Poznan Fashion Week expects lower attendance
The organisers of Poland’s Poznan Fashion Week (to be held March 7-9, 2002) have said that attendance will be down this year, citing economic conditions. Only a few years ago around 1500 exhibitors from the textile, leather and shoe industries exhibited with high numbers of domestic and foreign visitors. Last year the number of exhibitors dropped to 500 while next month only 400 will exhibit.
The reduction in participants reflects the cost-cutting imperative in Poland. The country’s leather industry has seen a 38% drop in employment, despite foreign investment of $15.5 million in the sector in 2001.
At the same time as Poznan Fashion Week there is the Intermasz exhibition on March 5-8, where around 70 domestic and 130 foreign exhibitors are expected to attend from the textile, leather and footwear industries. Exports of Polish footwear manufacturing machinery (both for production and repair) increased considerably over the last year, primarily to Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Hungary and Czech Republic.
