Oooh la la! Fashion brands to get greater international recognition with help of Govt. project
A new project run by the Polish government is aiming to increase the visibility and sales of Polish fashion brands abroad.
The Fashion Accelerator project organized by the Polish Development Fund and the Ministry of Industry and Technology started in April and will run until 31st May .
Minister of Entrepreneurship and Technology Jadwiga Emilewicz said: “Clothes and textiles are one of our export specialties.
“Last year, Polish companies from the fashion industry increased exports by over 15%.
“This shows that foreign customers are interested in our offer.
Companies such as Gdańsk-based bespoke bag designers Mana Mana could benefit enormously from the project after their German distributor disappeared from the market and the company struggled to find new avenues to generate sales.
“The "Moda Polska" Industry Accelerator will help to further revive the expansion, both export and investment of Polish companies on international markets.”
The accelerator has 24 participants ranging from well-known fashion brands, shoe makers, producers of men and ladies’ fashion to jewelers, and even two hat makers.
The value of the fashion sector in Poland is 29.1 billion PLN which is forecast to grow to 43 billion PLN by 2022.
At the moment, the Polish fashion market is ranked 8th in Europe in terms of turnover and 6th in investment outlays.
Ola Łuczak from Lulu de Paluza, one of the fashion brands taking part in the project, said the company is now looking to new markets in Asia and the Middle East.
The accelerator can give Polish producers a better understanding of how to overcome the challenges that face them on international markets.
For companies such as bag designers Mana Mana, this could prove invaluable.
The colourful handmade bags are sold internationally but after their German distributor disappeared from the market they struggled to find new avenues to generate sales.
The Gdańsk based company was a passion project based around the owners designs but now they offer customers the opportunity to design their own bags that they will then handcraft and deliver a unique product that suits the personality of each client.
The fashion sector is responsible for 3.8% of Poland's exports with Lancerto being a major supplier of goods to the EU. The biggest purchasers of Polish fashion products are Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia and Hungary.
Bartłomiej Pawlak vice president of the Polish Development Fund (PFR) said: “After the success of the Furniture Exports Accelerator, the time has come to launch another support programme. This time created for Polish small, medium and large fashion entrepreneurs who are already exporting or planning to expand into foreign markets.”
The fashion sector is responsible for 3.8% of Poland's exports. The biggest purchasers of Polish fashion products are Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia and Hungary.
At the moment, the Polish fashion market is ranked 8th in Europe in terms of turnover and 6th in investment outlays.
One of the participants in the project, Lulu de Paluza, is already selling internationally with 30% of their turnover coming from markets such as Russia, Ukraine and German but they have even bigger ideas for the future.
Marketing Manager Ola Łuczak said: “When it comes to acquiring new markets, Asian markets and the Middle East are very attractive for us too.”
