Cologne is the home to our esteemed distributors Urban Styles, part of the Snipes retail chain in Germany. These guys cover Germany, Austria, and Switzerland for King Apparel and their huge showroom at the HQ hosted the SS16 sales meetings for some of the biggest stores in Europe, including Zalando. Such important customers require homegrown East London hospitality so I traveled over for a few days to help with meetings and presentations as we cement our presence in this territory.
With several very strong brands on the roster, the showroom has booths mocked up for all concerned with the King booth making a strong impression in the center of the room. Both the big players from Snipes and Zalando passed through in the 48hrs that we spent there to pick up a selection of the new SS16 lines, so you should be seeing some exclusive customised pieces available in Germany at the start of next year.
There is no substitute for representing your own brand, even alongside the biggest of partners, and that personal touch can make all the difference to seeing British brands flourish in new territories. It is a staple trip that we will be making several times a year now as we build our relationships and develop some exciting things over the coming seasons. Big up Mo and the whole crew at Urban Styles. Fight like a lion :)