Neonyt Düsseldorf Shows How Innovative Sustainable Fashion Can Be

Last weekend was all about fashion, with the long-awaited first edition of Neonyt in Düsseldorf and the Fashn Rooms event hosted at the beautiful Areal Böhler location. The fair showed new fashion trends and how to make the textile and fashion sectors more fair and sustainable. We were thrilled to be a part of this event and had many fascinating interactions with the brands presenting their products. Continue reading to find out our thoughts on the event.

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“We had 120 days to launch the first Neonyt in Düsseldorf. In this time we convinced more than 80 labels – strictly curated according to sustainability and fashion – to present themselves in the still unknown environment, partly new, exciting and partly already established brands. I am proud to welcome such a large international community to Düsseldorf for the kick-off. My team and I are already looking forward to the further development of Neonyt Düsseldorf for the Summer Edition in July 2023!” – Ulrike Kähler, Managing Director, Igedo Exhibitions.

All of the exhibitors arrived early to Neonyt Düsseldorf, carefully arranging and organizing their collections on their stands, and showed great excitement for the days ahead, anticipating meeting small shops, buyers, and an international audience. You could easily attend both exhibitions with a combined entry, offering short distances for inspiration, networking, and a great business atmosphere. This new edition demonstrated how innovative and exciting today’s sustainable fashion can be.

Something that stood out at the event was the great interest from the consumers in more sustainable biomaterials and transparency. The main innovations we discovered at the fair were vegan materials as leather substitutes from Miomojo and Beflamboyant, collections made entirely of hemp by HempAge, natural and cellulosic fibers in Näz’s collection, and, of course, Thought Fashion’s conscious focus on creating products as thoughtfully as possible rather than as quickly as possible.

“Not only the beautiful location and the outstanding organization, especially in comparison to other fairs but also the networking with new customers from Germany and from overseas made the Neonyt fair in Düsseldorf, for us, an absolute success” – Lukas Waning, from Mazine.

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BRANDS TO WATCH AT NEONYT DÜSSELDORF

The first product on our list of favorites is the new collection of water boots launched by Nat-2. After surprising sneaker fans with sneakers made of algae, flowers, coffee, cannabis, mushrooms or even milk, the German engineering brand is growing its NAT-2™ Rugged Outdoor Line with Rainboots made of recycled rubber with recycled glitter inside. Just amazing! We also loved the Miomojo bags made in Italy out of vegan materials such as rice, corn, apples, cactus, grapes, or mushrooms. They demonstrate the infinite possibilities of using innovative materials without sacrificing product quality, avoiding animal cruelty, and making you look very stylish. Another bag business that caught our interest was O My Bag, which is based in Amsterdam and focuses on both the social and environmental aspects of sustainability by connecting manufacturers in local communities to the worldwide market, establishing fair job opportunities, and working with top quality chromium-free leather. They also work with apple leather and organic cotton from Dibella India, an innovative organization situated in the south of India that shares their principles, provides traceability up to the farmer level, and ensures that cotton farmers receive a fair price.

Beflamboyant footwear is also on our list; we observed high quality, style, and comfort in their products, which come in a variety of colors and are intended to be designed for everyone, therefore they are unisex. Their vegan shoe models are created from vegan and ecological materials including corn waste, bamboo, and recovered plastic from the sea SEAQUAL. It was also great to see sustainable options for weddings and other festive events with Avantgarde Green by Olcay Krafft bridal collection “Aditi,” which means endless, sticking to the principles of a capsule wardrobe and being described by the designer as feminine, with attention to detail and having endless choices with their garments. They also had reversible dresses, allowing one to wear the same dress in two different colors/styles.

“We always feel at home when doing Neonyt. The organization is pristine, and it’s always a great opportunity to meet other sustainable brands as well”. – Marta Ferreira, from Näz.

We were extremely pleased with the offer from Peru, with beautiful pieces of a very modernist design made with the so-called “Gold of the Incas”, alpaca and pima cotton, two highly recommendable materials due to their high sustainable value.

Another product that made our list of favorites was the CHPO sunglasses, which were exceptionally light and fashionable, made from recycled plastic or recycled stainless steel, and packaged in recycled PET bottles and recycled cartoons, but that wasn’t the best part, they also take a social responsibility by doing several collaborations each year where 100% of the profits are donated to various initiatives and NGO’s. This season, they are teaming with Cuba Skate, Skateistan, and The Hunger Project to host their own skate school in Sweden in four separate parts across the country, using skateboarding to integrate refugee children into Swedish society.

Rifò, on the other hand, showed the importance of circular fashion by developing beautiful clothing made in Italy using recycled and recyclable materials. Their products are manufactured from recycled cashmere, recycled silk, and recycled wool. We appreciated Niccolò, the brand’s founder, encouraging us to consider reducing our production and consumption as a way to make fashion more sustainable.

For home decor, we loved Paper Paste Living, with a nice range of products for your home or shop, made from recycled paper.

“The purpose of our participation was to meet smaller boutiques and shops from especially Germany, which has also been the result. So we are satisfied with that” – Viktor from CHPO.

Mazine’s colourful and cozy jackets made our list, combining Outerwear and Streetwear with an emphasis on transparency and meeting the demanding ecological and social standards of the GOTS certification. The beautiful thing about their collection is that it is vegan, made of organically generated natural fibers, and does not use toxic chemicals, transforming waste into garments, which are mostly composed of recycled polyester fibers.

Kuyichi was the first denim brand to use organic cotton, and we were thrilled to see them thrive and to see them proud of other manufacturers follow in their footsteps. Kuyichi focuses on creating timeless products that are fantastic additions to your wardrobe, motivating you to use them until they tear.

NICE ATMOSPHERE, PROMISING FUTURE

Igedo Exhibitions staged nothing less with its two independent trade shows Neonyt Düsseldorf and FASHN ROOMS. From 28 to 30 January 2023 around 400 brands found the optimal setting for orders, exchange and networking. Being held as concurrent B2B events these trade shows enabled a special exchange between sustainable and conventional fashion industries and sparkled with pooled fashion competence for satisfied exhibitors and happy visitors.

We saw a lively and encouraging atmosphere during the event for all the businesses, influencers, and companies interested in the brands that are developing innovative methods to make fashion more sustainable.

“Although we operate a large, permanent showroom in Düsseldorf, it proved the right decision to book a stand at Neonyt Düsseldorf. Our expectations were more than fulfilled by the venue, the infrastructure, the organisation all the way to catering – they could not have been better. This gives us confidence for the summer event and that even more charismatic brands will exhibit and attract further buyers. One thing is clear: the synergies with FASHN ROOMS are obvious and were more than confirmed.”- Heiko Wunder, Managing Partner, Wunderwerk.

+ Words:
Indira Jiménez
Luxiders Magazine