ispo - Sport & Style Fully in motion
Joachim Schirrmacher reports on the ever greater influence that sport has on fashion, presents the ispo Career Day and the European Fashion Award FASH 2010.
Great winter, great mood. The recipe for success at the world’s largest sports goods fair, the ispo, is really that simple: www.ispo.com
The harsh winter has been with us for six weeks (for the first time in 13 years, the lake in Hamburg froze over!) and set the cash tills ringing nationwide. And despite the fact that the winter sports business booked a 20% increase in sales last year. All the fashion mags and all the trend forecasts point in one direction: Sport is the trend. First, to offset the fact that we spend almost all the time sitting in front of a monitor. Swimming, cycling, running – the whole complexity of life comes together there. The sporting look is making inroads into everyday life. “Fully in motion” commented the German trade journal Textilwirtschaft, but referred to the radically changing business of fashion. All things classical and elegant seem passé, while anything from the street or sports is in. And this applies not just to 25-year-olds, but to 66-year-olds who dress as if they were 40, as a photospread in Brigitte Woman hows. Seldom do you hear such clear words spoken in the world of fashion.
What does this mean for the future of what was once the world’s largest fashion fair, the CPD which takes place at the same time as the ispo? For the pros it meant having to decide: fashion fair in Düsseldorf or sports in Munich?
I am going to Munich and hope that the sports industry does a better job of combining function and fashion. To date, only a very companies have recognized how much emotion their industry involves. Which is all the more surprising since a large part of the people work in the industry because they turned a hobby into a job.
But unlike a fortnight ago in Berlin in Munich there is less partying and glamour. Not even functional equipment maker Fjäll Räven really rocked for its 50th birthday. Not that things are boring. First, the trade-fair complex is huge and second there is a massive accompanying program of events. The chief highlights:
The eco-issue is becoming ever more important. In the 7Skygreenroom, as part of board_ispo you can find presentations by brands such as Zimtstern or eco-trailblazer Patagonia, who produce sports textiles using less energy and resources. The manufacturers’ respective eco-commitment is measured by a rating system developed on the basis of different eco-certificates for clothing.
Oliver Kahn (http://www.oliver-kahn.de), Germany’s most successful goalkeeper ever (world goalkeeper of the year 1999, 2001, 2002, 86 caps for Germany, 141 European Cup and Champions League matches) was honored with the ispo Cup for his support for young talent. One could imagine that the footballer, who ended his career in 2008, would have time to show up – after all, he would be walking in the footsteps of Max Schmeling (1972), Pele (Brazil, 1983), Franz Beckenbauer (1990), Eddy Merckx (Belgium, 1993) or Li Ning (China, 2001). But instead he flew to Asia to take part in the jury of the TV casting show “I never give up – the Kahn principle”. So we will have to devour the four-course menu at the dinner in the Gobelin Hall of the Lehnbach Haus on our own. Alongside Oliver Kahn many other sports celebrities are expected: Philipp Lahm (http://www.philipplahm.de), tennis pro Nicolas Kiefer (http://www.nicolaskiefer.de), adventurer and climber Stefan Glowacz (http://www.glowacz.de) or biathlete Uschi Disl (http://www.uschi-disl.de).
I especially look forward to film director Josef Vilsmeier, who made the film of the book "Schlafes Bruder" a story that is so incredible that it is hard to imagine you can film it. At the ispo, he is on the Salewa stand presenting the film Nanga Parbat which tells the story of an expedition by mountain climbers Reinhold and Günther Messmer (http://www.reinhold-messner.de), during which Günther perished.
Young talent is the focus of ispo Career Day on February 7. Unlike at the ispo proper, anyone can attend (Hall B0). Here, students, freelancers and young professionals can try and gain a professional foothold in the sports industry: 50 internships, traineeships and graduation projects are up for grabs. The idea is the brainchild of former Chiemsee CEO, Dietmar Damith and Florian Steinberger, who now work for the headhunter sport INVEST search.
In the United States many companies are proud if their sales staff have received 24 hours of training. In Germany, to qualify for the profession of salesperson you need to have completed a 24-month course. Apprentices such as might take the course can visit the ispo trainee project.
On February 10, specialist lectures and workshops will familiarize some 250 apprentices from Germany, Austria and Switzerland with how a trade fair functions. And at various stands, there will be jobs to be done that then get judged by the professionals.
