2023 Trend Fair Concludes with Great Success Amidst Warm Reception

Hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (Minister Lee Chang-yang) and organized by the Korea Fashion Industry Association (President Han Joon-seok), the "2023 Trend Fair" successfully concluded on August 23 (Wed) after three days of enthusiastic participation at COEX.

This year's Trend Fair featured a total of 130 brands in women's wear, men's wear, unisex, fashion accessories, and fashion tech. Over 3,400 people including representatives from leading domestic department stores, select shops, online malls, fashion companies, international buyers, and the general public attended, resulting in more than 2,100 business consultations. There was a 48% increase in attendees and a 40% increase in consultations compared to the previous year.

Major domestic online and offline distributors and company builders, such as Lotte, Shinsegae, Hyundai, W Concept, 29CM, Musinsa, F&F Partners, and HAGO, actively participated in the exhibition, conducting vibrant business consultations with the participating brands.

Especially this year, buyers from various countries including Japan, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the United States, and Brazil visited the site, showing high interest in K-fashion. The attendance of popular influencers active on China's TikTok Douyin and XiaoHongShu also drew attention.

The association organized various programs to enhance the success of this year's Trend Fair, satisfying exhibitors, buyers, and consumers alike.

Zoning by concept was arranged to highlight the individuality of participating brands. Efficient business consultations were supported through pre-shared information between brands and buyers. Various events like consumer sales, joint fashion shows, fashion tech presentations, and demonstrations for visitors attracted high interest and response.

A representative of a leading domestic platform, who has been attending the fair for many years, remarked, "Compared to previous years, the scale of the event has expanded, and the participation of new brands was noticeable, leading to many satisfying consultations on site."

A representative of a brand participating for the first time this year said, "I decided to join the Trend Fair as it was recommended as the exhibition with the most buyers in Korea, and I was pleased to consult with buyers I wanted to meet."

Particularly, a buyer from Brazil who visited Korea said, "Currently in Brazil, there is high interest in K-culture and K-fashion. This being my first Korean fashion exhibition, I was looking forward to consulting with many brands during the exhibition."

A college student visitor who purchased products at last year's Trend Fair commented, "I found many products I liked and bought clothing and accessories. Especially, the joint fashion show and fashion tech presentations were beneficial, and I look forward to next year's event."

The association announced, "After the event, we plan to continue providing business support to the brands that participated in the Trend Fair through connections with domestic distributors."