We knew that the day where fashion fairs change their format from
physical to digital would come, but perhaps we hadn’t expected it so soon.
As a response to the current pandemic, the Amsterdam-based denim sourcing
fair Kingpins was forced to announce the cancellation of its edition in
Halfweg. A few weeks after this, however, a new concept was launched:
Kingpins 24, a fully online event.
Kingpins24 took place for two days, the same length as the original
Kingpins Amsterdam event would have. The digital experience allowed people
to watch more than 200 videos, 42 powerpoint presentations of exhibitors
and more than 35 webinars from the comfort of their own homes. Though
information on the format of the videos was vague in the days leading up to
the event, in the end, Kingpins24 consisted of one continuous live stream,
as well as pre-recorded episodes, live interviews and talks by exhibitors.
The content was free to anyone who wanted to attend the two-day online
event, with the exception of the trend presentations by Amy Leverton and
Denim Dudettes, where a time slot pass had to be purchased for 35 euros. By
registering for free and installing Zoom, visitors were able to gain access
to the livestreams on the Kingpins24 website.
Kingpins24 was realized within 30 days and
75 percent of the original Kingpins Amsterdam exhibitors participated in
the online edition
As can be read on the Kingpins website, managing director Vivian Wang
first came up with the idea for an online exhibition. In regard to the
event’s visitor experience, founder Andrew Olah explained in a letter: “We
know that there will be things that will not go well, since we have never
done this before. But we also know that there will be things that are not
bad and that some things will be fantastic. If you never try, you can never
be successful.”
In Amsterdam, just before 9am on Wednesday morning, viewers heard
waiting music on the live stream. Then, at 9am sharp, Andrew Olah appeared
from Houston Texas, where it was 2am at the time. The founder of Kingpins
explained that Kingpins24 was realized within thirty days and that 75
percent of usual Kingpins Amsterdam exhibitors would participate in the
online edition. All information, videos and presentations could be found on
the Kingpins24 website and the livestream of the two-day event will be
available for two weeks, until May 8. This is necessary, as the text of
certain presentations was not always sharp and easy to read. In the chat,
visitors were reassured that the content could still be viewed in a better
resolution on the mini-website of Kingpins24 afterwards. On the first day
of the fair, the majority of the livestream content was already available
on the ‘on-demand’ part of the website, which caused some confusion. During
one of the interviews, Olah reported that about 99 percent of the videos,
presentations and interviews were pre-recorded. This was the most foolproof
option, as the organization had no prior experience with live streaming.
Anyone who was not able to see the content on April 22 and 23, or within
the next two weeks, can already look forward to a new edition. In the
introduction early on Wednesday morning, Olah revealed that Kingpins24 will
return in June, around the time that Kingpins New York would have
ordinarily taken place. “There are brands that couldn’t take part right now
that are interested in being part of the event.”
Denim fair Kingpins goes online with Kingpins24
Is an online version of Kingpins the future? At the beginning of the
first day, all participants shared the desire to meet again in Amsterdam in
October. But, according to the chat, the event attracted a worldwide
audience. People from Columbia, the US, Hong Kong, Pakistan, the UK,
Bangladesh, Italy, Turkey, Japan, Mauritius, Spain, Russia, Germany, China
and India were present. During one of the interviews, Andrew Olah
cheerfully reported that at that moment, noon in Amsterdam, 621 people were
watching live.
It seemed easier to gather information on the livestream or the
on-demand content during Kingpins24 than at a conventional, physical trade
show. Companies shared what they wanted, from the latest products or
innovations to their history or a look around the factory. Tuning into the
livestream could have helped people come across new companies that they
wouldn’t ordinarily have at a crowded, physical fair. During one of the
panels, Simply Suzette’s Ani Wells explained that the online trade show can
be considered as a democratization of information, since it was accessible
worldwide, ranging from companies that may not have had the budget to
travel to consumers interested in the industry. Additionally, Triarchy’s
Adam Taubenfligel added that the extra budget from less traveling could be
spent on research and development instead. He was also of the opinion that,
in a tactile industry like denim, industry professionals only need to meet
physically once a year. “Denim is not a product that changes a lot. If
innovations are present once a year and we are buying fabrics for two
seasons at the fair, then one event is enough for me. No one loses business
and we are left with a budget that can be used for other things than
travelling,” he said.
One disadvantage of the online event was that very few direct questions
could be asked. Fortunately, many of the companies that were presenting in
the livestream shared their contact information, which many Kingpins24
participants responded positively to. This contact information can also be
found on the mini-website of the online event.
Kingpins was actively trying to improve the concept of Kingpins24, as
was indicated by the monitoring of the chat and the polls that participants
were asked to fill in. One of the questions inquired as to how visitors
experienced the event, to which someone answered “like a long advertisement
of exhibitors.” As Olah had said beforehand and repeated several times
during the event: “there are going to be bad things, great things and very
great things.” Regardless, the fact that the denim fair created this event,
which also allowed the majority of its usual exhibitors to share their
stories, within thirty days is impressive. Despite the pandemic, Kingpins
actively connected the denim industry and achieved the goal that it had set
for itself.
Photo credit: Screenshots from Kingpins24
This article was originally published on FashionUnited.NL,
translated and edited.
