We often forget that there are companies in the fashion business we know nothing about. They don't sell their products to us (i.e. the consumer), but to other companies who will use that product to produce another product for the consumers to buy. They are called "business to business" companies. We know it might sound a little bit confusing like that, but if you do a little experiment, the above will appear very clear: Open your wardrobe and pick a shirt. Any shirt. Read the name of the brand on the label. Where do you think that brand found the buttons for that shirt? And who provided the zip? The brand responsible for the production of that shirt purchased the zips and buttons from another company that produces only fastenings... As you probably know YKK, our main partner for the accessories competition, is a leading fastenings producer. Fits perfectly with our example (no coincidence obviously..)!

Just as you have shops to buy clothing, fashion companies have their own dedicated fairs where they meet with the companies that supply them with everything they need to produce their collections. The process is the same. You go into a shop and think "Oh, I want to buy me a shirt with a zipper on the shoulder!" while companies go to a fair thinking "Oh, I want to produce a shirt with a zipper on the shoulder so I need to find me a fastenings company to buy zips from!". The difference between you and the fashion companies is quantity.You will buy one shirt while the fashion company will buy thousands of zips to produce thousands of shirts.

At fairs business to business companies also get to know each other and see each others products. It's a challenging moment of growth for all parties involved. It is also an important moment to get up to date on what is happening in the business to business world. When fashion companies at fairs are looking for buttons, zips and fastenings in general for their collections, there's only one booth they will head to, and that's YKK. Leading company in the production of fastenings (ANY kind of fastening, if they don't have it their catalogue, they'll produce one according to your needs...), YKK is always present at the most important fashion fairs in the world. In Europe, there are three appointments you can't miss: Moda In (Milan), Mod'Amont (Paris) and Munich Fabric Start.

"Moda In" was established in 1984 mainly to promote Italian and European textile products in the world. It has grown ever since and the accessories & fashion components area has become a major section of the fair. In September Moda In celebrated its 50th edition and 420 companies presented their products to an impressive 31,000 visitors (mostly insiders, press people and designers) attending the fair.

The 26th edition of Mod'Amont was held from 23 to 26 September at the Paris-Nord Villepinte exhibition centre with over 22,000 visitors in attendance, an increase compared to the September '07 edition. Considering the current business climate, it is quite an impressive result. According to Mod'Amont organisers, there is great interest in more creative products which leads to expanding the components section (fastenings, zips, buttons, and any other detail you can think of in clothes), since they have become an essential element in diversifying the product. In this context, YKK plays a major role at the fair, thanks to their literally unlimited catalogue!

Munich Fabric Start welcomed over 750 exhibitors from 30 countries in September. It is intended to be the place where weavers and accessories/components specialists meet to preview new products for the future. Just like fashion companies showing pre-collections, Munich Fabrics Start is the place where trends in fabrics and accessory parts are previewed more than anywhere else. The venues of the fair are the Munich Order Center - M.O.C. and the Zenith Halle, that have been fully occupied by exhibitors with over 1,600 products. Another "must" event for YKK that prepared a booth according to the importance of this event, as you can see in these pictures!

The YKK accessories made by the ITS finalists play an important role for YKK in showing what can be done with fastenings to insiders, press people, professionals and designers attending the fairs. Each YKK piece developed by the young ITS talents is a powerful and direct way of communicating the unlimited possibilities of YKK products, that push creativity to the limit using fastenings in unexpected ways.

Apart from being showed at the fairs, all YKK pieces produced by the ITS#SEVEN Accessories finalists will be collected in the 2009 YKK planner that YKK sends to its clients and partners. Another tool to spread the ITS creativity and YKK fastenings' possibilities around the world! Over here at EVE it is very much awaited. Most of us consider it the perfect daily planner!