Día Mágico by Fimi celebrates communion and ceremony fashion in Valencia
Roberta HERRERA
From May 12 to 14, Feria Valencia showcased the latest children’s fashion collections, along with the latest communion and ceremony collections for children. The Spanish event, which held the Día Mágico and Fimi fairs together for the first time, once again cemented Valencia’s position as the leading hub for children’s fashion. This year, the fairgrounds doubled in size to 10,000 square meters, accommodating 110 exhibiting brands and welcoming over 100 buyers from more than 20 countries including Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Italy, and even Madagascar.
“We are very satisfied with the outcome. We invested heavily in inviting foreign buyers, and their numbers have grown tremendously in this edition. The domestic sector remains challenging, therefore being able to expand into new markets is crucial for our Spanish companies. Besides that it is something that generates a great added value to the fair,” said the director of the event, Alicia Gimeno.
She also acknowledged the support of IVACE, Valencia Chamber and ASEPRI (Spanish Association of Children’s Products) in making the event a success. Gimeno noted that multiple orders were registered by brands from the morning of the first day of the fair. According to the latest published data, the trade show recorded up to 18% of professional visitors from abroad and 75% of the annual turnover of the participating firms was generated at the event.
The manager noted that the event attracted strong interest in Catholic markets like Ireland and Protestant markets like the UK.
“Even in places where communion is not celebrated, the dresses are easily adaptable for event fashion. In Spain, communion is a traditional event, but overseas, they’re more focused on ceremonies and are looking for good designs, quality patterns, and competitive prices,” said the director, emphasizing the event’s niche nature.
She further stressed the positive commercial impact of dressing children for ceremonies in events outside of religion or wearing multiple looks per occasion. “In our country, there is a significant birth rate problem, and fewer children are taking communion, so it’s logical to adapt and direct the offer towards events in a broader sense,” she added.
Optimism was widespread among the brands, which expressed their satisfaction with the increased representation of footwear brands. Antonio Jesús Sánchez, manager of the Andalusian company Abuela Tata, announced five new international clients from countries such as Ireland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, while María José Cánovas of the accessories firm, Josephine Luca, celebrated the interest of Italian customers and a potential new customer from Kuwait. Meanwhile, buyers praised the “constant movement at the stands” and the wide range of proposals available, from classic and romantic to bohemian and casual, as well as the strong presence of colours like violet, pink, and blue.
Despite the increased presence of international buyers, domestic buyers remained dominant at the fair.
“Every year we attract new quality buyers, who look to our fair as a place to find inspiration and stock up to differentiate themselves for the coming season,” said Gimeno, who highlighted the varied profiles of buyers in attendance, ranging from department stores to physical and online retailers to franchise investors to online marketplaces.
Compared to last year’s Día Mágico, which was held separately in May, this year’s joint edition saw a 13% increase in attendance. The inaugural Día Mágico in 2013 featured only twenty brands and was born from the need to separate children’s ceremony fashion from the bridal industry.
One of the main attractions of the 10th anniversary of the communion and ceremony fashion showcase was the Paseo Mágico fashion shows, which took place throughout the two days of the event and featured a total of nine children’s brands.
While the brand Amaya Couture’s collection drew inspiration from the series Emily in Paris, Beatriz Montero presented a collection reminiscent of the 1950’s. Javilar showcased a collection dominated by the colour purple, to “vindicate equality”, and Mon Air created a unique vision of the Greek islands. The most classic and traditional collections were presented by the brands Marla, La Infantita, Lilus, and Mimilú. For the first time in the history of Valencian children’s fashion shows, the designers of the brands were brought to the stage after each presentation as a way of celebrating and making visible their work, which is often hidden away in workshops.
Although the next edition of the event will not be held until May next year, the organisers have already expressed their intention to continue with the joint celebration format of the event with the aim of “uniting the sector and creating synergies.”
For its part, BabyKid + Fimi, the trade show dedicated to childcare and children’s fashion, will return to Feria Valencia in January.
