One Mann's Opinion

At long last, spring is upon us. With this fresh perspective and sense of renewal in the air, industry tradeshows are hoping that their numbers are going to increase as a result. One way these shows are ensuring bigger numbers is by tradeshows now working together to remain competitive. In a single trip, with one registration badge, attendees can visit all related shows in attendance and achieve major time and cost savings. One such example is the SPESA Expo, which has joined forces with ATME-I/Megatex and Techtextil North America for the upcoming Textile and Sewn Products Industry Week in Atlanta, Georgia.

While some shows are becoming more specialized and narrowly focused, an emerging trend with major shows is to extend their value by co-locating with related events as a means of addressing the full scope of industry issues and needs like never before. One such example is the upcoming “Textile and Sewn Products Industry Week” in Atlanta. This first-ever collaboration will bring together three distinctly prominent events to cover the entire concept-to-delivery fashion and sewn products lifecycle. The ultimate goal of this more comprehensive approach is to enable collaboration across virtually every role and aspect of the business, including fabrics, design, development, sourcing, production, supply chain management, logistics, and more.

Our photo events for this month include The 2010 Femmy Awards, presented by The Underfashion Club, Inc., which were recently held at Cipriani 42nd Street. Hosted by author, model, designer, and current member of The Real Housewives of New York, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, the annual affair was truly memorable for the more than 650 industry executives, media, and celebrities that were in attendance. The School of Fashion at Academy of Art University in San Francisco premiered the collections of recent graduates during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in The Tent at Bryant Park. The Rosenthal & Rosenthal firm threw their annual holiday luncheon at Il Cortile in Manhattan’s Little Italy. The Fashion Service Network (FSN), a group of leading New York service providers that delivers solutions and opportunities to the industry, recently hosted a fashion industry cocktail party at Arno Ristorante. And lastly, the internationally renowned lifestyle brand that blends Norwegian heritage with international fashion trends, known as Moods of Norway, had over 3,000 people in attendance for their showing at Oslo Fashion Week.


This year we have switched things around a little by running our “Green” issue to coincide with Earth Day’s 40th Anniversary— on April 22nd. A green revolution is indeed demonstrated with products ranging from all natural, cruelty-free makeup to an entire organic men’s line that uses Organic Blend, Bamboo Blend, Soy-Blend and P.E.T. These designers and products are truly inspiring in creating change and living a greener life. One last minute reminder to please join me at The Mann Foundation’s 5th Annual Mann of the Year awards on Monday, April 19th, at Cipriani 42nd Street, benefiting the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) at Mount Sinai! Feel free to visit our live, online journal at www.MannoftheYear.com!

Regards,
Jeff Mann

“They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” –Andy Warhol