First consumer-oriented fashion fair to open in Jan.

“Korea Style Week” will run from Jan. 17-20 at COEX in southern Seoul.        / Courtesy of Korea Style Week

The fashion industry has grown into an important cultural export around the world and for Korea this is also no exception.

Amid a growing number of international specialty store retailers of private label apparel (SPA) brands and business-to-business/buyer (B2B) fashion shows in the country, “Korea Style Week,” the country’s first business-to-consumer (B2C) fashion fair, is to be held for the first time in the heart of trendy spot of southern Seoul next month. SPA brands are those that produce their own clothing, distribute and sell it exclusively. Names such as Gap and Uniqlo are classified as SPA brands.

The event is organized by the committee of Korea Style Week and sponsored by Fashionbiz, a Korean fashion business content provider.

“We aim to introduce talented Korean designers and brands to the public and help them to grow further not only on the domestic market but also globally,” said Bang Eun-mi, an organizer of the event, Tuesday, in a telephone interview. Bang is the CEO of a local management agency, Onu Communication.

“We also aim to differentiate from the usual B2B events here and position it as a consumer-oriented fashion fair in the future. Interaction between consumers and the fashion industry is vital.”

The biggest B2B fashion fair in Korea so far is the Daegu Fashion Fair, an international fashion exhibition that covers all Asian fashion held in North Gyeongsang Province. It has annually attracted around 15,000 visitors including designers and marketers since it began in 2006. This year’s event held last month attracted 140 businesses.

At the fashion event, selected participants will have a chance to promote their creations by showcasing them on runways. “We will provide hair and make-up service to all participants for free,” Bang added.

And the event will also offer styling classes and a flea market.

“We hope to suggest the right future plans for all the participating companies. In order to do that, we will strive to build our own exchange system and strengthen our global network with other countries, especially China and Japan,” said the organizer.

“Korea Style Week” is to open on Jan. 17, 2013 at COEX in Samsung-dong, southern Seoul and runs through Jan. 20.

For free tickets, book in advance through its website www.styleweek.org by Jan. 16. For more information, visit www.styleweek.org.