Bread & Butter, the festival giving fashion consumers a voice

By

Melanie Muller

Translated by
Barbara Santamaria

Published
Sep 5, 2017

On the first weekend of September took place in the Arena Berlin the second edition of Bread & Butter (B&&B) by Zalando. The ‘Festival of Style and Culture’ focused on the theme ‘Bold’, showcasing the latest in fashion, music and food. Over 30,000 guests attended the three-day fair, 10,000 more than the previous edition.

Live-streamed events, and the RFID activation facilitating an immediately shoppable experience, linked the trade fair with Zalando’s online powers. The line-up of 40 exhibitors included Puma, which showcased an exclusive workout collection with German influencer Pamela Reif. Tommy Hilfiger introduced an exclusive Hilfiger Denim x Zalando collection of denim pieces, while Wrangler presented a collaborative collection with Peter Max, which coincides with its 70th anniversary.

“This is the first time we come to Bread & Butter and have also launched our new collection. Unlike other trade fairs, we are here in direct contact with real customers and can see how they react to our collection,” said Sean Gormley, creative director of Wrangler Europe. “This festival gives fashion consumers a voice.”

Levi’s created a limited edition Berlin version of its signature brand t-shirt, while Stadium Goods used the event to debut the brand in Europe following an exclusive partnership signed with Zalando for the distribution of products in the continent. Eastpak was present dor the second time and presented a limited edition Andy Warhol collection.

“For us, this event means that we can reach 20 million active customers, while also receiving a good amount of social media attention,” said Stefano Saccone, Eastpak CEO.

Karl Lagerfeld collaborated with Vans on a hotly-anticipated footwear and apparel collection, while brands including Levi’s and G-Star Raw held customisation workshops. Fossil, Herschel, Minimum, Rains, Stance, Reebok Classic, Won Hundred and Converse showcased their Fall Winter 2017 collections.

Topshop hosted daily style talks with personal shoppers, showing the hero pieces of the new season and offering styling tips on site. A key highlight of the three-day event was an exhibition and panel discussion with Vivienne Westwood, as confirmed by the large turnout and long queues. Other highlights included fashion shows by Zalando, Hugo and a haute couture show from design duo Viktor & Rolf.