White Milano | With all senses and in every sense!

In times of great upheaval, trade fairs in particular are facing existential challenges. How can they remain relevant as places of encounter? What do brands, buyers and the industry as a whole need to rediscover the excitement of fashion? Style in Progress spoke to Brenda Bellei Bizzi, CEO of WHITE Milano, the international fashion trade fair, about several exciting approaches for this path into the future.

Interview: Stephan Huber, Text: Janaina Engelmann-Brothànek, Images: White Milano

style in progress: What can WHITE offer the fashion industry in these challenging times of transformation for all market participants?

Brenda Bellei Bizzi, CEO of WHITE: These are indeed turbulent and challenging times for the entire supply chain: from suppliers and manufacturers to retailers and end consumers, who are justifiably demanding. They want quality, comprehensible prices and, crucially, the sensuality and values that go beyond the product. It is therefore about an overall emotional experience in many respects. And that’s exactly what we need to be able to portray as a trade fair. We can no longer just be seasonal sales events, but must evolve into platforms for ongoing exchange and inspiration, both in the B2B and B2C sectors. We need to intelligently combine these two areas to make fashion exciting again.

What exactly do you have in mind?

Firstly, we need to scout properly again and bring new, up-and-coming brands from all over the world to Milan. And by that I really mean from all over the world. Research is now more important than ever. At the same time, we must continue to support our national brands and try to connect them with newer players. Exchange is still fundamental today. And finally, we need to create a space where this exchange can take place in a creative and enthusiastic way. Enthusiasm must return. This is exactly what we are trying to achieve with WHITE Village: a fashion village with various events and performances spread throughout the Tortona district – WHITE Garden @Superstudio, WHITE Bistrot @PHYD, Botanical Club, the MUDEC Museum and Padiglione Visconti. Particularly worth mentioning is the „Looking Back“ event at the latter location: a vintage market with clothing, fine arts and crafts, rare vinyl records, colorful furniture accessories and much more. The B2C public also has access here. And this ultimately reflects the reality in which this interaction has long been taking place.

So the path to the future is multisensory?

Multisensory gets to the heart of the matter: Fashion must once again be enjoyable –  with all senses and in every sense. We are absolutely aligned on this.