The Importance of Sustainability | Interview with Julia González, Director of MOMAD

 
 

 

Julia González, Director of the fashion, beauty and lifestyle fairs at IFEMA, Madrid, has a long experience in organizing fairs, events and congresses. The directive considers that sustainability consists of guaranteeing the balance between economic growth, care for the environment and social welfare, all without jeopardizing tomorrow's resources. Luxiders Magazine interviews her.

 

 
 

How does Julia González face the next edition of the MOMAD fashion fair?

In these moments of uncertainty, the MOMAD team is working on creating a fair project that adapts to the current situation. We have designed a new space that accommodates to the different sectors represented at the fair, and at the same time is very accessible to all visitors who come to the fair. Security protocols have been incorporated. They were developed in our hospital stage and now make the IFEMA a completely safe space.

In terms of content, we are working on a program of conferences that will take place at the MOMAD Forum on very interesting topics for professionals in the sector.

 

The pandemic has left an important mark on all sectors, including fashion and trade fairs… These are times for reinvention. What will the new hybrid model of the fair (digital-face-to-face) be like?

Indeed, in these times we have all learned how important it is to be connected. In this sense, we are working on the hybridization of the event; enhancing the tools that allow optimizing the contacts, both physical and digital, between exhibitors and visitors. Since the beginning of the confinement, MOMAD has been supporting the exhibiting brands by advertising and promoting their collections through our Social Networks.

 

MOMAD will hold its next event from 18 to 20 September 2020. The fair, which will be located in Hall 6, will be a special event aimed at reviving the fashion industry in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 
 
 
 

 

What news will visitors find?

Visitors will find a very accessible fair in terms of the location of the different sectors, as all of them will have their differentiated space within a pavilion located in the central area of ​​IFEMA and next to the pavilions where BISUTEX and MADRID JOYA are held.

 

What place will take the sustainable fashion sector in this edition?

As in previous editions, sustainable fashion will have a presence in the pavilion with a differentiated space and ad hoc activities in the MOMAD Forum.

 

What do you think about sustainable fashion made in Spain?

I consider that Spanish sustainable fashion has a great potential both for its quality and for the creativity of Spanish companies.

 

Do you think that Spanish fashion retailers are implanting these collections sufficiently in their storefronts?

I believe that more and more Spanish manufacturing companies are working on sustainability in their productions and little by little this will be translated into a greater presence in the storefronts.

 

Do you consider that the Spanish consumer is willing to pay a "fair price" for fashion"?

It is important to carry out didactic work with the clients so that they know how to appreciate and value what it means to consume sustainable fashion.

 
 

 

In the last year, IFEMA has shown itself to be very committed to issues such as climate change and other solidarity projects. In December 2019, IFEMA hosted the celebration of the COP25 World Climate Summit. In March, it canceled its activities to become a hospital. Why these actions and what other projects of this type are you preparing for this year?

IFEMA always works at the service of companies and therefore of society. In the case of the COP25, the IFEMA team launched all the know-how to organize this event in a record time. And in the case of the hospital, the management did not hesitate for a moment to start up all the machinery to provide a service that has been essential to the clinical management of the disease in Madrid. It is important to highlight how all the collaborating and voluntary companies joined the project to get the hospital installed within hours.

 

As the director of the main fashion event in the Iberian Peninsula, what have you learned from this time of change?

I think that at the moment, it is essential to be flexible and to adapt ourselves day by day to the situation. We are at the service of the sectors and therefore, every day we have to work to offer them a project that adapts to the needs of the moment.

 

Spain, in particular, has been one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic. According to data from the Boston Consulting Group, the crisis derived from the COVID-19 virus may aggravate the current situation of the fashion sector in Spain with an economic decline for this year of between 35% and 40% in its income. Does this also affect the degree of participation in the next September edition?

Of course, fairs are a reflection of sectors and markets. In these special moments, we will also have a special fair with a small size, but with representation from all the sectors that make up fashion.

 

What does MOMAD propose to change the trend?

A flexible event adapted to the current moment and with economic advantages for the participants, such as a 25% discount on the price of the booth.

 

The new management team is already working intensively on further digitization and internationalization of the next editions of the fairs. Julia González faces this new stage of her career "with great enthusiasm and commitment to the sector so that IFEMA can continue to be an essential agent for innovation and project viability."

 

+ info: MOMAD