Curve Connect launches 2nd edition of digital event

16
Feb '21

Pic: Curve Connect

Curve Connect, a trade show for intimate apparel and swimwear, will be held from February 16-22. Using Grip software program, the event will offer attending visitor’s matchmaking and networking opportunities powered by AI. This software enables buyers to save time, work efficiently and enjoy discovering new brands from the comfort of their offices or stores.

“We are cognisant that both buyers and brand representatives are time crunched, therefore we are embracing the use of technology to help meet their needs,” Raphael Camp, CEO of Eurovet Americas, said in a press release.

The February edition is a joint effort with the Salon International de la Lingerie in France. By collaborating, Curve Connect will be able to introduce more European brands to the platform & widen the assortment of exhibitors in 2021. To date 120+ international exhibitors will be participating include renowned labels Marie Jo, Aubade, Simone Perele, Chantelle, & Wacoal. New in 2021 will be a different level of subscription services and badge types, including a webinar viewer option that allows limited access to attendees who wish to learn new business strategies with daily webinars and conferences on trends and economic indicators.

The intimate apparel market is said to be booming as consumers staying at home seek out more casual and comfortable pieces like loungewear and athleisure, many of traditional lingerie players, with their focus on corsetry and fit, more difficult to sell online, have struggled over the past year. In 2020, the lingerie market has done better than the average clothing market players that have focused on comfort pieces; loungewear and athleisure have performed better than the market overall, notably due to the comparative ease of selling such products online.

Kicking off the show on February 16 will be a short movie followed by a panel discussion with the North America managers of some French lingerie brands, part of the non-profit “Lingerie Francaise”, featuring 10 French lingerie brands aiming to highlight the sector’s savoir-faire and scope. The same day, the NPD group will give an Outlook of the intimates market in 2021. Later that first day, the retail expert Lynn Swintanowski will hold a practical workshop on “Improving your profits all year long - Simple solutions for enhancing your retail business operations.”

Among the 15+ hours of original content produced, some other topics include: on February 17 “An Intimate Chat with Retailers - The new mindset of the 2021 consumer”, on February 18 “Social Media Make-over - Creating engaging content & story telling” and on February 20 “How to engage the 20 year old Customer - A Roundtable discussion on capturing the GEN Z consumer.”

Another highlight of the week will be the very interesting discussion on February 19 with leaders from the well-known Fashion brands- Eileen Fisher and Free People: “Sustainability and Fashion: How to Implement Sustainable Practices for Brands and Retailers” with Andrea Kennedy (LIM College), Amy Hall (Eileen Fisher) and Julie Verdugo (Free People).

Expectations are high that a global audience will be attending the February virtual show. At the recent September 2020 edition, Curve Connect welcomed 1000+ International buyers from the US, Canada, England, France, Spain, Japan, Australia, and Mexico.

Comexposium is planning to offer physical Curve events in New York and Los Angeles in the 3rd quarter of 2021. They are also exploring boutique-like smaller regional shows later in 2021.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (JL)

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