 2018.

We have been connecting fashion agents, reps, showrooms and distributors with fashion brands worldwide for over 20 years.

If you are a fashion agent or rep or distributor looking for brands to add to your portfolio, why would you want to find brands through the Anton Dell Network? Allow us to convince you… When you add 20 years’ experience as a fashion agent on top of being born to parents working in the business, Anton Dell lives, breathes, and bleeds the industry.

Marketing connects products to people.

Figuring out how to showcase your business via social media?  Here are some thoughts and tips to get you started…   The most important things when it comes to social media are the ability to listen and to relate.

In today’s constantly changing retail environment, many brands must reinvent themselves regularly in order to survive.

Creating a business is tough – but it’s even tougher making a business that can grow and adapt successfully over the years.

  According to a study by Label Insight, which looks at product data, 94% of all consumers would stay faithful to a brand if they were completely transparent.

Here at The Anton Dell Fashion Consultancy, we have often observed that many brands we come into contact with are focused on breaking America, when Canada may well be more promising for export.

Pitti Uomo 2017 has the theme ‘Pitti in Bloom’, but this is a flower that has been blossoming beautifully for years now.

As e-commerce spills into bricks-and-mortar presences and vice versa, shoppers and retailers have more options than ever.

Thinking about the Netherlands and fashion may not bring many images immediately to mind unless it’s those ubiquitous wooden clogs, which that other leading Dutch fashion export, avant-garde enchanters Viktor & Rolf, cleverly reinvented for contemporary consumers.

Now that we’ve had our fill of tradeshows across the world, we at the Anton Dell fashion Consultancy have noted a number of show trends that help us to project the direction trade fairs are going towards.

Retailers have filled their shop windows with SS17 and we’ve been alerted to a number of key trends in the ever-growing childrenswear sector.

It was good to feel the upbeat positive vibe at both leading London trade shows this season.

With an estimated 85,000 visitors, MAGIC currently holds the card for the most attendees outside of Shanghai Fashion week.

One of the most successful trade fairs in Eastern Europe to date – CPM – has just closed yet another Autumn Winter trade show.

So, we’ve accepted your request to join the Anton Dell Fashion Consultancy.

  If you’re up to date with world news, you will have heard murmurs of the UK and US trade market.

This season we visited Berlin’s main trade shows – Panorama and PREMIUM.

The team headed up three separate trade shows in Paris - home to couture and style alike - each located at the Paris expo Porte de Versailles.

Maintaining its title as the main attraction in Italian tradeshows for men’s fashion and boasting new developments in menswear, Pitti Immagine Uomo celebrated its 91st edition of the show this January.

Holding four tradeshows a year during fashion weeks, I recently returned to my home city of Milan for the favorable WHITE Milano tradeshow, alongside 10,000 visitors.

With emerging categories in smart wear, tailoring, casualwear and the rising loungewear trend, knits and their delightful comfort, will be an important category for buyers this coming season.

Brands often begin with an identifier, whether it be a unique slogan or distinctive logo, to set the company apart from its competitors.

There have been a number of key elements and emerging themes contributing to menswear trends, from vintage recycled fashions to gender fluidity and provocative designs.

While sneakers have been a staple in fashion  industry for over 100 years, interest in them has risen considerably throughout 2016.

In a unique event held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, 18 African fashion designers from 18 different countries met and showed the best of African fashion in a happy, bright and inspiring show.

You have come to the point where your brand is doing well in the domestic market, and your immediate thoughts turn to attaining the larger markets and starting to export.

It’s that time again, and we are all excited to see the formerly known British Fashion Awards revamped; the event will have a new global focus, with awards honoring international talent from both the creative and business sides of the industry, and a bigger public audience.

Maintaining its title as the main attraction in Italian tradeshows for men’s fashion and boasting new developments in menswear, Pitti Immagine Uomo celebrated its 91st edition of the show this January.

Holding four tradeshows a year during fashion weeks, I recently returned to my home city of Milan for the favorable WHITE Milano tradeshow, alongside 10,000 visitors.

In a previous blog, we attempted a glance at fashion in Africa as a whole – a rather broad task.

The program of the next Pitti Immagine Uomo menswear trade show in Florence, coming in January, will build on the success of the landmark 90th edition of the show in June 2016.

The TRANOÏ group of trade shows is Paris-born (in 1988) and Italian-named.

As a native Milanese who went on to work in the fashion industry which the city has been known for since the Renaissance and the Middle Ages, I have to confess to some attachment to the White Milano trade show.

The key fashion trade shows are now over; brands have exhibited their SS17 and few of those who offer quick delivery or selling from stock showed their AW16 collections also.

I have been attending the Coterie fashion fair in New York for years now – it was established in 1986.

When brands sign up to work with us, we use our 2 decades of expertise dealing with agents and reps in export markets to introduce the brand to potential partners in the most suitable way possible.

Amidst security concerns, buying trends we had observed elsewhere stood out for us at the Who’s Next, Premiere Classe, and Bijorhca trade shows in Paris.

Maybe you have been so firmly focused on locating an agent/rep, showroom, or distributor that you are unsure of what to do once one has shown interest in your brand.

The top two trade shows in Scandinavia, Revolver and CIFF, happen in Denmark, and this year they felt as good to attend as the soft, texture fabrics I saw highlighted throughout both shows feel against the skin.

The incredibly lucrative market for clothes, accessories, and other luxury goods in China – the largest in the world for mass fashion – understandably has brands scrambling to secure distribution in the region, regardless of the volatile economy.

I was intrigued to see if there would be any notable difference in the two main London trade shows post-Brexit and was quite reassured to see brand representatives sitting and drinking the free prosecco at Scoop, as per usual.

Here at Anton Dell, we are surrounded by brands day in and day out; branding is what we understand.

The main trade fair for the fashion industry in the Netherlands remained true to the easy Scandinavian palettes that have characterised it in recent years.

As things begin to settle after Brexit, shell-shocked Europeans are trying to take stock of their new environs.

After some doubt about the role of trade shows in today’s fashion world, we were invigorated by visits to PREMIUM and Panorama in Berlin – not to mention Bright.

Increasingly erratic weather means that the transition between seasons is ever less predictable.

Anton Dell, the fashion agent, rep, showroom, and distributor consultancy, is introducing an exclusive new service package in partnership with the leading financial logistics specialist in fashion.

With debate over whether the UK should leave the EU reaching fever pitch, we are forced to ask ourselves what impact a Brexit would have on the fashion industry.

Manufacturers have to overcome various logistical hurdles when exporting goods.

Paris is a city still reeling from the effects of last year’s terrorist attacks, and this could very much be felt at its recent trade shows.

Last season, Pure London announced their ‘Progressive Programme,’ to be debuted at the Autumn/Winter 2016 show.

With the recent announcement from Burberry that consumers will now be able to buy their pieces hot off the catwalk, we in the fashion industry are forced to ask ourselves whether this marks the end of forward selling.

We find that the majority of brands are positively surprised when they first find out about our service.

Picture this scenario: you have just secured that much-coveted international partner and are ready to do business together.

This year, Berlin played host to seven trade shows - Panorama, Premium, SEEK, Bright, Show & Order, Ethical Fashion Show and Curvy Is Sexy - exhibiting the AW16 collections from brands across Europe.

The Chinese fashion market is one of the biggest in the world; consequently, companies are eager to tap into it.

After an agent expresses interest in representing your collection, we recommend setting up an eye-to-eye meeting if possible to discuss your collaboration.

There is an ever-increasing demand for ethical, eco-friendly fashion.

Many brands make the mistake of not formulating a proper strategy before attempting to expand internationally.

Expanding your business beyond your home borders can be a great way of building brand equity, increasing your market share, and growing your company's bottom line.

Trade shows have in the past been considered essential events in the development of a fashion brand.

We are often asked by our clients to give legal advice when it comes to drawing up a contract with an agent.

It is important to differentiate between agents and distributors.

Once you have attracted the notice of a good fashion agent, it is important to strike while the iron is hot.

Pro Chile, in association with the Anton Dell Fashion Consultancy, welcomes agents, distributors and press to an afternoon & evening celebrating some of the most innovative and creative brands working in Chile today.

The whole town of Porto consists of steep hills, so if you wish to reach any shop or restaurant, it’s advisable to do a fitness course beforehand.

Many of our clients approach us as they want to photograph their collection, but can’t afford the fees of a professional - here are a few ideas.

Pinterest is the most visually and sales oriented platform of the Holy Social Media Trinity, which also includes Facebook and Twitter.

Have a look at your top 5 fashion brands (or your competitors!) - I bet at least 90% will be using video or would have marked video production as a priority for AW16.

When a relationship starts between a brand and an agent, the brand must consider that they are entering a partnership.

"I met Anton Dell Consultancy through Extenda (the trade promotion agency for Andalucía) at the end of last year, when I was invited to participate in the international consultancy workshops / competition for fashion brands.

At the end of last year, Extenda - the trade promotion agency of Andalusia – teamed up with our consultancy to offer an exclusive series of workshops to Andalucían fashion brands with the goal of helping them export successfully and build their brands nationally and internationally.

Brands often ask us to find agents in USA as this market, of course, has great potential; however there are aspects of doing business in USA, related to distribution, that are very important to understand prior to seriously considering exporting to USA.

The well-established e-commerce model is now proving to be a popular channel for luxury fashion goods in China.

In August, I travelled to Santiago in Chile, my second trip to South America this year.

My second trip this April took me to South America, to Lima in Peru.

Q: Is it still possible to find agents for the winter 2015 season? A: Yes, it certainly is.

How can you tell a good agent – that’s ‘easy’! Look at his or her portfolio and the brands he/she represents,  If he/she has represented some of them for a number of years, this is often indicative of a good agent.

Accessories are one of the most profitable investments in fashion retail right now; Brazilian women (as with most women) just can’t seem to have enough! Brands that previously sold shoes exclusively have opened their horizons up to bags in all forms – clutches, shopping bags, the baguette, et cetera.

It seems that the winter made its way to London! The thermostat drops, the Christmas lighting is on and there is one thing you cannot miss when passing the shop windows on the high street: the Christmas jumper.

In April of this year, I had the opportunity to travel to Latvia via an invitation from the Latvian Trade Association (LIAA) to provide a workshop in Riga on best export practices for fashion brands.

With one of the highest rates of entrepreneurship in the world, Argentina has produced flourishing and vibrant fashion talent.

One of the main questions we get asked is: should I look for a distributor or should I look for an agent? With agents, or reps as they are known in America, you send them a collection; they take orders from shops and stores; the orders are sent to you; you deliver the order directly to the shops and stores; you collect the payments; and you then pay a commission, usually 12.