About

Mission Statement

Modefabriek’s mission is to be an innovative and distinctive business-to business tradeshow for labels that distinguish themselves by uniqueness, quality and continuity with an individual vision of fashion in the middle and high segment of the fashion market.

High-end, trendsetting, creative and innovative are the most important core values and pillars.

The fashion trade show of the Benelux is more than a vast collection of brands under one roof; modefabriek is a showcase of new trends, international renowned and avant-garde designer talents, of culinary discoveries and innovative design.

History

The very first edition of Modefabriek took place in 1996, founded and created by friends and business partners Lucel van den Hoeven, Rick van Rijthoven, Caroline Krouwels and Anne-Claire Petit. With a modest 27 exhibitors and a real pioneering spirit, Modefabriek opened its doors at Westergasfabriek to a couple of hundred curious visitors. The edgy and industrial feel of the former gasworks formed the perfect operating base for the innovative and contemporary character of Modefabriek. Over the years, Modefabriek kept growing steadily and therefore had to relocate several times. Having started out at Westergasfabriek, it later moved to the slightly bigger industrial premises of the former Stork plant and eventually to the former Fokker airplane hangar in Schiphol East. The experimental character of the first shows increasingly began to make way for commercial professionalism and accordingly a further growing number of visitors, labels and exhibitors. Today, Modefabriek is held at Amsterdam RAI, the largest conference venue in the Netherlands, and it has become the leading fashion trade show in the Benelux region. Each edition, Modefabriek now welcomes over 16,500 national and international visitors and showcases more than 600 brands over a space of 40,000 square metres. Despite its growth and the increase in the number of brands on display, the original objective – creating an inspiring environment and professional meeting place with a strong focus on innovation and creativity – is as relevant today as when Modefabriek was first launched.