This week, Medellín, which won the City and Wall Street Journal’s innovative “City of the Year” award, hosted one of the region’s biggest fashion and creativity festivals.
Colombiamoda, also known as Colombia’s Fashion Week, marked its 35th anniversary with a vision to connect, inspire and create new opportunities for the industry. This year’s fair focused on internationalizing the industry, shining a spotlight on fashion and innovation from across the region.
The event attracted over 70,000 participants from over 40 countries, who toured the city of Medellín through a “City Circuit” that combined fashion, culture and the creative industries.
Sebastian Diez, CEO of Inexmoda
“For 35 years, Colombiamoda has evolved to celebrate fashion and creative talent through culture, art and music, reaffirming our country’s position as a hub of creativity and brand creation,” said Sebastián Diez, CEO of Inexmoda.
“Columbia Fashion Week intends to continue on this path, with the city and country placing increasing importance on this unique fair as a platform for the internationalization of domestic fashion,” the executive added.
The fair generated more than $13.3 million in economic impact through increased specialized business tourism and hotel occupancy, according to government data.
The conference saw the participation of 600 brands and involved over 12,000 buyers.
María Fernanda Galeano Rojo, Director of Economic Development for the City of Medellín, added: “The City of Medellín remains committed to this fair, which demonstrates that the fashion industry is one of the businesses with the greatest opportunities and challenges in the world.”
“Plus, it creates social impact, economic development and creative talent.”
Sustainability was a major theme at this year’s conference, with the “Circular Fashion Market” providing a platform for 11 social entrepreneurs, while the “Sustainability Route with Inter Rapidísimo” highlighted the importance of sustainability as a strategic pillar for the industry.
The fair’s inaugural home category, “Deco,” saw 15 brands share their products and interior design ideas for a market that is growing by more than 3% per year.
The Inexmoda Knowledge Pavilion – Pascual Bravo also provided a space to showcase to the public the opportunities the industry holds in the coming years through sustainability, creativity and technology.
“The partnership between Inexmoda and Pascual Bravo is a milestone in the democratization of the creative and cultural industries, proving that these industries can be a driver of social transformation. By joining forces, the two institutions have made visible the importance of integrating science, technology and art to meet the needs of industry and society,” said Lina Ortiz Quimbey, Dean of the School of Production Design at Pascual Bravo University.
“Pascual Bravo has demonstrated that through its School of Engineering, Manufacturing and Design, it is possible to train professionals capable of innovating and creating a more promising future. This partnership represents a fundamental step towards building a more creative and sustainable city.”
Colombiamoda is an annual festival that highlights the city of Medellín’s transformation over the past 30 years, aiming to transform Colombia’s creative potential into a world-class fashion industry.
The city of Medellín is hosting an increasing number of innovation and business conferences, such as StartCo, TECH SPHERE and the Ibero-American Startup Conference.
