News

The 4th edition of the International Fur and Leather exhibition, in Seoul, has just wrapped 3 days of exciting network opportunities, successful transactions, and a host of international exhibitors showcasing their collections to the thriving Korean market.

Hosted at the Grand Intercontinental Parnas, an iconic location fit to host this boutique luxury event, the fair focused once again on driving footfall that is fully focused on fur and leather products, and at attracting department store buyers, fashion boutiques, showroom buyers, designers, influencers, and media. 

In attendance, were also a list of government officials, including Mr Konstantinos Daskalopoulos, Head of office of economic diplomacy at the Greek embassy in Seoul, a representative of the Turkish ambassador, as well as delegates of the Spanish chamber of commerce and Belarus.

A carefully select list of 20 premium exhibitors were on show, representing 10 foreign markets including Italy, Greece, Germany, Spain, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, Canada, Belarus and Russia. Their collections showcased a wide range of women and men outerwear and accessories, mixing fur with other precious fabrics such as cashmere, wool, lace and silk. There was also a variety of collections of classics, trendy, modern and fashionable items. The types of furs presented ranged between Sable, Mink, Fox, Chinchilla, Bobcat, Shearling and others. 

The international Fur Federation, was proud to see over 70% of exhibitors return to the 2024 edition, showing a strong confidence and support to the fair, and welcomed 3 new brands. Exhibitors conveyed a positive outlook, with the Korean market showing strong demand and interest. 

We look forward to hosting the next fairs, returning to our loyal customers, and exploring new markets to open new business opportunities for our fur community.

“We want to share our thoughts on the Seoul Fur & Leather Expo, organised by Miss Kiran Mahmood from IFF. Korea’s unique market conditions require special attention, and thanks to her excellent organisation, it greatly helped our brand gain recognition and grow in the Korean market bringing in the right buyers”.
- Osman Gumurk, SHAKY    

"We will definitely take part in this event in the next years"
- Manzari

"The IFF fair in Seoul proved to be a highly successful event, brimming with lucrative business prospects. The meticulous organization and choice of location received favourable feedback from both our team and our valued clients. Throughout the entire process, the IFF Team provided invaluable support. We are delighted to participate in the Fair once again next year”
- Francesca, PADOVA FURS 

“We have been eyeing the Korean market for some time and found The IFF Fur and Leather Exhibition is the premier steppingstone into the Korean Market” 
- Karl Matar, Co- Owner of HiSO.    

"It was excellent!"
- Alpha fur and fashion

"The event in Seoul highlighted South Korea's significance as a pivotal market for Turkey. This well-organized fair brought together key buyers and manufacturers, offering a valuable platform for forging business connections. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this impeccably executed event."
- Ali Yavuz, Owner of Modakurk

"The staff were friendly and made us happy!"
- Vlasta Kopylova"

Thanks for your cooperation and kindness"
- Visette

The event lasted for 3 days, and saw over 400 VIP guests, buyers and press walk through the doors on the fair days.

On display were luxury fur and leather collections, showcased in 33 booths, hosting exhibitors from New York, Canada, Italy, Turkey, Germany, Greece, Russia, Uzbekistan and others. The collections showed a wide range of mink, fox, sable, chinchilla, shearling, leather amongst other materials. Both the Greek ambassador, Mr. Konstantinos Daskalopoulos, as well as the Turkish ambassador Mr. Murat Tamer, and other diplomats visited their prospective exhibitors and reinforced their support to the fur trade.

On the first day of the conference, the IFF hosted a press conference attended by 15 key Korean trade, textile and fashion journalists to profile and show case the event. Mr Johannes Manakas opened the conference by highlighting the importance of the event in bringing international luxury fur and leather manufacturers to Korea, the second largest fur market in the world. And then Mr Jean Pierre Rouphael introduced The press to Furmark, marking the future of the fur industry and its quest on providing the young and modern consumers the assurances they need around sustainability, animal welfare and environmental considerations.

Exhibitors and visitors alike had great opportunities of networking, meeting industry experts, making new connections, and making sales and transactions. As well as for some meeting their long-standing partners and buyers.

The IFF Fairs, headed by Ms. Kiran Mahmood, will continue to explore new markets to provide fur and leather manufacturers with opportunities to enter new markets around the world where business is thriving, with near future opportunities looking at Japan, Kazakhstan, the Gulf region amongst other markets.

After two successful Expos in 2019 and 2022, IFF is set to return on March 27th -29th 2023 at the Grand Intercontinental for its next edition of the Fur and Leather Exhibition, in the heart of South Korea; Seoul. Seoul is a city that is becoming increasingly well-known for its global influence in fashion, technology, and international business, and so it is deemed the perfect hub for such an event.

With 98% of last year’s exhibitors returning in 2023, and further companies joining this year, the IFF is excited to welcome its exhibitors to Seoul and invites you to join them as they showcase their finest collections to a market that is thriving with business prospects. It is an opportunity to meet fashion industry experts, learn more about foreign markets, and be able to see and order artisanal fur and leather products from all around the world. Visitors and buyers alike will be able to meet various international manufacturers and retailers and create lucrative and long-lasting partnerships.

Last year’s event hosted exhibitors coming from Italy, Greece, Germany, Turkey, China, Canada and more. The event welcomed guests both from Korea and all over Asia. These included buyers from well-established department stores and independent boutiques, government representatives from Korea, Greece and Turkey, and Press. The event recorded a considerable number of sales transactions, as well as established successful connections. The event was also widely covered through TV, print, and online interviews in Korean and International media.

This year, the number of exhibitors is set to almost double. 2023’s fair promises bigger and greater opportunities, with exhibitors selling an array of products, from garments, to trims, and accessories. The items will include Sable, Mink, Chinchilla, and Fox fur, as well as leather accessories, shearling jackets, and so much more.

Luxury fashion in South Korea is booming and is not showing any signs of slowing down. The luxury market is attracting more and more international companies to visit and take part in Fashion Exhibitions, fast becoming a trendsetter in the Asia region. This is the reason why the IFF chose Seoul once again as its host city.

To join the IFF’s International Fur and Leather Expo 2023, please register on ifffairs.com and receive your personal badge to guarantee entry. Spaces are limited so please register promptly. Also follow the IFF Fairs Instagram account @ifffairs for regular updates on what to expect at the 2023 fair.

The IFF looks forward to welcome you there.

For any queries related to exhibiting, or visiting, please write to kmahmood@iftf.com
  

The IFF hosted ‘The International Fur and Leather Expo 2022’. The event took place from May 23rd until May 25th, with the purpose of encouraging networking and partnership within the Fur and Leather industry, whilst also giving over 20 global brands (from Italy, Germany, Turkey, Greece, Russia, China, Korea, and more) the opportunity to display and market their current collections. The fair was promoted across Korean media websites as well as key, relevant databases in order to encourage registrations and therefore, footfall.

The event itself was a great hit, with over 300 visitors, all of whom were in the market to purchase fur pieces. Given that Seoul is a city becoming increasingly well-known for its global influence in fashion and technology, it was the perfect hub for such an event to take place, particularly for the FurmarkÒ technology to attract attention from the few exhibitors who weren’t already part of the system.

Kiran Mahmood, Director of Finance and Head of HR and Legal quoted, “I was delighted to be in Korea. Korea has been an incredibly strong market for fur, and with some other Asian countries still with Covid restrictions, this fair in Seoul was pivotal. It has been a difficult time for our global business during the pandemic and now, more recently, with sanctions over the Russian situation, the fur industry has been largely affected. Fur, like many other luxury items, has been hard to sell, however our time in Korea has shown that consumers do still love fur.”

The success of the event was reflected in sales between buyers, retailers and manufacturers. Overall, it was a great triumph, and the IFF looks forward to hosting more events such as these in the future.