Momad’s New Strategy: Summer Edition, Quality Format, and Runway Collaborations

Momad takes a step forward in its reinvention. Ifema’s fashion, footwear and accessories fair will reformulate its summer edition with a “more boutique” format in July and a management structure that seeks to better coordinate the fashion calendar in Madrid. The move comes after months of reviewing the trade fair map and in a context in which the business demands appointments more in line with the real cycle of purchases.

In February, Momad will be held again from Thursday to Saturday, in parallel to Bisutex and Intergift and in Pavilion 10 of Ifema, consolidating this block as a reference winter event for lifestyle in Madrid. As in the last edition in September, the organization wants to combine established brands, emerging firms and a mixed professional visitor, national and international.

The fair is based on a solid foundation. The last edition, held in September, brought together more than 300 brands from 23 countries and an 11% increase in overall professional traffic compared to the previous year. Momad now aspires that these results are not a ceiling, but the starting point of a new model that better accompanies the transformation of the sector, which contributes 2.9% of GDP and recorded €23 billion in exports in 2024.

Momad: calendar under review and summer in ‘boutique’ key

The big shake-up confirms its arrival in summer. The edition that was traditionally held in September will be brought forward to July 23th-25th, 2026, as confirmed by the fair to Modaes after submitting the approach to a vote of the committee. The change is directly linked to the arrival of the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix, which will take place from September 11th to 13th at Ifema and will displace from the trade fair calendar the events that used to take place that weekend: Momad, Bisutex, Intergift and MadridJoya. The estimated impact of the race for the region amounts to €450 million.

For Momad, continuing in its traditional format in September was not a neutral option. Keeping the date meant coinciding with Who’s Next in Paris and delaying the fair to the end of the month left it off the commercial calendar, with most orders already closed. After consulting the sector, Ifema has opted for July and for a more concentrated event in which quality takes precedence over volume. “We are building a new Momad”, explained the management.

The July edition is an optimistic test. The fair wants to give the format a chance and test to what extent bringing the calendar forward allows it to gain relevance in the middle of the campaign, capture new orders and offer a useful tool to a shrinking multi-brand and an increasingly competitive international trade. Madrid is playing, in part, its position on the European map of fashion fairs.

At the same time, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid has also made a move and will delay its next edition to March, which opens the way to better organize the city’s fashion events and explore clearer synergies between catwalk and fair.

Asier Labarga leads the single command and the return of fashion to the center of the city

In the internal organization, Ifema has drawn a single command of fashion. Julia González continues to lead the day-to-day running of Momad. Asier Labarga, director of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid, who also assumed a coordinating and leadership role for the lifestyle and health fairs, is now placed on this operational basis.

His role is to look at the whole: calendar, positioning, relative weight of each event and possible bridges between catwalk and fair. The idea is for the catwalk to function as an image showcase and for Momad to concentrate the business, with a more refined proposal for the professional channel. “We are very satisfied with the idea of recovering the essence of fashion at the fair,“ said the organizers.

In the offer, Momad wants to reinforce the segment of mid-level brands and emphasize manufacturing in Spain and Europe, without closing the door to other origins. The next event will see the return of Spanish brands such as Victoria or Surkana, along with other firms focused on design and local products.

Internationalization will be another of the pillars of this stage. Ifema has advanced that the international buyers program will be strengthened to attract retailers, specialized chains, concept stores and ecommerce operators from key markets. “We have a great exporting vocation and we will have a boost from international companies,“ the management stresses.

On the plan, the new Momad will also be seen. The organization is working on the possibility of adjusting the distribution of spaces and pavilions to improve the presentation. In the medium term, the bet is to bring forward the purchases, win new niches of visitors and turn the fair into a more precise event.