This article is sponsored by Bluezone, the trade show for denim by Munich Fabric Start. Register to visit here!
Wouter Munnichs Reports from Bluezone: What the Mood, the Move, and the Makers Revealed
Trade shows have always played an essential role in the clothing industry—bringing people together, connecting makers with buyers, giving brands and makers a platform and voice. But the relevance and role of trade shows have been questioned for years now; I’ve seen that shift unfold ever since I first started going back in the late 2000s.
This year marks a decade since I first visited Bluezone in Munich. I haven’t made it to every edition since, but I’ve seen the show evolve—especially over the past year, as it’s become fully integrated into Munich Fabric Start.
For the recent SS27 edition in January, I wasn’t able to visit myself—because I was busy showing my own brand at its first-ever trade show in Copenhagen. So I called in a favour; my longtime friend and fellow denim blogger, Wouter Munnichs from Long John, kindly acted as my eyes and ears on the ground in Munich.
What follows is a recap drawn from Wouter’s impressions of the show.
What the Mood on the Floor Revealed
According to Wouter, the vibe in Hall 2 was great. The integration with the broader MFS show continues to pay off—visitors didn’t just stay in their usual lanes. They flowed between halls, including Bluezone, and that gave denim exhibitors more chances to engage.
Traffic was consistent. And importantly, it seems the right kind of visitors found their way to the denim hall. Exhibitors were doing actual business. That doesn’t happen by accident.
As Wouter points out, many likely pre-scheduled meetings and personally invited key clients. But the layout helped too. There was plenty of organic foot traffic from visitors who wouldn’t normally be deep in the denim hall. And that’s one of the major benefits of being fully integrated into the larger show: Bluezone is no longer a destination—it’s part of the route.
The new placement of the Trend Zone, now relocated to the foyer, seems to have been another smart move. Wouter tells me it caught attention immediately, with lots of visitors stopping to take photos. It’s clear that positioning innovation up front helps communicate that Bluezone isn’t just about jeans and mills, it’s about what comes next.
What Exhibitors Were Showing (and Saying)
No surprise here: sustainability was everywhere. But not just in the usual sense.
What stood out to Wouter were the technical improvements—specifically in printing—and how they’re finally starting to look retail-ready. The conversation around recyclability is also maturing. More mills are offering rigid, stretch-free fabrics that align with both the shift to looser fits and circular design logic.
The pleasure theme isn’t something people were openly talking about on the floor—but Wouter too saw it as doing exactly what a campaign should: stopping people in their tracks and adding a sense of boldness and freshness to the show’s identity.
On the sourcing side, most exhibitors seemed satisfied. The right buyers came, and many seemed eager to engage. Wouter described a mix of small and large brands visiting booths—and importantly, they weren’t just kicking tires.
The feedback he heard suggested that Bluezone continues to attract the kind of audience that wants to touch, feel, and understand the fabrics. That’s still a crucial step in the decision-making process, even in a post-Zoom world.
What’s Changing (and What Comes Next)
There was some quiet optimism about the calendar shift. Starting next season, the summer edition of Bluezone will move up a few weeks to mid-July. That’s a bold move—and a risky one for anyone with kids on school holiday. But many exhibitors apparently see it as positive. The hope is that it’ll give them more time to respond to what they see and hear before locking in collection development.
It’s not yet clear how this new slot will affect attendance. But if the last two shows have proven anything, it’s that Bluezone knows how to evolve. The full integration into MFS, the repositioning of the trend content, and the continued strength of the exhibitor list are all signs of a show that’s adapting to the needs of the moment.
Whether or not that will be enough to pull more visitors in July remains to be seen. But if the strategy is to position Bluezone as a serious, future-focused denim hub—and not just a place to shake hands with your existing customers—then it’s headed in the right direction.
Looking Ahead to the Next Edition in July
With two integrated editions under its belt, Bluezone has settled into its new home. The next show is scheduled for July 14–16. It’s a shift that makes sense for production cycles, but it does clash a bit with summer holidays in Northern Europe.
That said, if the show keeps delivering the right mix of inspiration, connection, and commercial relevance, people will make it work. I certainly intend to, because whether you’re showing or sourcing, Bluezone is becoming harder to skip.
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I’m Thomas, founder of Denimhunters. Once a week, I send an email with what I’m working on and writing—new guides, deals, and things worth paying attention to.
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