Modefabriek Meets WalhallaBrands

At Modefabriek, it’s all hands on deck as we gear up for the upcoming winter edition, and the same goes for the participating brands. How will they show up? What’s new? And what are they looking forward to most? For this edition of Modefabriek Meets, we check in with Carin van de Weerd and Nadja Nieuwlands of WalhallaBrands.

“We’re right in the middle of a move!” says the unstoppable founder Carin van de Weerd with a smile. “From mid-December we’ll be fully operational at our new location. It’s quite a leap, from our 195m2 on Zeeburgereiland in Amsterdam to 465m2 on a business park full of fashion companies in Lijnden, near Schiphol.” Her partner and co-founder Nadja Nieuwlands joins the conversation. “We’re ambitious, the brands are performing well, we work with strong retailers, and now we finally have the space to grow.”

Moving forward with a clear course

WalhallaBrands has worked closely with Modefabriek “from day one.” Sixteen years ago they started with a single stand; now they sometimes have an entire row, mainly featuring Danish brands. Nadja: “In business, we speak the same language as the Danes. They’re efficient, concrete, to the point, hardworking, and they create beautiful products with real attention. Ten years ago, we also defined our target group very clearly: the 40+ woman who values quality and is happy to spend between €100 and €200 retail. That’s our segment. We cover all dressing moments; the brands complement each other beautifully. Some are a bit more fashion-forward, others more casual, but they can all hang together in the same store.”

Loyal to strong brands

MOS MOSH is their biggest brand. “We’ve been working with them for 13 years. MOS MOSH always has a large stand in the outer ring of Modefabriek’s key hall. This edition we’re really going all out, a big stand plus a separate denim area. Around that we’ll build the other collections: Ana Alcazar, which we’ve represented for 16 years and is our only non-Scandinavian label, and Sofie Schnoor. This winter we’re presenting Bruuns Bazaar and Gossia for the first time. Gossia is new to the Dutch market, they’ve only existed for four years. Bruuns Bazaar has shown in the Fashion Gallery before, but this time they’re getting a full stand with their own interior.”

And loyal to Modefabriek

Carin and Nadja are outspoken supporters of Modefabriek. “We are always there, and we think that’s important. Right now we’re actively inviting retailers and spreading the word about the fair. We don’t want to hear that retailers are ‘fair-tired’ or anything like that. You don’t need to travel far, you don’t need expensive flights and hotels, and you can view all the collections in a single day. Bring your staff, let them research, analyse. You can’t do that with Instagram alone.” Carin and Nadja complement each other seamlessly. “And it’s risky to wait until everything is in the showroom. You’ll be working with those collections for half a year to generate your turnover. Plus, it’s simply respectful towards the brands. Creating that preview opportunity at a trade fair like Modefabriek takes a huge amount of effort, money, and energy. Brands are essentially the partners of retailers, we have to do this together.”

The Netherlands is a true fashion country

Carin and Nadja certainly don’t suffer from a “small country mindset.” “The Dutch market ranks in the top three in terms of turnover for our brands and similar labels, so having a strong trade fair in Amsterdam is crucial.” They’re also enthusiastic about Modefabriek’s recent innovations. “The summer edition at the HEMbrugterrein was super fresh and cool. But EXPO Greater Amsterdam is, for now, our favourite venue, bright and spacious, and last winter everyone arrived with a smile. We really love meeting retailers there and are always happy to encourage them to come.”

Good luck with the move, WalhallaBrands!