subscribe to news Post Show Report CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2023. Spring
29th edition of the International Exhibition for Child and Junior Fashion, Maternity Wear
CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2023 is the most important spring event for the children’s fashion.
The trade show brought together hundreds of key companies in the industry of children’s clothing, footwear and accessories, demonstrated unique new products and designs reflecting the current trends in 2023/2024 and general trends for the entire market of children’s goods.
Managers and specialists of manufacturing companies, representatives of wholesale and retail chains, distributors working in this segment of the market discussed the topical issues of development of the children’s clothing industry, got acquainted with new collections, found new partners and formed strategies for their business development.
Well-known brands and new brands made a debut of their collections for the 2023 season at CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2023. This spring quite a lot startups of young designers were presented. Their original new collections aroused great interest in visitors.
Dates: 20–23 February 2023
Venue: EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds, Moscow, Russia
Organised by EXPOCENTRE AO
Exhibition area: 5,700+ sq m
Exhibitors: 200+ companies
Total attendance: 7, 600 visitors
Countries: Austria, Belarus, China, Finland, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkiye, Uzbekistan
Russian exhibitors: 150+ companies (Noble People, Truvor, Dan & Dani, AP.KIDS, MONIKA MO, Charmy white, G’n’K, Irmy, NikaStyle, Mooriposh, Pretty Mia, etc.)
Foreign exhibitors: Irish.Ko, Keddo, Monte Blaze, Marions, Puros Poro, PLAYSHOES, SuperFit, Tiflani, Tugi, etc. The number of Turkish exhibitors is growing annually, this year they included Zeni Kids, Doffbi, Ahsen Morva, Benat Sport, Babytime, ADN Underwear, Lovetti, Musti kids, MonnaRosa, Zual Socks, Baykar, Bebus, Pembekelebek’s, Ekinokssocks, Sheshe, Elsima, Zou Zou, Ucler store. Kyrgyz participants were Irishko, Clariss, Evelen, Minavla, Modniki, Svetlanka Moda, SelinaStyle, Lila Style, etc.
Country pavilion: Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye
Russian regional group stands: Kirov Oblast, Krasnodar Krai
Product sectors: clothes for children, footwear for children, accessories for children, fabrics, equipment, and garment accessories
Conference Programme
The CJF Conference Programme featured 30 events with participation of 90 top speakers of the industry. Most of the content was aimed at improving the level of education of small and medium-sized businesses. The Expo-Academy project traditionally featured workshops and masterclasses of recognised experts. Together with visitors and participants, they analysed practical cases in the field of financial management of an enterprise, human resource policy, branding of goods, legal and marketing issues.
On February, 20 one of the most important events was the Strategy Session of the Programme Committee of the National Congress of School Uniform Manufacturers on School Uniforms: Challenges, Barriers and New Opportunities. The event was organised by the Children’s Goods Industry Association with support of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and EXPOCENTRE AO.
Antonina Tsitsulina, President of AIDT, moderated the discussion.
Representatives of the textile and garment industry, engaged in the production of school uniforms for the younger generation, discussed topics such as criteria for creation of a special register of school uniform manufacturers, improving the efficiency of labeling, social support measures for consumers for the purchase of school uniforms made by domestic manufacturers, increasing awareness of Russian brands of school uniform, including subsidizing of TV advertising, the prospects of amending legislation on the issues of school uniforms.
Summing up the discussion Antonina Tsitsulina said, “Once again we see that CJF – Child and Junior Fashion exhibition is the very place where large and small companies meet and discuss the issues that concern everyone. It is great that today during the Strategic Session specific proposals and decisions have been made. The participants from Russian regions were very active. This means that we need to work with the regions even more, and the exhibition allows us to do this”.
Many speakers emphasised that the dialogue between the state and industry representatives regarding the development of the school uniform manufacturing in Russia must also take into account the opinion of teachers, parents, and regional leaders.
From February 20 to 23, according to the already established tradition, a number of events at the exhibition were held by the ROSTEST Academy.
The sessions devoted to Electronic Certificates and Single-Click Certification and Serial Certificates and Declarations. Tools to Overcome Barriers for Business: How to Get on the Register of Persons Authorised by Manufacturers, and How to Reduce the Cost of Checking Foreign Production will be useful for manufacturers and importers of children’s products.
Recommendations and clarifications on complex legal requirements, information on amendments to technical regulations that concern the safety of children’s products, clothing and footwear, tips and new tools to reduce the cost of certification, were given by Head of Internal Compliance at ROSTEST AO Yulia Vasiltsun, Deputy Head at the ROSTEST-Moscow Certification Body, Chair at the ROSTEST Expert Council Yulia Alexandrova, Deputy Head of the Management Systems and Inspection Department, member of the ROSTEST Expert Council Oleg Khitrov.
At the stand of the ROSTEST Academy visitors and exhibitors passed interactive testing of product samples in the “mobile laboratory”, took part in testing of their own products, and received expert advice from the ROSTEST Test Centre.
A large number of listeners gathered at the presentation platform of the Expo-Academy project.
EXPOCENTRE AO in partnership with the Fashion Industry Competence Development Centre of Plekhanov Russian University of Economics held a series of educational workshops. One of them was devoted to Growth Points for Online and Offline Sales of Children’s Products, where the speaker was Emina Ponyatova, expert in category management and assortment planning.
For the first time the exhibition included a workshop on Fashion Hub Showroom Kids: a New Format for Presenting Children’s Products.
Georgy Rostovshchikov, founder of Fashion Hub Russia, FHub Showroom, President at the International Association of Buyers told about the launch of the first ‘pool’ of children's brands - Hub Showroom Kids, the main purpose of which is to introduce new children’s brands and products to the buyers and integrate Russian brands into Russian and international retail.
“For me, as a buyer, expanding the assortment to children’s products was a huge step. I used to think it was easy, but it’s a very hard work and, in my opinion, the most challenging segment”, particularly noted Georgy Rostovshchikov.
Ivan Isaev, partner of FHub Kids, owner of the Little Fashion model agency for children and the LF Blog portal about children’s fashion, discussed with exhibitors and visitors the importance of targeting a particular brand at the children’s or parents’ audience.
Traditionally, the Blogger Day Forum, organised by EXPOCENTRE AO in partnership with the OLYMPX digital agency, was a success. It was moderated by Anna Kilimnichenko, Managing Partner, Director of the Internet Advertising Department at OLYMPX, consultant for strategic marketing and web marketing special projects, lecturer at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
Business events held within the forum were devoted to web marketing trends in 2023 on a rapidly changing market, the top 10 most frequent mistakes when promoting in the VKontakte social network, and building work with bloggers and platforms, on which one should work for maximum effect.
EXPOCENTRE AO and Shamkin & Partners law firm organised a workshop on Contracts in the Clothing Business. A Feedback Session. The workshop was held by Evgeniy Shamkin, the firm’s founder, a business lawyer, a certified tax consultant, specialising in legal consulting of garment manufacturers for more than ten years. The expert shared his experience, gave specific recommendations and told how you can make a contract simple and yet safe, and gave examples of contractual terms that can lead to losses. Reasonable prudence and caution help save time and money.
On February 21, the panel discussion on the Cultural Code of Russia in Children’s Fashion was held in a hybrid format. The event was organised by EXPOCENTRE AO in partnership with the Council on Culture of the Youth Parliament under the Russian State Duma and the National Project Fund for Support of Educational and Upbringing Initiatives.
The panel discussion was moderated by Alexander Solonkin, Chair of the Expert Council on Culture of the Youth Parliament under the Russian State Duma, Press Secretary of Deputy Speaker of the Russian State Duma and Elena Kalgina, Executive Director of the National Project Fund, a member of the Moscow Region Civic Chamber, a member of the Council on Culture of the Youth Parliament under the Russian State Duma and co-founder of the I’m on Style project.
Opening the discussion, Elena Kalgina separately thanked EXPOCENTRE for its constant readiness to host and promote important events. Alexander Solonkin in his opening speech emphasised the vital importance of preserving the cultural sovereignty of the country in the current conditions and the need for specific actions to strengthen it.
Elena Shkarupa, representing the Depeche mode brand, told about the I’m on Style project, of which she is the co-founder.
“Our country has technologists, we have designers, we have every opportunity to make a proud and straightforward statement”, emphasised Elena Shkarupa.
Olga de Brockville, CEO of MEDIAKIT, dwelled on the specifics of perception of modern children, who are literally immersed in their own world, in which the example of adults plays a defining role. According to Olga de Brockville, bloggers will have to work actively to promote national brands, because they are the ones who children and teenagers are most inclined to imitate.
Further discussion of the Russian cultural code in children’s fashion covered various aspects of the domestic design community, textile and garment industry enterprises, specialists in 3D modeling and software for designers of children’s clothing, issues of financial support to the industry and further improvement of legislation in this area.
The panel discussion was attended by Anton Gureev, the founder of ‘The Man Who Sews’ community of sewing business entrepreneurs; Vladlena Tabanakova, manager of RUNA TEX textile company; Maria Shevchenko, the founder of 3dcouture School of 3D design and visualization in Russia; Lyudmila Merkulova, a member of the Russian Designers Union and design expert from the National Design Institute, and many other specialists representing companies producing children’s clothing.
Based on a large number of suggestions made during the panel discussion, it is planned to prepare a synthesis document which will be presented by the Expert Council on Culture at the Youth Parliament under the Russian State Duma for further discussion by parliamentarians and development of relevant legislative initiatives.
On February 21, the forum on Marketplaces are the New Black: How to Launch Sales, Take Products to the Top and Grow Business in the Children’s Category in 2023 was held with great attendance. It was organised by EXPOCENTRE AO in partnership with XWAY operating partner of marketplaces. The event was moderated by Anton Larin, expert in retail and e-commerce, Director General and co-founder of XWAY.
Leaders of the e-commerce market, experts, and entrepreneurs discussed how an entrepreneur in the Children’s Clothing and Footwear category should develop on online platforms, what to prepare for in 2023, what tools to use to increase sales, and how to set up effective logistics.
Commercial Director of XWAY Anton Baranov spoke about the challenges and conclusions of e-commerce in 2022, as well as current trends of the current year. Tatyana Batishcheva, Head of the Ozon Children’s Clothing and Footwear category shared up-to-date statistics in the segment.
The event was also attended by internet marketing specialist at inSales Maxim Savan, Key Account Manager of Russian Post AO Elena Filippova, Export Manager of Russian Post AO Nikita Mufteev, marketplace experts Tatyana Kazakova and Ksenia Kubyshina, as well as experienced professionals who have been successfully developing e-commerce business for more than a year.
On February 21 and 22, an important business event was a special programme for retailers Business Switchboard organised by EXPOCENTRE AO and Imperia Forum KVK. The event included meetings between exhibitors and purchasers of retail chains in the Matchmaking Zone. Workshops and masterclasses were held at the Supplier and Procurement Competence Centre, where leading market experts gave fresh analytics and practical tools.
On February, 22 the participants in the 25th Russian Trade Forum for Suppliers of Children’s Goods received strategic information for the growth of children's goods sales in 2023. CEOs discussed the main topics such as trends in the children’s goods market shaping a profitable sales strategy in 2023, sales dynamics for categories of children’s goods on marketplaces, steps for effective preparation for successful negotiations with the buyer of children’s products, and other topics. Retail-Communicator became the venue for negotiations with chains and manufacturers of children’s clothes, accessories and footwear.
The CJF permanent partners – Practical Fashion Solution, Kids Fashion Retail, online Fashion Advisers School, Wconsulting and VM Guru – held a number of relevant and interesting workshops.
Speaker at trade shows, Head at the PFSolution school of sales, a patent holder of a training game for retail shops called Learning to Hear a Customer’s Need, and an author of the self-teaching book ‘The Salesperson’s Desk Book. A Fascinating Way to Improvements’ Ekaterina Eliseeva told about work with the store’s customer base.
Elena Pismenskaya, a founder of Kids Fashion Retail, expert, lecturer at the Creative Industries Centre of the Faculty of Philosophy of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Fashion Factory School, Fashion Industry Centre at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, made her speech at the workshops on How to Develop the Medium Plus Category of Children’s Clothing Brands and on Children’s Clothing Assortment Matrix 2023: Key Trends in Buying Behaviour.
According to Elena Pismenskaya, “Small manufacturers operating in the mid-plus segment have one of the most difficult challenges in developing distribution. Marketplaces are not strategic development platforms for them, and creation of their own network of retail stores requires serious investment. In social networks, activity has decreased recently. Despite this, new projects are appearing, such as multi-brand online and offline platforms of Russian designers who are interested in developing a children’s theme.
Expert in strategic management of the fashion business and founder of Fashion Advisers and the online Fashion Advisers School Maria Gerasimenko told about ten effective ways to approach difficult customers.
Evgeniy Danchev expert on increasing sales in the fashion market, author of the Practical Guide to Increase Sales of Shoes and Accessories and creator of an online school for fashion market managers shared his knowledge of effective sales techniques in a retail store of children’s clothes and shoes.
Anna Balandina, founder of the VM Guru agency, an expert in visual merchandising and store design, founder and magister at the АrtEZ Academy (the Netherlands) talked about visual merchandising of children’s shops.
The review of Trends for Autumn/Winter 2023/2024: the Fashion Industry’s Top Trends, Colours, Prints and Shapes organised by EXPOCENTRE AO in partnership with the CARLIN Creative Trend Bureau Russia (France), was devoted to the current trends in the children’s fashion industry.
The trend review and a trend tour of the exhibition stands was conducted by a renowned expert Anastasia Kotova, a chief representative of the CARLIN Groupe in Russia. She highlighted several major current trends in children’s fashion related to colour schemes. In her opinion, the four themes of the upcoming autumn/winter season are “high vibes”, “dark charms”, “e-route”, and “quintessence”. The expert went on to elaborate on the remaining fashion trends and during the trend tour, she demonstrated them on specific models of children’s clothing at the exhibition.
For the first time, on February, 22 and 23 the Expo-Academy featured the crash course on Financial Literacy for Top Managers, a special pilot project of EXPOCENTRE and Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
The Financial Literacy for Top Managers programme was designed for CEOs and business owners as well as leading specialists who need real-time financial information to make decisions, monitor them and review performance.
The event was moderated by Lyubov Chaykovskaya, D.Sc. Economics, Acting Director of the Higher School of Economics and Business at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
The topic of the first day was Financial Accounting: New Rules for Maintaining. During the crash course, the speaker considered fixed assets and lease accounting, various aspects of accounting for the company’s inventory, and new regulatory requirements for document flow. She paid special attention to the role of management reporting in management decision making.
On the second day of the crash course Lyubov Chaikovskaya drew the audience’s attention to the identification and prevention of misstatements in financial statements, the responsibility for violations of accounting and tax laws, assessment and minimization of tax risks.
The participants received valuable expert advice on successful financial management.
On February 22, a large audience was attracted by the workshops that were held on the CJF presentation platform as part of the Expo-Academy Project.
Viktor Malygin, educational programme manager of Fashion Consulting Group, spoke at the workshop on Organising the Sales Floor of a Children’s Shop as a Tool for Attracting Customers and Increasing Sales. He told about the peculiarities of organisation of the sales area taking into account its capacity, consumer behavior, the correct allocation of zones inside the store.
Maria Shchennikova, Head of Development at Fashion Consulting Group talked about fashion trends in children’s clothing to boost sales in the Autumn/Winter 2023/24 Season. Katerina Diveeva, Director of Communications at Fashion Consulting Group and a digital marketing expert, told about specifics of local social media.
On February, 23 the workshop on Upcoming Trends in Children’s Fashion drew the attention of professional visitors. Yulia Karagodina, a professional production designer, fashion analyst and expert in creating commercial clothing collections in the fashion business, highlighted the main points that manufacturers of children’s clothing should pay attention to. The expert considered in detail the trends of the upcoming season and demonstrated in her presentation the current styles of children’s clothing for boys and girls, and paid special attention to the discussion of colour trends and use of prints.
There were also held masterclasses on Dealing with Objections in the Sale of Children’s Shoes, Using Your Team’s Resources Efficiently, How to Double Sales by Properly Implementing Fashion Marketing in Social Media. They will were held by Svetlana Dolzhenko, an expert in sales of children’s and teenagers’ shoes and staff training and founder of the Shoes by the Rules retail project, Yana Oreshina, a professional business coach in international ICF standards, and Irina Pishchuk, a fashion marketing expert, writer, head at the Academy of Fashion Marketing (AFM).
On February, 23 Sergey Lelikov, a famous coach and brand consultant, brilliantly ‘closed’ the conference program of the exhibition with the masterclass on How to Create a Brand that Opens up New Opportunities for Business Growth.
For more than 30 years, Sergey Lelikov has been advising large companies and medium-sized businesses helping them create strong brands. He is a guest lecturer-expert at top universities: the Institute of Communication Management at the Higher School of Economics (MBA course), the International School of Business at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, the School of Design at Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, the British Higher School of Art & Design. The author’s method of brand design RAINBOW Brand Effect © was the basis of the BRANDEFFECT business school, which teaches top managers, marketers and designers express method of brand development.
During the event, in the format of a business game, the issues of building a unique brand with significant savings in budget and time were discussed, case studies were analysed including the analysis of ‘brand gaps’ on the example of well-known Russian companies at the federal level.
As a result of the masterclass, the attendees were able to combine the accumulated knowledge about business goals, marketing and brand and understand the relationship between brand and business growth, as well as received a ‘road map’: from the first step in developing a brand to a comprehensive understanding of how to build a brand of your company.
On February, 20-22 the children’s collections were traditionally shown at CJF. Children’s Catwalk within the CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2023. Spring exhibition. The show was organised by PROfashion Media Agency and EXPOCENTRE AO with participation of TOP Secret model agency and school. The colourful fashion show featured such brands as Kotofey, Charmy White, Indigo Kids, Isel Kids, Kerry, Oldos, Pixel, Superfit, and Topo Bambino.
We would like to thank all the participants in the exhibition and conference program General Internet partner RDT-INFO.RU and all media partners for their support.
You are welcome to the 30th edition of CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2023. Autumn which is to run on 25-28 September 2023 at EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds along with the 28th edition of the Mir Detstva international exhibition.
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Press Service, EXPOCENTRE AO