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Experts of S.A. Ricci note: functional, comfortable and at the same time stylish clothes were popular among consumers in 2018. Brands offering casual clothing for every day are gaining momentum (for example, over the past year, Dockers, Levi's and Uniqlo brands have significantly expanded their collections). Against the background of the tense economic situation and the unstable exchange rate of the ruble, the trend of the development of Russian diesel brands has also strengthened. Not only boutiques of individual designers are becoming popular, but also the concept of designer clothing markets, that is, fairs in shopping centers. Such events take place both in large shopping malls ("Afimall City", "Tsvetnoy", "Golden Babylon") and in district format facilities ("Izmailovsky" shopping center). The most famous: "Lambada Market", Garage Sale (which used to be held in "Color"), Sunday Up Market, Fashion Bazaar, Kalina Market.

"But there are trends that cannot please: stores, especially those selling "Russian designers", are trying to saturate the market with cheap goods, thereby offering a dubious product or "one-day", produced without any knowledge of the technological process, from low-quality raw materials, according to­­roy is just chinese ve­­soup with re-sewn labels, – sighs Svetlana Vasekho, CEO of the group of companies Endea. And this is reflected not only on the reputation of a particular outlet, but also on the reputation of the brand as a whole, "the Russian designer". And the client again begins to trust not a Russian, but a Western manufacturer. Fortunately, such outlets, as a rule, do not have a long life on the market. Specifically, we do not follow the path of cheapening, because we have our own production, we have been on the market for 15 years and always live the whole process from the choice of fabric and accessories before the manufacture of products and the sale process from partners.

By the way, Russians continue to spend more money on clothes, in comparison with Europeans, and the women's clothing segment accounts for about 60% of sales on the market.

"As always, women continue to spend on dresses and on "office" basic wardrobe options,"continues Svetlana Vasekho. – For someone, buying clothes – is «a necessity », for someone – a pleasant pastime, and for someone – a waste of both time and money. The percentage ratio of these consumer groups is different, and the portrait of the consumer in this case is different. But, in my opinion, today they are all united by a thoughtful approach to choosing clothes - anyone wants to have a high-quality thing that suits him and at the same time at an affordable price. If earlier the criterion of choice could be a brand, its fame, especially international, today a wide range, the pricing policy of a store or boutique, the quality of not only goods, but also service is of great importance. And, in our opinion, Russian manufacturers compete adequately with Western brands. We live in a world saturated with visual effects; accordingly, it is important to use visual capabilities correctly to present clothing collections, the client is also focused on this factor. The buyer today puts all these components in his head and makes an informed choice in favor of a specific trademark. Thus, the buyer-2018 is a smart woman who follows trends, what is happening in the world, and requires decent treatment both at the service level in the store and at the quality level of the things she purchases.

According to Ms. Vasekho, as a result, her brand is focused on the production of not only basic items of women's wardrobe, but also capsule collections with pronounced design trend solutions. "Clothing stores are now trying to present the buyer with a comprehensive assortment of various product groups, a large size range, which is important for the client due to the fact that he does not want to waste time on long searches for the right thing in dozens of stores," continues Svetlana Vasekho. We believe in positive changes in the market. The crisis with its falling sales volume, of course, hit profits, but also accelerated the process of modernization of the industry. Foreign companies are leaving the market, which means that Russian manufacturers have opportunities to increase their market share. Retailers with flexibility and a thoughtful approach, having a margin of safety, unlike small players, have the opportunity to increase profitability in conditions of limited price competition.

In turn, MosShoes reports that 2018 was an innovative year for the project in many ways: in particular, several landmark projects were launched, which have already gained popularity among visitors and will be further developed in the new year. In addition, MosShoes organized a trend zone for the first time, presenting key fashion trends that will prevail, including in the shoe industry. The number of European participants has also significantly increased, for whom MosShoes is an effective platform for finding real partners and understanding the market as a whole.

To be continued.

< span style="font-size: 12px;">Text author: Ekaterina Reutskaya

Photo:pixabay,Lambada market