The Brandery Asia tradeshow debuts with contemporary urban, street and casual fashion brands

The Brandery

Asia, an extension of the established The Brandery fashion tradeshow from Barcelona, Spain, is expected to up Singapore’s style quotient with its roster of contemporary urban fashion brands from Asia, Europe and the United States.

Co-locating with BLUEPRINT at Suntec Singapore from 17 to 20 May 2012, The Brandery Asia is positioned as the international launch pad for contemporary urban, street and casual fashion brands looking to gain a foothold on the Asian market, and for Asian brands to be catapulted into the global scene.

The Brandery Asia’s focus on large Spring/Summer collections by urban contemporary fashion brands will complement BLUEPRINT’s unique focus on Pre-Spring collections by up-and-coming niche brands and designers.

A vibrant mix of international and regional brand names will be showcasing their latest collections at The Brandery Asia. Brands hailing from Asia include FEMMEX, a brand new ladies concept fashion wear from Singapore; Flesh Imp, a cool and trendy label that promotes creative lifestyle for youths from Singapore; Hailey & Sasha, exquisitely tailored ladies lingerie, swimwear and undergarment accessories from Taiwan; Island Shop, a Singapore brand inspired by global travel bringing a modern and urban twist to the bohemian aesthetic; Per Me, elegant and romantic womenswear from Hong Kong; and a collection of fashion footwear brands under the Tangs Group from Singapore which include Martina Pink, quirky footwear, STUDIOTANGS, footwear for the modern woman and LIBRARY, essential shoes for the new urban professional.

From Europe and the US, the brand mix includes Baggu, high quality and brightly coloured multi-usage bags from the US; Feiyue, authentic vintage-inspired iconic canvas shoes from France; Munich, sports and fashion shoes made in Barcelona, Spain and owned by the same family since 1939; and Pointer, simple and well-designed casual mens and womens footwear from the UK.

The Brandery Asia tradeshow is organised by MP-Fira International, a new joint venture company set up by MP International, an exhibition and conference organiser headquartered in Singapore, and Fira de Barcelona, Spain’s oldest and most established tradeshow organiser.

Mr Ricard Zapatero, International Business Director of Fira de Barcelona, said: “Asian consumers are becoming more fashion forward and adventurous in their lifestyle choices, and The Brandery Asia will be able to whet their appetite for trendy urban brands.

“We are very excited to partner MP International to bring some of the most popular European and US labels to the growing Asian market. The co-location with BLUEPRINT for the first edition of the show is ideal for us to reach the fashion buyers and trade visitors in Singapore and the region.”

Staged twice a year, The Brandery has firmly established itself as a unique springboard for the contemporary urban fashion industry in the Spanish market and as a point of access to the southern European market. The Barcelona event held its sixth edition this January and saw the participation of more than 120 brands and 14,500 trade professionals.

Ms Sylvia Phua, Chief Executive Officer of MP International, concurs: “The Barcelona show has become a major fashion event in southern Europe and has drawn many interesting contemporary brands which are new-to-market in our part of the world.

“The Asian version will be a great addition to the local fashion event calendar and we expect it to enhance the value proposition of Singapore as a fashion hub in the region. Currently, Singapore is recognised as the second largest fashion apparel hub in Asia Pacific with total sourcing volume through Singapore estimated at around US$3 billion. There is much potential here and we believe that the market is ready for an international tradeshow like The Brandery Asia.”

Ms Jeannie Lim, Executive Director for Conventions & Meetings and Exhibitions & Conferences of Singapore Tourism Board, said: “We welcome The Brandery Asia to Singapore, and are proud to host this premier fashion tradeshow, here in Asia for the first time. With Asia still promising to be an engine of growth, we are pleased to witness this successful collaboration between MP International and Fira de Barcelona to introduce The Brandery Asia, which will generate new business opportunities for the fashion industry, and reinforce Singapore’s position as a leading lifestyle hub and business exchange capital in the region. The event will also complement the cluster of fashion events under Asia Fashion Exchange 2012.”

Among the highlights being planned for The Brandery Asia are catwalk shows by participating brands and activities at urban hotspots for the public to experience the brands’ cultures in a creative and dynamic environment, beyond the confines of an exhibition hall.

For more information, please visit www.thebranderyasia.com .

About BLUEPRINT
BLUEPRINT is a four-day fashion trade and consumer event organised by the Blueprint Group, a joint venture between the Textile and Fashion Federation of Singapore (TaFf), MP Asia Pte Ltd (MP Asia) and Mercury Marketing and Communications Pte Ltd to catapult emerging talents to international prominence. It was awarded Exhibition of the Year at the Singapore Tourism Board’s Singapore Experience Awards 2011, and the winner of the Red Dot Award: Communication Design for its 2011 rebranding and “A Brave New World” creative campaign by 2011 event partner Trine Design Associates.

Mercury Marketing & Communications created BLUEPRINT in 2004 as a catwalk showcase to further the careers of young Singaporean and Asian design talents; these young designers and their labels were featured in a limited-edition Blueprint shop at The Heeren for a year. In 2008, nine BLUEPRINT product designers exhibited at the Salone Internazionale Del Mobile in Milan while in 2009, 10 BLUEPRINT designers created unique red dresses auctioned off in aid of the Singapore Heart Foundation. BLUEPRINT 2010 took place over three days with two days specifically for trade and one day for consumers. Since 2011, Blueprint has grown to a two-day fashion trade show featuring Pre-Spring collections of emerging designers from around the world, with a two-day off-shoot Emporium weekend shopping event for consumers.

About MP-Fira International
MP-Fira International Pte Ltd is a new joint venture company set up by MP International and Fira de Barcelona to organise The Brandery Asia.

Established in Singapore in 1987, MP International Pte Ltd is a professional exhibition and conference organiser. To date, it has organised and managed some 300 major national, regional and international events. It is the organiser of ITMA 2011 and 2015, ITMA ASIA 2001 and 2005, and co-organiser of ITMA ASIA+CITME 2008, 2010 and 2012.

Established in 1932, Fira de Barcelona is a trade fair organiser and venue owner. It has a portfolio of 70 tradeshows, which are participated by some 35,000 companies and 3.5 million visitors. One of the largest venues in Europe, it offers 405,000sqm of exhibition floor space.