Even in a post-pandemic retail landscape, the digital realm stands to remain indispensable to fashion’s global operations.
The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) is betting on continued web dominance with its partnership with digital wholesale platform Joor. On Monday, the groups teased the launch of Showcase Japan, a virtual fashion trade show featuring more than 30 contemporary Japanese fashion brands.
While its spring event is up and running now, Showcase Japan will again open its digital doors this fall and will be hosted on the company’s Joor Passport platform. The portal connects participating brands and designers with a network of international buyers worldwide. It will also allow interested parties to browse products based on specific criteria, including sustainable design and manufacturing, diverse makers, and Japanese craftsmanship.
“Over the past year, virtual shows have gone from being relatively unheard of to the new normal,” Joor CEO Kristin Savilia said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to further expand our footprint in Japan through this partnership with JETRO, and look forward to connecting global buyers to the elite group of brands participating in Showcase Japan.” The event’s featured brands include Alpha Showroom, Evolg, Vlas Blomme, Ne Quittez Pas and Coohem, among others.
Joor launched its Passport program amid rampant retail closures and trade show cancellations last year as a way to centralize the virtual versions of market events. The one-stop shop allows buyers to access all Joor-supported events through a single platform and app. In 2020 alone, it hosted 17 global events on the Passport portal, bringing in 155,000 visitors and 1,600 brands internationally.
“Joor Passport has become an indispensable online tool for buyers given current market conditions of restricted travel and is set to extend its reach with both a virtual and in person presence as physical events resume in the post-pandemic era,” it said.
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In addition to Showcase Japan, Joor will host 13 other fall 2021 fashion events including London Fashion Week, Berlin’s Premium and Seek, Brazil Footwear, Liberty and LA Men’s Market, Showroom Canada, Tokyo Fashion Award, Cabana, iHKiB Istanbul Fashion, Ontimeshow Shanghai, and Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo. It’s also hosting its own marketplace events, including Joor Showcase and Destination Italy, which are designed to give buyers access to a curated assortment of brands year-round and move away from the rigidity of the trade show schedule.
According to Savilia, who spoke with Rivet in January, Joor has helped power the sale of more than 500,000 products since the launch of Joor Passport last May. The current retail environment requires that brands more aggressively work to adopt B2B technology in addition to their consumer-facing investments, she added.
“Digitizing the moment that buyers are determining what to carry on their websites or in their stores presents a far more tangible growth and cost reduction opportunity than many of the splashy, in-store technology investments—especially in today’s environment,” she said at the time.
Brands have long been operating under an archaic system to present their wares to buyers, she pointed out, relying on showrooms and spreadsheets instead of up-to-date tech tools. “Brands and buyers have experienced a new level of convenience that they won’t be willing to give up,” Savilia added.