Though Liberty Fairs was one of the first apparel trade shows to return in-person formats this year, the organization announced Tuesday plans to put the event on hold through at least the winter season.
In an email, Sharifa Murdock, Liberty Fairs co-owner and co-founder, stated: “While it has always been our mission to showcase the rising talent and innovations within the men’s and women’s fashion industry through highly impactful trade shows and events, we feel there is no better time than now to hit the pause button and restructure our business model to better suit the forward-thinking and heritage brands we serve.”
Murdock added that the “pause” protects “the best interest of our incredible brands and designers—which is why we’ll be taking this time to re-evaluate how we operate and implement new initiatives that allow them to scale and add value to their offerings in an even greater way.”
Like the rest of the apparel trade show industry, Liberty Fairs was forced to cancel its regular calendar of men’s wear events in 2020 and part of 2021. It partnered with the wholesale platform, Joor, on a digital trade show format to help fill in the gap before returning to physical events in brand-new locations.
Liberty Fairs Miami took place in July, in conjunction with sister resort show, Cabana, followed by a show in Downtown Los Angeles in August.
At the time Murdock said the pandemic allowed the company to take a step back and rethink the format and calendar it had traditionally followed. New York and Las Vegas have been the show’s go-to host cities, but new pockets of opportunity appeared to be opening.
“I think for years in the fashion industry we’ve been set to do certain things a certain way…We’ve been going to Vegas because that’s our history and everyone’s been doing it, but after a while, it’s like do we need to continue to do this?” she told Rivet.
Liberty Fairs was founded by Sam Ben-Avraham and Murdock in 2013 with a focus on the men’s market. Later, it expanded to cater to all genders, as well as categories like grooming and wellness. It also hosted community-driven panels and discussions on topics like inclusivity and styling.
