BARBADOS – The Caribbean’s biggest fashion, arts, beauty and lifestyle products trade show and expo will be held in Barbados from November 27th to 29th, 2023. This inaugural event, organised by Fashion Has No Borders (FHNB) Caribbean, will give Barbadian creatives a chance to showcase their talents and businesses at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Fashion Has No Borders – the Caribbean Edition, promises to present a “kaleidoscope of Caribbean colour, culture, arts, beauty, creative products and fashion,” according to a press release. More than 100 national, regional and international exhibitors will display products under categories such as: Manufacturers (Unique Products), Footwear, Environmental Suppliers, Beauty Products, and Agents/Arts/Craft. As such, attendees exploring the various booths will enjoy offerings from bridal wear to leather goods, eco fashion, fabrics suppliers, and fashion/design colleges.
This FHNB trade show and expo provides opportunities for registrants to boost their businesses’ visibility, achieve expansion and network with prominent industry players.
“FHNB brings together creative businesses, suppliers, logistics, international buyers, full-service companies, and more for three days of business development opportunities, knowledge sharing, and showcase events designed to propel regional export of goods and services between our countries and beyond,” the release stated.
The prospect to network at this event is vast; for example, participants will be able to explore collaborations with international online buy/sell platforms (Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Shopify), meet with full-service companies to supply and support their business needs, connect with international suppliers via the business booth, arrange B2B meetings with international buyers, and talk to reps from multiple creative businesses, etc.
In addition, the FHNB Caribbean event provides numerous opportunities to improve participants’ knowledge and skills; Business Forums that address topics such as Creative Entrepreneurship, Impact of Social Media, International Standards for Export, Logistics, and Value Chain System will be conducted by international experts on November 27th, from 10am to 3pm. On the remaining two days, the event will be held from 12 noon to 8pm.
The FHNB will also help local businesses to become market-ready in preparation for the expo through their Creative Accelerator program, which is available to business owners within the following criteria: women aged 18-35, start-ups, and businesses opened and registered in less than five years.
Registration for the marketplace, however, is open to all. Exhibitor hopefuls can sign up for the standard, medium or large packages.
The FHNB trade show and expo includes various features, categorised under the headings “Pavilion Africa!” and “Liberty Affairs!” Pavilion Africa includes designers, fabric suppliers, manufacturers of jewellery and accessories, and leather goods suppliers, etc. Features of Liberty Fairs are: a network of buyers (US, UK, Asia, Canada), brand developers, online platform developers, design managers, trade show experts, product placement specialists, influencers, and online sales platforms (Amazon, eBay, Etsy).
FHNB Caribbean, which is slated to be held annually, is organised by a team of professionals with long-standing experience and expertise within the creative industries. Together, they position FHNB Caribbean as the region’s premiere trade show focused on creative businesses. Barbadian creatives can therefore anticipate strengthened global business connections as a result of this event, which aims to “connect Caribbean creatives to the world.”
