Artists • Design • Fashion • General Interest • Interviews • News > ::Bread And Butter, Barcelona/ Sport and Street ::
Streets Are Saying Things had the opportunity to kick it with Nina Plumke from Bread and Butter, Barcelona.
Bread and Butter if you don’t know, is one of the newest and hottest ‘Sport and Street’ trade shows happening in Europe, and it is popping off this week July 2nd till the 4th of July.
Street fashion has always been an important part of our culture, being that most of it has been and has derived from American Street culture, or should we say ‘couture‘. Brands like Cross Colors, Karl Kani, Tribal and Fubu have paved way for all of what is happening today in Street fashion. Although the trends today have strayed from the typical logo branded tees and now reflect more of the ‘art’ that is coming from Street Artists, the Culture is what clearly drives the market.
Here’s what Bread And Butter, Barcelona had to share about the show in Barcelona:
Saster: Can you tell me a bit of the everyday work that you do with BREAD & BUTTER?
BBB:I’m working in the communication department of BREAD & BUTTER but also write for the BBBulletIN, B&B’s official magazine. Therefore, my daily tasks include a lot of writing – either for one of our publications, for press inquiries or for the BBBulletIN. Another large part of my job is the media planning and the organization of all media cooperation of BREAD & BUTTER. We collaborate with a lot of international trade and relevant consumer magazines.
So it’s basically a lot of organizing and communicating with people from all over the world. And even though the tradeshows takes place only twice a year, we work all year organizing them. After the show is before the show!
Saster: How do/did you make the show as HOT as it is!?
BBB: Thanks for the compliment! I think one of the reasons that make BBB outstanding is the fact that it’s not a conventional order fair. It is a marketing and communication platform, a meeting point for the whole industry that combines fun and profit, inspiration and business. The brands that exhibit at BBB represent a mix of several segments and fashion styles, ranging from brands with a more commercial success to emerging labels and designers – what counts is their authenticity with regards to their fashion knowledge and the quality of their products.
Also the individual presentation of our brands makes BBB special: the brands are encouraged to present themselves individually with all their qualities and in their complete emotional environment. Furthermore, BBB puts a lot of effort in the unique atmosphere with frameworks like music acts and artists, parties and exquisite catering – all facets which belong to fashion & lifestyle.
Saster: How did you get involved in the show?
BBB: I started as a trainee in the communication department 2,5 years ago. I first heard about B&B during an internship in another company, where I saw a copy of the BBBulletIN. I was intrigued! Everything seemed so “underground”, yet professional and creative. Since then I had been following the story of B&B and decided that I wanted to be part of this adventure.
Saster: Did you start with the conception of the show?
BBB: I didn’t start with the actual conception of BREAD & BUTTER. When I started working here, the company already existed for five years. But it’s always evolving. Every season we reflect and look back on everything we did before and decide on what we keep up, discuss what we can improve or where we need to start with a new approach. We define the direction of BBB newly in every season. This is then reflected in our advertising campaign.
Saster: Is it true that the vendors showcasing at BBB are chosen to be in the show?
BBB: The brands that exhibit at BBB are carefully selected regarding their authenticity and quality. A strict selection is certainly necessary as the right exhibitors are the heart & soul of every tradeshow – the brand portfolio is what makes BBB outstanding. Keeping the good quality is a responsibility that we have towards our visitors and exhibitors – and also towards ourselves!
Saster: How does that work?
BBB: The brands apply to exhibit at BBBarcelona. Therefore, they send information on their company to us, e. g. images of their collections, company and brand profile, the price range of their brand, P.O.S., etc. Also the affiliation of the brands into the single areas has to be taken into account.
Saster: The BBB show has gotten huge from over the past years, what does it look like this year, bigger?
BBB: We are not getting bigger in size. This year, BBBarcelona presents itself according to the motto “New Order”, meaning clearer structures, a better use of the Fira Barcelona site and a stronger profiling of its core segments and their brands.
There will be a new entrance area at Plaça d’Espanya which will guide visitors on to the fairground in a fast and clearly structured way. A new walkway, the “BBBoulevard” forms the new main traffic artery and will guide visitors through the tradeshow and its areas, giving all stands an equal and upgraded position.
The single areas have additional entrances, thus are ideally accessible and connected to one another. The “New Order” concerns all areas and creates a clear and thematic organization: Denim with Denim, Fashion with Fashion – it assembles together what belongs together. We have been working on re-ordering our brands into different areas for a while now. This process will have its official kick-off this season and will be continued into the next.
The Luna Park, the heart of BBBarcelona, will expand to the Avenida Reina Maria Cristina and will be utilized accordingly with additional restaurants and chill out areas. On top of this, there will be more exhibition and presentation space available outside.
The Mies van der Rohe-Pavilion will also be used again this season by Pepe Jeans London who presents „The Andy Warhol Collection by Pepe Jeans London for Spring/Summer 2009”.
THE SOURCE, the new BREAD & BUTTER format for the industry of the primary stage, will be launched in halls 6 and 7 during the BBBarcelona (02-04 July 2008).
Here, top-laundries, dyeing-houses and accessory-producers will present their innovative and first-class product. With THE SOURCE, we will establish the basis to back up BBB.
Saster: How do buyers get in?
BBB: BREAD & BUTTER is for fashion professionals only. In order to provide an exclusive and professional business environment, all registration requests are being examined in advance and accordance with our visitor regulations that can be found on our website. We recommend accreditation online before the event for fast and easy access and to avoid waiting queues.
Saster: Who are some of the big names that are in this years show?
BBB: There are lots of big names at BBBarcelona, so it’s hard to make a selection. For a good overview, I will split them off into the single areas. Some of our top brands in the Urban Superior are 0039 Italy, AG Adriano Goldschmied, Armand Basi, Bensimon Collection, Camper, Chie Mihara, Cold Method, Creative Recreation, Custo Barcelona, Designers Remix Collection, Ed Hard, Evisu, Filippa K, Fred Perry, Fullcircle, Goosecraft, John Smedley, K Karl Lagerfeld, Mads Norgaard, Munich “Special Edition”, Nicholas Deakins, Puma, Scapa Sports or Spring Court. We also have exclusive new entries here like Strellson Swiss Cross, Tretorn, Harricana par Mariouche, Naked and Famous, Closed, The Duffer Of St. George, April 77, CK Calvin Klein, NR 10, Bllack Noir, Fabuleux Marcel, Gold Case and JLO by Jennifer Lopez.
In the Fashion Now, there are regulars like b.young, Baci & Abbracci, Be You #[K], Birkenstock, Blutsgeschwister, Buffalo Boots, Crocs, Dimensione Danza, EMU Australia, flip*flop, Friis & Company, Irregular Choic, Kickers, Kipling, Love Therapy, Muchacha, Nastrovje Potsda or Terra Plana.
Fashion Now is also making a “New Order” statement by incorporating former Denim exhibitioners such as Desigual. Additional new entries in this area are Golddigga or Supertrash.
Main names of the Denim Base are Ben Sherman, Blue Blood, Edwin, G-Star RAW, Hilfiger Denim, Kuyichi , LEVI’S® , Le Temps des Cerises, Lee Cooper, Mustang, Pepe Jeans London or Replay. New entries in Denim this season are FCUK Denim, Z Brand, MEK Denim and Dr. Denim Jeansmaker.
The Sport & Street Area presents brands like Addict, Burton Appare, Clae, Clarks Shoes, Converse, Crooks & Castles, Dickies, Stapl, Etnies, WeS, Fenchurch, Upperplayground, Franklin & Marshall, Havaianas, Invicta, JB Classics, K1X, Kawasaki, Lacoste Footwear, Lucky 13, New Balance, Nixon, PF Flyers, Panuu, Penfield, Pharmacy Industry, Pointer Footwear, Reebok or Paul Frank. This season, Sport & Street newly presents Oakley, Clarks Shoes, Forvert, and Burton Apparel.
BBB’s relatively new Area Sportswear, launched last January, includes brands like Conte of Florence, Napapijri, North Sails, Sebago and from this season on Cappauei and Cottonfield.
Also in Luna Park we have some big names like Nudie Jeans, Onitsuka Tiger and Wrangler.
Saster: Looks like the show is divided into many different categories/sections, what are the categories and sections for BBB this year?
BBB: Our areas are newly defined this season: Denim Base, Fashion Now, Sport & Street, Urban Superior, Sportswear and the B&B Studios. These categories give brands, labels and designers the opportunity to profile themselves in an even stronger way.
Denim Base presents jeans giants, classic denim brands and smaller newcomers. Also Organic Denim is a topic here. Fashion Now shows a diversified mix of womens- and menswear. “Must-haves” and evergreens melts into an authentic, smart, loud, fresh and playful aroma of all styles, here. The Sport & Street Area brings together big players and independent brands and creates serious trends. Today’s youth culture comes to life, here.
The Urban Superior Area covers the entire Casual Lifestyle Segment and style-wise complements the Denim Hall. Everything from Progressive Formal Wear and Sports & Casual Wear to Luxury Denim can be found here.
The Sportswear Area on the other hand offers authentic and functional Sportswear and Outdoor fashion with innovative design and fashionable know-how and stages Performance- and Lifestyle brands with a Sports background.
With B&B Studios, BREAD & BUTTER provides a creative platform for up-and-coming labels and designers of our culture. Current collections are presented and international contacts are made here, making entry into the industry all the more easier.
Saster: What does the BBB show think about doing something this exciting worldwide, like bringing it to the United States?
BBB: We are very happy in Barcelona at the moment. We have everything we need: A great exhibition centre right in the city with perfect architecture and surrounding grounds. The infrastructure of the Fira Barcelona is also optimal: the large space around the exhibition centre and good transport connections, including the Metro station just outside on Plaça d’Espanya.
Also the city is great: It is young, dynamic, creative, urban and has a good vibe. Barcelona continually produces phenomenal contemporary architecture. It has some of the best skate spots in Europe and has an unbelievably dynamic street culture (graffiti & street art). It’s hard to beat.
So for the next years, it’s definitely Barcelona – we have no reasons or plans for expanding or changing the location of BBB. The brand BREAD & BUTTER as well as our tradeshow stands for internationality: our visitors embody the world and we welcome the world as our guest. This is reflected in the overall flair of the fair.
L. Are there any celebrity performances and visits at this year and past years shows?
There are always several celebrities at BBBarcelona. For July, Walter Van Beirendonck, a major player in the Belgian design scene, is scheduled to visit our tradeshow – we are very exited about this!
Also, testimonials of brands usually come to BBB, e.g. Sienna Miller for Pepe Jeans London or Bar Rafaeli for Hollywood Milano, but also popular designers like Tommy Hilfiger. In January, the German designer Philipp Plein did a fashion show in cooperation with the model show “Germany’s Next Topmodel by Heidi Klum” and Heidi was there, too.
But this is not our main focus. What counts for us is creating an atmosphere in which the BREAD & BUTTER community feels comfortable and wants to return to twice a year.
This happens through connecting the right people – the popularity of a person doesn’t matter thereby. Everyone is welcome!
BREAD & BUTTER BARCELONA – tradeshow for selected brands SUMMER 2008: 02-04 JULY
Our thanks go out to Nina Plumke for this interview.
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