Riga, Warsaw and Bucharest: The New Frontiers of Fashion

27 Oct Riga, Warsaw and Bucharest: The New Frontiers of Fashion

Here’s an interesting take on on Fashion from Alison Taylor that appeared in Telegraph:  Riga, Warsaw and Bucharest: The New Frontiers of Fashion:

Move over Brooklyn, make way for Bucharest – some of the coolest shops are now to be found in the former communist countries of Europe. Here is a low-down on what and where the hipsters and glamazons are buying.

How important is geography when it comes to fashion? Twice a year a throng of buyers, editors and bloggers assemble for the dizzying schedule of shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris, commonly referred to as the ‘fashion cities’. These places have earned their style stripes thanks to a rich style history and culture. They are fashionable.

But what about other countries? Do they get a look in? Could Eastern European territories be in with a chance? José Neves, founder of the online global shopping site Farfetch, certainly thinks so.

According to Verdict Research’s Euro Clothing report published in the fashion trade magazine Drapers, the European clothing market is forecast to grow 9.3 per cent in the next five years as eastern European spending escalates. Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia are expected to be the main drivers of growth. Poland, Romania and Latvia all have their own fashion weeks to support local design talent. Plus, designers from these countries have been having successes at international fashion weeks, while Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar have recently launched in Ukraine and Romania respectively.

From a consumer perspective, the fact that Farfetch has recently signed up several multi-brand stores based in these countries speaks volumes in terms of the local appetite for designer fashion, and the passion and creative outlook of the individuals setting up shop. As Neves points out, ‘These countries, like Poland, are huge and they have growing, healthy economies with people that are well travelled, hungry for newness and eager to be in synch with the rest of the world. And you have buyers with great taste in these places.’

So, from Bucharest to Warsaw, meet the store owners contributing to a new global stylescape….

Continue reading about these hip store owners.