Post Show Report CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2023. Autumn

30^th edition of the International Exhibition for Child and Junior Fashion

26–29 September

EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds, Moscow, Russia 

The CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2023. Autumn and Mir Detstva 2023 international exhibitions took place on 26–29 September 2023 at EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds, Moscow, Russia. Both events were a great success. 

CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2023. Autumn became a milestone event in the industry and was held at EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds for the 30th time. 

Leading designers, manufacturers and suppliers from Russia and other countries presented their products in a variety of areas from collections of children's clothing and footwear to retail equipment.

Industry professionals had every opportunity not only to solve sales and procurement issues and familiarise themselves with products for the coming season, but also to achieve maximum coverage of the professional audience for the launch of new products, find new partners and conclude profitable contracts for the coming year. 

The current economic situation makes it necessary to act quickly, and many companies are optimising their assortment, finding new suppliers and developing brands to replace those that have left the market.

Ekaterina Priezzheva, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation:

“The children's industry has successfully undergone a serious transformation in a record time, largely thanks to the professionalism of our manufacturers. For my part, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the companies that successfully respond to market changes, retain their teams, find new markets and ultimately work for our future for the sake of our children. There is no doubt that such major shows of the children's goods and clothing industry as Mir Detstva and CJF – Child and Junior Fashion play a huge role in this situation, allowing the leading market players to promptly exchange experience, build development strategies, and look for new partners.”

Dates: 26–29 September 2023

Venue: EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds, Moscow, Russia  

Organised by EXPOCENTRE AO

Supported by the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade

Under auspices of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Exhibition area: 6,000+ sq m

Attendance: 14,900+ professional visitors

Exhibitors: 275 companies (200+ of them are Russian); foreign brands included Gioseppo, Pablosky, Tugi, Pamina, Beggi Ceremony, Kerry, Minimen, Irish.Ko, new ones were Ardamin, Bratex, Baby cosy, Quanzhou City Shiny Garments, Why Shine, Satorisan Delsol, etc.; Russian brands were DNK, Bodo, Stefania, Stylnyashka, Noble People, Malenkaya Ledi, Truvor, Germiona, Amadeo, Brinco, Karamelli, Desty, Level-pro, and newcomers were Armagan, Kristiklo, Kidsante, Babybu, Angela Micky Guys, etc.

Countries: 8 (Belarus, China, Germany, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Spain, Turkiye) 

National pavilion: Turkiye

Russian regional pavilions: 14 (arranged with the support of regional authorities: Ivanovo, Kirov, Kursk, Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Oryol, Pskov, Tambov, Tomsk, Vologda, Voronezh Oblasts, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk Krais, and the Chuvashia Republic)

Product sectors: new collections of clothes, footwear and accessories for children and teenagers, clothes for future mothers, retail equipment, fabrics and garment accessories

The official opening ceremony was attended by Chair at the Russian Federation Council Committee for Science, Education and Culture Lilia Gumerova, First Deputy Chair at the Russian State Duma Committee on Issues of Family, Women and Children Tatiana Butskaya, Vice President at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vadim Chubarov, Assistant to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Alexey Mednikov, President at the Children's Goods Industry Association Antonina Tsitsulina, and Director General at EXPOCENTRE AO Alexey Vyalkin.

Alexey Vyalkin, Director General at EXPOCENTRE AO

“Our block of children’s exhibitions has grown by about 20% this year, both in terms of space and exhibitors. Of the 800 companies participating in these shows, more than 500 are Russian. It is also quite in line with the current general trend: due to the departure of a number of foreign companies, niches are being freed up and Russian companies are actively building up their presence in various segments of children's goods. Market leaders are expanding their assortment, launching new products and their own trademarks.”

Conference programme

The joint conference programme of CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2023. Autumn and Mir Detstva 2023 included more than 50 major events. 

On the first day of CJF – Child and Junior Fashion. Autumn, the EXPO-Academy project hosted two workshops organised by  EXPOCENTRE AO in partnership with Plekhanov Russian University of Economics: the Workshop on Expanding the Assortment From Children's Footwear to Clothing. Analysis of Real Business Cases and the Workshop on a Startup in the Children's Clothing Market. The events were moderated by Director at the Fashion Retail and Fashion Industry Competence Development Center at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics Svetlana Kostenko. The participants talked about business development in the children's clothing market through the development of different sales channels and diversification of the assortment.

The theme of Russia’s cultural code in children’s fashion was discussed at the Panel Discussion on the Cultural Code of Russia in the Industry of Children's Goods and Clothing, which was organised by EXPOCENTRE AO in partnership with the National Project Fund.

The discussion was moderated by Elena Kalgina, member of the Board of Trustees of the Victory TV Channel and co-founder of the I’m on Style project.  

Elena Kalgina also read out a message from Sergey Kolbin, a member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly and Senator of the City of Sevastopol. “Not only parents, not only schools are responsible for a child’s upbringing,” the senator emphasised in his greeting. “All of us – adults – are responsible. We create the environment in which little Russians grow up, we transmit the values they absorb. It is important that these are true values. Then we will entrust the fate of Russia to the generation of true patriots who love their homeland.”

Opening the discussion, Artur Berlov, Deputy Chair at the Committee for Public Relations and Youth Policy of Moscow, emphasised the high relevance of the stated topic of discussion and read out a greeting from Ekaterina Dragunova, Acting Chair at the Committee. In particular, it notes, “Every day more and more products with patriotic symbols appear in the Russian market, from souvenirs and merchandise to toys and prefabricated models. Today it is more important than ever for legislative and executive authorities, cultural organisations, domestic manufacturers, designers, and mass media to unite in building new links between the past, present and future, as well as in attracting young minds to the knowledge of their roots and history. The future of a person, the future of the country and the preservation of the cultural sovereignty of our people depend on the knowledge gained and the worldview formed.”

According to Alexander Ilyin, Advisor to Director General of Channel One AO, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Victory TV Channel, the panel discussion will give rise to new creative ideas and non-standard solutions for the development of the Russian children’s goods and clothing industry.

Natalia Ivanova-Dostoevskaya, Deputy Director at High School of Creative Industries at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, dwelt in her speech on the importance and role of children’s animation in shaping the cultural code.

Larisa Berezovaya, Deputy Director for Development at the State Borodino Military Historical Museum-Reserve, and Mikhail Shmayevich, Executive Director at the Rosrekon Russian Public Movement, Designer Alyona Shkarupa, co-founder of the I’m on Style project, owner of Depeche Mode clothing brand, and Angelina Sham, an expert in business psychology, author of the Angel of Influence bestseller and the Triangle of Influence in Business technology, shared their experience.

At the end of the discussion, the participants attended the I’m on Style show of children’s clothing collections organised by the National Project Fund together with EXPOCENTRE AO. Young stars of the Neposedy (Fidgets) theatre studio and the Top Secret agency took part in the fashion show.

The I'm on Style show was held for the first time within CJF – Child and Junior Fashion. It presented unique collections created within the first season of the I'm on Style reality show, one of the most successful projects in the field of mass Russian fashion, which brought together young, talented designers from most regions of Russia. The project aims to identify and train potential leaders among creative young people capable of highlighting and preserving elements of Russia's cultural heritage and popularising national traditions through mass fashion.

As the I am on Style project is launched in the Year of Educator and Mentor in Russia, it promotes generation of ideas, meanings, images and patterns to support the Russian textile and garment industry.

One more important event on 26 September was the 14^th Congress of the Children’s Industry (regional stage). It was organised by the Children's Goods Industry Association with the support of the Federation Council of Russia, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Russian Ministry of Education, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, and EXPOCENTRE AO. 

The Congress opened with the plenary discussion on the Dialogue about the Future: from Adaptation to Growth in the Industry of Childhood. The participants talked about the role of the children's industry in the education of children, including the book publishing, children's film and animation industries. 

Lilia Gumerova, Chair at the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture, said, “Today there are tasks and instructions of the highest level to make sure that the characters of our toys, animated films, images on clothes are our domestic characters, our domestic brands, products of folk arts and crafts. We must sort it out to make sure that those who produce quality products, toys, films, animated films for children do not experience artificial barriers, obstacles, unnecessary administrative obstacles.”

The session was moderated by Antonina Tsitsulina, President of the Children's Goods Industry Association. In particular, she said, “Our task is to help creators to bring to life things that are related to our activity, which is the sphere of childhood.”

Reports were made by Deputy Minister of Industry, Trade and Entrepreneurship of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Vladimir Balakin, Director of the Centre of Creative Economy at the Agency of Strategic Initiatives Ekaterina Cherkes-Zade, Head at the Leo Publishing House Oleg Vishnyakov, one of the founders and Board Chair at Riki Group, co-author of the idea of the KikoRiki TV series Ilya Popov, and others.

A working group of the Federal Customs Service of Russia held a field meeting devoted to the pressing problem of counterfeit goods being smuggled across the customs border for subsequent sale in the Russian Federation. The experts focused on goods intended for children.

On 27 September, within the regional stage of the Congress of the Children’s Industry, manufacturers of games and toys, representatives of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Center for Research in Perspective Technologies, and industry experts discussed issues and challenges related to the experiment on voluntary labelling of children's goods. The event was organised by the Children's Goods Industry Association with the support of the Russian Federation Council, and the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The participants also discussed the product categories tentatively included in the pilot project, the technological processes of working with the labelling system, and the state support measures required by the children's toy industry.

The regional stage of the Congress became the main platform for professionals to discuss the strategy for the development of the children's goods industry and the development of comprehensive solutions to improve the competitiveness of the Russian industry working in the interests of children.

The first plenary session of the National Assembly of School Uniform Manufacturers ‘We work for children: new solutions for continued prioritisation of children’s quality of life’ took place on 27 September. 

President of the Children’s Goods Industry Association Antonina Tsitsulina opened the session and spoke about the situation in the industry, “The children’s goods industry today is worth RUB 1.08 trillion, and the share of Russian manufacturers here is 30%. Of these, 23.6% fall on the children’s clothing market and 10.5% on the footwear market. The average volume of the school uniform market is RUB 70 billion, informed the speaker. Thus, this is rather a large part of the industry, and its problems and demands should be given special attention.” 

Other reports were made by Chair at the Russian State Duma Committee on Issues of Family, Women and Children Nina Ostanina, Development Director at TM Choupette Anastasia Vasilkova, Director General at PPO Orbita Irina Lipatova, Director of the Institute of Arts at Kosygin Moscow State University of Design and Technology Olga Kovaleva, and other experts.

The 2^nd Forum on the Integrated Internet Marketing for the Children's Industry was organised by EXPOCENTRE with the support of the OLYMPX digital agency. It was held within the EXPO-Academy project. Experts discussed issues of successful use of Internet marketing in modern business and spoke about relevant issues of Internet advertising labelling. The moderator was Anna Kilimnichenko, Managing Partner and Director of the Internet Advertising Department at OLYMPX digital agency.

The main trends and innovations of the children's goods market were discussed at the 6^th Russian Conference ‘A Winning Formula for a Store for Children’, organised by EXPOCENTRE and Imperia Forum. Recognised market experts discussed over 20 topics, relevant issues and ingredients of the winning formula for a children's store in 2023-2024.

Market experts from the 24^th Russian Trade Forum for Children's Goods Suppliers and the Workshop for Retail Chain Buyers gave facts and figures, as well as forecasts for the consumption of children's goods and the development of the children's goods market for 2024. They outlined the top 10 ways to enter this market and increase sales on marketplaces and online shops. They shared their experience and tools for creating a brand and developing packaging for children's goods with experts and practitioners. Representatives of federal and regional retail chains answered the most relevant questions about supplying goods under the manufacturer's brand and PLBs to the retail chains.

The Purchasing Centre of Retail Chains™ facilitated direct negotiations on the supply of children's goods. Representatives of 80 chains (such as Korablik, Auchan, Familia, VotOnYa, Detsky Mir, WildBerries, Verny, X5 Retail, Vinnie, Boobl Goom) and more than 130 suppliers took part in the meetings. There were 1,930 negotiations held, of which 81.5% were recognised as positive.

The Centre of Retail Chains™ offered unique comfortable conditions for working at the show: a green corridor, a separate registration and cloakroom, a business centre for individual work and business negotiations, a recreation and catering area, and a rich conference programme with speeches by key experts of the children's goods market. 

The participants of the 6^th Russian Business Forum on the Market of Licensed Goods for Children, organised by EXPOCENTRE and Imperia Forum, learned about the TOP 10 Russian characters, which will bring goods to the top of sales in 2024, and received insights into profitable licensing collaborations with rights holders. The forum hosted consultations with leading agencies and companies (CTC Media, Melnitsa, 0+media, YARKO, Soyuzmultfilm, etc.) on the effective use of children's favourite characters. Olga Kritskaya, a representative of the YARKO animation company, spoke about how to choose a successful license and conclude a profitable contract with rights holders.

EXPOCENTRE AO with the support of the Expert and Educational Centre for Assistance to Prospective and Current Parents “Parents’ Choice” held the Forum on Made in Russia: Development of the Children’s Goods Industry. Parents’ Choice. Experts, manufacturers and distributors of a wide variety of products for children discussed the topic of supporting Russian manufacturers of goods for children.

Tatyana Butskaya, First Deputy Chair at the Russian State Duma Committee on Issues of Family, Women and Children, Chair at the Board of the Council of Mothers Russian Public Organisation, took part in the forum. She said, “We meet on the Mir Detstva platform every year to raise the most important, most pressing issues. Over many years of its existence, the award has changed. If at the very beginning, it was very important for us to know what kind of children’s goods parents choose, what they use, and what they recommend to their friends, now we have to focus on our, Russian manufacturers of children’s goods in order to support them. We realise how difficult it is for them at the moment, but I know for sure that we will succeed.”

The forum hosted the award ceremony for the Parents’ Choice award winners. Click to see the winners>>.

Elena Danilevskaya, Federal Curator of the Council of Mothers, devoted her presentation to the Moms in Action project. She emphasised the high efficiency of the work of the Council of Mothers ambassadors.

One of the issues on the forum's agenda was to discuss the implementation of the Gift No. 1 project. It was about giving a gift to every newborn child in Russia. Representatives of manufacturers of goods for children noted a positive trend towards saturation of the domestic market with domestic raw materials of high quality, which makes it possible to produce goods not worse and often even better than foreign analogues.

Important aspects of further development of the children's industry in Russia were the subject of the Workshop on the First Choice Brand. A Real Success Story, moderated by Managing Partner at BrandExpert 'Liberty Island' Alexey Larin.

The first Forum on Multimedia Digital Technologies in Brand Management, Licensing and Monetisation: Experience of Market Leaders in the Children's Industry took place on 27 September.  It was organised by EXPOCENTRE with the support of Red Carpet Studio. The forum was moderated by Natalia Ivanova-Dostoevskaya, Deputy Director at High School of Creative Industries at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, film and animation producer, and Head at the Red Carpet Studio Animation Department.

Renowned speakers discussed the successful use of AI technology in modern business and gave examples of effective cases.

Representatives of animation studios talked about using AI in business, corporate training on implementing chatGPT in business, neural networks to optimise business processes, in sales and logistics.

The participants of the Workshop on New Logistics 2023 discussed why one should not stop engaging in foreign economic activities, what to do if the usual supply route no longer works, and where to look for new suppliers who have experience of cooperation with Russia. 

On 27 September the ROSTEST Academy organised the Practical Session on the Best Solutions for Children's Product Safety Verification: How to Become a Reliable Supplier. ROSTEST Academy speakers gave practical advice on the following topics: how to enter retail to stay and how not to get lost in the maze of requirements for children's products.

The Forum on Successful Start in E-commerce in 2023: Trends, Opportunities and Effective Tools for Scaling Business in the Children’s Goods and Clothing Industry was organised by EXPOCENTRE AO jointly with XWAY, an operating partner of the largest Russian and foreign marketplaces. The event was moderated by Anton Larin, an expert in retail and e-commerce and XWAY CEO.

Leading players of the children’s goods industry talked directly to representatives of marketplaces and experienced sellers who had been successfully developing their business in the e-commerce segment for many years and gave their practical advice on bringing products to the top and increasing sales.

Workshops of the Academy of Fashion Consulting Group on Online vs Offline Sales of Children's Clothing: Similarities and Differences, Fashion Trends for Children's Clothing to Boost Sales in the Spring/Summer 2024 Season and Promotion of Children's Clothing Brands in Telegram generated a lot of interest. These workshops were held by well-known experts such as Head of Educational Programmes at Fashion Consulting Group Viktor Malygin, Head of Development at Fashion Consulting Group Maria Shchennikova, and Director of Communications at Fashion Consulting Group, digital marketing expert Katerina Diveeva.

The CJF education programme was continued on 28 September with the Masterclass – Pump Yourself up with Mentors of the I'm on Style Reality Show. Presentation of the School, held by co-founder and art manager of the I’m on Style project Alyona Depechemode and founder of the first 3D Couture School of 3D garment design and visualisation, lecturer at British Higher School of Art and Design and Laboratory Director of the I’m on Style project Maria Shevchenko. The masterclass discussed various aspects of work of the Russian design community, textile and garment enterprises, specialists in 3D modelling, software for children's clothing designers, issues of financial support of the industry and further improvement of legislation in this area.

On 28 September, the CJF Presentation Area hosted the Panel Discussion on Fashion Hub Russia – the Ecosystem for the Development of Russian Fashion Business, organised by EXPOCENTRE AO in partnership with Fashion Hub Russia. It was moderated by Georgy Rostovshchekov, founder of Fashion Hub Russia, FHub Showroom and President at the International Association of Buyers. 

Traditional attention was paid to the trends of the coming season. On 28 September, a trend review of the main moods of the fashion industry and an exclusive trend tour around the exhibitors' stands called ‘New Products of Children's Clothing Manufacturer: Trends and Hits of Collections’ were conducted by Anastasia Kotova, head of the representative office of the CARLIN trend bureau in Russia, speaker of conference programmes of leading fashion exhibitions, and trend consultant for leading Russian manufacturers since 2006. EXPOCENTRE and the French Carlin Creative Trend Bureau offered to dive into the world of fashion trends and experience them in the reality of the Russian market during a lecture and a trend tour.

The conference programme also included

• Workshop on Trends in Global and Local Consumer Behaviour: What a Customer Needs

• Workshop on the First Choice Brand. A Real Success Story

• Workshop on Upcoming Trends in Children's Fashion

• Workshop on What Growth Opportunities Exist for a Children's Brand in the Next 2-3 Years

• Workshop on Products & Sales: How to Develop Children's Clothing in 2023

• Workshop on Five Main Tools in Retail Business Management 2023

• Workshop on How to Make a Children's Clothing and Footwear Retail Business Profitable in 2023/24

• Workshop on Four Steps to Boost Sales on WB with Cases from Children's Clothing Manufacturers

• Workshop on Effective Ways and Tools to Increase Sales with Minimal Costs

• Workshop on the Secret of Effective Sales from Fashion magazin

• Workshop on Eco-certification: How it Works and What it Brings to Business and Consumers

• Workshop on Marketing as Art: Values-based Positioning, Elegant PR and Fundamental Content

• Workshop on How to Sell More Using Brand, Packaging and Augmented Reality

• Workshop on Sales Techniques in a Children's Store

• Workshop on Children and Their Decisions: Future-oriented Marketing

• Workshop on How to Sell Profitably on Marketplaces?

• Workshop on Children's Clothing Production in the Age of Black Swans: Opening Your Own Production Facilities or Outsourcing

• Masterclass on the Goal of Your Business to Make Money. What's Stopping You From Doing It?

• Masterclass on Dealing with Objections in the Sale of Children's Shoes 

• Masterclass on a Marketing Plan to Increase Sales by 25% as Early as October in a Children's Brand or Shop

The regular CJF. Children’s Catwalk 2024. Autumn offered colourful fashion shows of leading manufacturers of clothes and accessories for children and teenagers for the 2024 season. The event was organised by PROfashion Media Agency. The participants were Olmi, CHARMY WHITE, Pixel, INDIGO KIDS, Kotofey, ISEL Kids, Hedda, Track, and ORSO BIANCO.

The 23^rd edition of the Moscow International Festival of Balloons on all exhibition days. As usual, this professional event was organised by Europa Uno Trade with the support of EXPOCENTRE AO.

The festival included the Russian Open Professional Balloon Design Championship, conferences and workshops.

This year’s theme was The Legends of the World. The best teams of decorators from all over Russia and the world created their own balloon compositions, figures, bouquets, costumes, and much more.

Teams battled it out in seven categories. Alongside the competition programme, the festival featured workshops by international balloon design stars. The masters shared their expertise and professional secrets with beginners and experienced decorators alike.

Mir Detstva 2023 and CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2023. Autumn hosted an award ceremony for the finalists of the International Competition of Goods for Children and Teenagers of Soyuzexpertiza ANO. The finalists of the competition were awarded with 21 first degree diplomas and 21 gold medals in the nomination for the Best Consumer Properties. Three special diplomas for Successful Promotion of High Quality Goods were also awarded.

The General Internet Partner of Mir Detstva 2023 and CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2023. Autumn is RDT-INFO.RU. 

The 31^st edition of the International Exhibition for Child and Junior Fashion – CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2024. Spring – will take place at EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds from 19 through 22 February 2024 at EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds, Moscow, Russia.

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Press Service, EXPOCENTRE AO