The fashion photographs on the pillars in the B level of the Frankfurt Hauptwache should be on display there until the end of the month and are a reminder of the small Aaarea festival that accompanied the Frankfurt Fashion Week.

It is still unclear whether there will be a major fashion appearance in the city from July 5th to 7th after the two fashion weeks that have been reduced due to the pandemic and are largely digital.

Patricia Andreae

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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At the fair it is only said that a concept is being worked on how to organize a Frankfurt fashion week after the withdrawal of the Berlin Premium Group.

In the industry, on the other hand, there is skepticism as to whether this will be possible without the attraction of the Berlin organizers, and some smile at the mantra of Mayor Peter Feldmann (SPD): "Frankfurt can fashion."

Fashion designer enthusiastic

The trade journal Textilwirtschaft quotes dealers such as Kai Brune from Henschel in Darmstadt: “We go where it is interesting.

The important thing is that the offer is right.” The Frankfurt trade fairs Neonyt and Value, which focus on sustainability, are not sufficient for this, according to fashion experts.

Meanwhile, fashion manufacturers such as Seidensticker and Olymp have announced that they want to exhibit in Berlin.

The Mainz fashion designer Anja Gockel also wants that.

At the same time, she was so enthusiastic about the success of her own fashion show last summer at the Hotel Frankfurt Hof that she would like to repeat it in July, as she said when asked by the FAZ.

"I was skeptical at first, but the response convinced me," says Gockel.

Albrecht Ollendiek was also one of the skeptics about moving Fashion Week to Frankfurt.

After his show in the Alte Oper in January, he sees more opportunities for fashion in Frankfurt.

"But it's not enough if every third word is sustainable," he says, fashion is about style and aesthetics, and Frankfurt has some catching up to do there.

In his opinion, one should have spoken to the Frankfurt designers earlier in order to make the city a magnet for fashion.

With her Fashion Lounge, Sevinc Yerli has shown how fashion can be made visible in the city despite the pandemic.

What led to the decision of the premium group to return to Berlin remains vague.

The Berlin Senate states: “The Premium Group will be able to fall back on existing and pandemic-related funding opportunities.

Otherwise, we cannot anticipate the current budget negotiations.” In Frankfurt, meanwhile, the accusation is being raised that fashion week has not been given enough attention.

This is what the economic policy spokeswoman for the CDU city council group Christiane Loizides said about social media.

For example, the specially formed steering committee hardly ever met, she added to her criticism when asked.

Fair rejects criticism

The criticism of the left and the AfD in the Römer that millions were thrown out the window for the Fashion Week, is energetically rejected by those responsible at the fair.

No money flowed to the premium group.

Instead, it cost around three million euros to make the Frankfurt Fashion Week brand known and to advertise the associated events.

In detail, for example, the conception, production and international digital distribution via streaming services of the conferences "The New European Bauhaus" with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on sustainability issues and the SDG Summit with the United Nations on the Sustainable Development Goals cost around 400,000 euros.

Furthermore, around 900,000 euros were spent on international marketing, advertising campaigns and placements to get the fashion world excited about Frankfurt.

According to the trade fair, it was money well invested.

Because it led to around 700,000 contacts.

In view of Corona, however, they were largely digital.

It remains to be seen whether they can be used to go it alone without the premium trade fairs.