Excitement is building for Atlanta’s VOW | New World of Bridal, set for April 13-15 at AmericasMart®Atlanta, the only in-person full fledged Market for the season.
According to International Market Centers (IMC), the Market is seeing near daily growth in commitments by brands ready to show Fall / Winter 2021 introductions, and retailers seeking new product.
“Atlanta’s VOW Market is back in full force this spring with a comprehensive offering of both showrooms and temporaries,” said Caron Stover, senior vice president of apparel leasing for International Market Centers (IMC). “The momentum we started in the Fall with a modified show is accelerating as we offer complete collections to an industry that is demanding the opportunity to gather again and reconnect as they plan for a brighter year ahead.”
For this season, VOW New World of Bridal will again operate using IMC’s Together Safely plan, which outlines safety protocols and procedures for markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Temperature screening, contactless registration, enhanced cleaning and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) are among required components of the protocols.
Additionally, all showrooms and temporaries are expected to follow IMC’s protocols including observing capacity limits. The full plan is available at TogetherSafely.com.
Participating bridal and social occasion brands are anticipating a strong market, driven by optimism about the resumption of in-person weddings and social events this year and by an uptick in bridal sales at the retail level.
“We are seeing growing optimism in the market, and retailers need to be prepared for the surge of demand. The combination of brides-to-be that postponed their weddings with another year of engagements calls for a lot of late 2021 and 2022 brides,” explained Justin Warshaw, CEO/creative director of Justin Alexander, which is showing a collection of new on-trend pieces that complement best sellers. “We use VOW as a place to strategize the next 12 months of partnership with our customers. It is our most important market.”
The Market’s 60+ showrooms feature top bridal and social occasion brands including Adrianna Papell Platinum, Carrafina, Casablanca, House of Wu, Mon Cheri, Morilee by Madeline Gardner and many more. New in April is a showroom for representative group Putnam Enterprises that will house a range of social occasion brands including Feriani Couture, MGNY, Alexander by Daymor, Elana Collection, Soulmates, Gia Franco, Lalla Bee and Body Hush. New lines by established brands showing at VOW New World of Bridal include Sherri Hill Bridal and Alina Vocé and FATE by Jovani.
This season also see the return of the market’s temporary exhibits, the majority of which are presented in showroom settings with additional brands in The Collective, a showcase of social occasion trade show booths. Confirmed brands include Malis-Henderson (veils and accessories), Maritza’s Bridal Veils,Monica Loretti(wedding gowns), Lux and Love Designs(wedding gowns) .
A full list of exhibitors is at Atlanta-Apparel.com/exhibitor/exhibitor-directory.
“We absolutely love showing at VOW because of the atmosphere it creates for our customers,” said Nikki Deeds, national sales manager for Allure Bridals and Madison James, which is debuting a new collection with a wide variety of styles and price points to cater to a range of retailers and clients. “Being able to see product in person is so important for our customers and it has been a long time since we have seen many of them. We enjoy building our relationships with them during the VOW market and look forward to seeing them in April.”
The Market’s signature educational programming moves to a virtual format with business education and trend information presented on Atlanta Apparel’s IGTV channel (@AtlantaApparel). Planned for the April 2021 market is the Mon Cheri Academysales seminar plus timely information for bridal retailers. The VOW New World Bridal fashion event also will be presented virtually for the market.
VOW | New World of Bridal is open Tuesday, April 13 – Wednesday, April 14, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m, and Thursday, April 15, 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Pre-registration is open now at Atlanta-Apparel.com/VOW. Travel information is atAtlanta-Apparel.com/Attend/Travel. For more information visit Atlanta-Apparel.com/VOW.
