I know that everyone is busy with Christmas. Decorating, menu planning and shopping. But when you are part of the (kids) fashion circus you get excited about something else too. New collections!
For one, the new collections for Spring/ Summer 2019 as well as a few pre-spring or even cruise collections will be delivered to stores as of now. We have seen the current stuff for a while and new pieces, colours, styles and more are so welcome.

And, in January the fair trade season will open and we will all meet again. And apart from lots of catching up we will also see what the designers came up with for next winter. Clap Clap! Exciting!

And one show that nobody in this business can miss is also the first show of the season: Pitti Immagine Bimbo.
It is the 88th edition of Pitti Bimbo and it will take place from 17th to 19th January 2019 in Florence, Italy.

My flights are already booked and I am so looking forward to it.

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Pitti Immagine Bimbo is constantly evolving and when reading through their news as well as press releases I think that at this edition the eclectic trend sections will shine even more. And they got more space! Now in the heart of KidzFIZZ you will find the athletic-metropolitan #ACTIVELAB as well as THE up-and-coming brands in The Nest.

Another growing part and in my eyes a very important one: The fair’s lifestyle section is also growing. Nowadays a very important part of the kids business. Because stores all go for experience and offer a concept that includes fashion as well as lifestyle. The Fancy Room doubles its numbers and spaces on the lower level of the Main Pavilion.

Altogether, we will discover 553 collections, of which 360 coming from abroad! In fact, Pitti Immagine Bimbo is becoming more and more international. Which is fantastic, inspiring and speaking for its value.

The Pitti Box is the main theme of Pitti Immagine Bimbo 88
A tribute to all the Pitti shows: To be a Surprise Box, ideas and innovations to open and switch from season to season, and to tell the newest vibrations of fashion and lifestyle.

So, we shall get ready for an “in-and-out of the box” multi-sensory journey, that will offer an experience with a high energetic-emotional rate, entirely outlined in an design-set conceived and edited by the lifestyler Sergio Colantuoni.

“The path of Pitti Bimbo will be marked by many “Boxes”, with which we want to involve our audience in a series of experiences curated by Pitti Immagine. They will be designed as a place of comfort and entertainment, but above all an invitation to meet and share ideas and suggestions, breathing in the unique energy of the event”. Agostino Poletto, General Manager of Pitti Immagine

Infinity Box
The special video art gallery where you can dive into The Pitti Box: a space that will offer a high visual-energy-emotional experience.

Park Box
In the square of the Fortezza da Basso, a large covered arena dedicated to sharing food, ideas and moments of relaxation.

Show Box
Ideal container for a talk program with the protagonists of fashion and lifestyle, and at the same time an original photo set to “shoot” and “get shot”.

Recharge Box
The most functional box, to recharge the batteries and to allow yourself moments of escape.

Silence Box
5 minutes of “switch-off”.

Out of the Box
Ten huge images located in ten strategic perspective viewpoints of the Fortezza da Basso. Ten looks at nature. Ten telescopes that come out and open onto the world. Ten photos chosen from the Reda archive. And through the extraordinary eye of reporters and artists, have captured the territories of Biella, New Zealand and Australia, underlining their beauty and harshness. Each of the images will focus on the deep bond with nature that man and society must preserve as one of the irresistible duties.

Video Box
The new behind the scenes digital art project of the promotional campaign of the trade show. Additionally, a viral video that tells the soul of contemporary children’s wear through the lens of The Pitti Box.

In short: This sounds awesome and I cannot wait to check this all out… see you in Florence!

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In two weeks time I will be in one of my favourite cities – Hamburg, Germany. The good reader will now think – what, wait… Hamburg… I thought you will be in London then. Well, nearly… we will move the week after. You know, no biggie. Haha…

But back to Hamburg… a really cool new concept called THE FAMILY CIRCLE – THE NEW POP-UP EVENT FOR FAMILIES will take place for the very first time. And even so it says pop up, it is really so much more!

And what will I do there?

One of my favourite things – I will create the Trend Space for the event. And in this case I will install, prepare and decorate a complete children’s room. And there is one thing I can already tell you: It’s gonna be amazing!

Yeah, I am normally not somebody who likes to brag but since I know all the cool stuff that will go into the room… it is going to be awesome! So, if you are in Hamburg or around, I would love to see and meet you there…
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What else is happening at the Family Circle?

On October 20 and 21, 2018, The Family Circle will take place in the Dome of Hamburg. Here, you will discover the most beautiful and innovative children’s and family trends in the fashion, interior and food segment. And you can shop them directly at the event!

The event comes with a ticket but includes a HUGE program for children and parents as well. Meaning you can literally spend the whole day here and explore, shop (think about gifts – Christmas is not that far anymore) and have fun.

You can join work shops (flower crowns anyone?), lectures (about breastfeeding for example), cooking corners, a yoga session or craft sessions with your little one. Have a look at the full program and get inspired!

Founder Nadine Jung, a mum of two, curated the event to the last detail: “We have products that bring joy, as well as innovations and heartfelt things that make the new life as a family even more beautiful. “

Especially for the little ones:

On Saturday and Sunday children can enjoy the ‘Kids Creative Area’, that bursts with 100sqm of creativity, fun and games. You could even leave your children in the hands of the professional nursery teachers at the area and go for a stroll and discover the shops. Or, even better, hop over to the beauty space.

Beauty Space for  Mums & Mums to be:

I am secretly hoping to have a free minute over the week end and jump in here for a moment. Ha, so in case I am not at the Trend Space you already know where to find me…
What can you do here? There is the Hair & Make up bar by Nova Hair Studio and a Styling Studio by Anna Wolfers by Goldig. Benefit will open their Glow Bar and Bella Pele wil do Make Up Fresh Ups and give Skin Care tips for mums to be and mums. And yes, it is all included in your ticket!

All details:

When: 20th and 21st October, from 10:00 to 18:00
Where: The KUPPEL, Luruper Chaussee 30, 22761 Hamburg
What: 100 handpicked brands, experts and services in a beautiful location under a tent roof
Tickets: here
 

See you there!

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More or less a month ago (already) Paul & Paula attended Pitti Bimbo #87. I am always so curious before the first show of the season – what will we discover, what are the latest news and especially: how is the atmosphere. The fashion industry (children included) is changing so quickly now that it can be tricky to follow the fast pace. For everyone – and especially for designers and buyers.

This is my recap on the latest news, trends and more from Fortezza da Basso and the kids industry.

New collections, ideas and events were presented by 572 brands attending this edition, intercepting all the latest trends and the future evolution of the sector.

All over I have to say that the atmosphere was great. Positive and energised! (unfortunately that positivity did not reach all fairs I visited during the last weeks) It was vibrant really with many cool and interesting events.

‘Children’s wear is experiencing a moment of great evolution with a strong focus on a more accentuated research and lifestyle dimension that Pitti Bimbo is encouraging and maximizing. Through the new projects and sections dedicated to emerging creativity, design and new lifestyles. From season to season we will further expand the boundaries of the children’s universe.’ Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine

‘This was a great edition of Pitti Bimbo, and the atmosphere was truly dynamic. The concept of the #ACTIVELAB section is strong, and it’s very well laid-out, allowing us to present our collections to their best advantage. In the past few days we’ve met high-end international buyers, including many buyers from Russia and Italy. I also liked the fact that members of the high-quality fashion press were in attendance.’Kristin Nyström, founder of Gardner and the gang

‘This year’s edition was even more dynamic than usual. I discovered a lot of new brands, especially in the Superstreet area. The #Activelab trend really is the fashion trend of the moment, and I’d never seen it represented at other shows; this is a sign of how Pitti Immagine is always up to date with what the market is demanding. The way it’s organised is wonderful, and it allows us buyers to stay even more focused on the fair itself.’ Marìana Garcìa Sepulveda, Head Buyer Childrenswear at El Palacio de Hierro

More and more independent brands are coming to Florence as well, making it a great mix of brands that benefits everyone. #ACTIVELAB, for example, is full of emerging, young and cool brands and even had a catwalk show this season. See the image on top and the two below!

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And the collections were positive too. There will be a lot of strong colours coming into stores for next Spring/ Summer 2019. Even brands that are famous for their monochrome/ minimalist approach went bold and added colours to their lines. Loud Apparel and Little Creative Factory for example.
There will be fringes and pink for boys is definitely a ‘must’ as well!

Little Creative Factory showed for the first time on the catwalk!

The Nest invited, again, new brands from around the world and had some great newcomers from the fashion as well as lifestyle world.

Raspberry Plum is always quirky and colourful and showed another very inspiring collection.

I saw, next to the primary colours like blue and red, a lot of ‘candy’ and ‘sorbet’ shades like soft yellow, apricot or powder pink.

Pre-washed fabrics are everywhere as well. Giving a cosy and relaxed look – I like it!

Velveteen launched their first full boys’ collection.

Sporty styles are still big in general. Tracksuits and cool sneakers are a must-have. And prints with messages. Positive, optimistic messages to send our children into a fun and good childhood.

Nikolia is always the ‘special one’ and amazes me with their creativity every single time. A real butterfly dress? Oh Y E S!

And, by the way, ruffles are still big! And everywhere…

Pero is Pero! Wonderfully special and a feast. They always create awesome hats/ creations for heads for their shows and the details on every piece they make are so beautiful!

In general I have seen a lot of embroidery which is great, because I love it.

And, very important, more and more brands follow a sustainable production. Finally! Recycled fabrics, organic dyes and local productions are on the rise. Buyers are more concerned about their choices and ask more and more detailed questions. Parents are demanding when it comes to ‘what does my child wear’. You just cannot close your eyes anymore to the fact that the fashion industry plays a big role in our environment.

What I also heard: Shops are closing! Now, don’t get me wrong but I believe that the whole industry needs a little make-over. And there are too many shops which means that there are too many sales. And everyone following the same path with the same brands that they believe will sell good. Which makes: A lot of shops, with the same brands and a battle over customers. Hence: Sales!

Lets filter and put things back to reality. It is a wide topic – if you would like to discuss it with me, get in touch. I mean it :)

Summary: Great vibes, colours and sustainability. And hopefully a reinvention that will result in a stronger and more stable industry!

Images 1,2&3: Emily Kornya
Images rest: Pitti Immagine

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Pitti Bimbo 87

Next month I will be off to Florence again. And a visual and virtual spectacle will be waiting for me. Stripes that move, sway and cross again and again. The trade show will elicit new horizons of perception and perspectives on reality. A visual and virtual spectacle.

Because the theme for this summer is: P.O.P – Pitti Optical Power

No black and white in Fortezza da Basso but rather a kaleidoscope of full colour patterns to make living interiors playful and hypnotic between 21-23 June 2018.

The world of children’s wear will meet in Florence again and I am so curious to see what our kids will wear in summer 2019.
Pitti Bimbo in Florence is the world’s top kids fashion trade show. The kids wear business gathers to see new season’s trends, kids catwalk shows and to attend fabulous events and parties.

A lot of new exhibitors will show and the event schedule is packed. As usual!

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Let’s have a look at what is waiting for us:

+ The Monnalisa Garden Party
Monnalisa has a new location in the Sala delle Colonne and will be holding a Garden Party in the splendid Torrigiani Gardens at 7.00 p.m. on Thursday 21 June.

+ The debut of the Philosophy collection by Lorenzo Serafini.

+ MimiSol presents the summer collection “Un mare di fiori-A sea of flowers” with a multimedia installation curated by Mauro Balletti at 11am on Thursday 21 June.

+ From 5.00 to 7.00 p.m., Petit Bateau invites everyone to a cocktail party at the Società Canottieri Firenze on Thursday 21 June.

+ Also on Thursday: Guess Kids celebrates the new collection with a party in the city. From 6.00 to 10.00 p.m.

+ STYLE PICCOLI celebrates 10 years with an exhibition as well as strawberries and champagne.

+ DSquared2 takes part for the first time. On Thursday 21 June, a prom-themed dance will celebrate five years of the kids’ line and the birth of a new capsule collection.

+ 4 Catwalk shows this season: On Thursday you will see Children’s Fashion from Spain & #Activelab.
On Friday it is showtime for The Apartment & KidzFizz.

+ for all events and information please have a look at the NEWS site from Pitti

Check this:

+ #Activelab is getting bigger. The new research laboratory at Pitti Bimbo situated inside the Cavaniglia Pavilion. A layout with playfully feisty tones will welcome a selection of international brands that experiment with sportswear, street and activewear. Spheres that have cool connotations in the world of children. Find brands like: Bangbang Copenhagen, Barn of Monkeys, Gardner and the Gang, Iglo+Indi, Sproet & Sprout or Tiba + Marl.

+ On 2 July over 360 stands from Pitti Bimbo 87 will go online on E-Pitti.com! Making 2,000 products accessible to certified buyers for a period of 8 weeks only. There will be updated editorial content, trends for next summer as well as looks and mood boards to support the thematic areas.

+ THE NEST is back as well. An exclusive section of independent brands selected in collaboration with Little Pop Up Berlin. Situated in the lower floor of the Padiglione centrale. Brands include: Coco au lait, Liilu, Little Pushkin, Novel Walk or Upa and many more…

+ kid’s wear Magazine invites to discover the kid’s wear photo wall. A special photographic wall erected in its space inside the Fortezza. Here is the claim: “choose the animal that matches your lively spirit, take an amusing selfie and publish it on Instagram with the hashtag #kidswearmagazine_PictureMeWild. The best photos will be rewarded with a special crocheted “adventure companion”!

See you in Florence!

Pitti Bimbo 87

See previous reports from Pitti Bimbo.

Photos with children: Backstage of KidzFIZZ COLOR CARPET by Proj3ct Studio

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