On November 16-17, the Belarus Fashion Forum was held in Minsk, with the support of the International Trade Centre under the EU4Business ‘Ready to Trade’ project, funded by the European Union.
The Forum – organised by the Belarusian Fund for Financial Support to Entrepreneurs and the Belarusian Chamber of Fashion – is an annual educational platform where leading international experts and fashion professionals from Belarus share experiences and exchange views on various areas of the fashion business.
This year the forum “Belarus and Europe: tools for interaction in the fashion industry” brought together more than 70 participants: stylists, designers and managers of fashion companies from Belarus and leading international experts from the EU, who shared their experiences on the latest trends in the fashion industry that are key to shaping a successful fashion brand and its promotion to the international and EU markets.
The forum raised awareness and brought practical international experience in the field of sustainable sales models and e-commerce to promote and create new collections among representatives of the fashion industry of the Republic of Belarus.
Andrea Wiktorin, Head of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Belarus, Petr Arushanyants, Director General of the Belarusian Fund for Financial Support to Entrepreneurs, and creative director of Belarus Fashion Week, Yanina Goncharova addressed the forum.
Eastern Partnership: Ready to Trade - an EU4Business initiative helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access new markets with a focus on the EU, helping SMEs identify and comply with quality and standards to meet international requirements, linking them with buyers along the value chain, and providing cluster support.
In Belarus, the project supports the textile and clothing sector, assisting SMEs in producing value added goods in accordance with international and EU market requirements and linking with EU markets. While the project is mainly focused on SMEs, some targeted assistance to local BSOs, including national trade promotion organisations, is also provided. Support is directed to helping companies access the EU market, through targeted capacity-building, advisory services and market access activities.