I have to say that my favourite children’s trade show is Playtime New York. Well, two (main) good reasons for that: it takes place in my favourite city, it is also small (77 brands) and well curated, with a consistent assortment of products. To a few exhibitors, this edition was a bit quiet, but generally speaking it seems that most of the visitors and participants had a good time. I have asked a few of them for their feedback:
“very well curated, a joy to shop; Playtime makes my job a lot easier” Cristina Villegas / Yoya NY
“It was nice to see everyone I love together in one place. I was crazy about ESP no.1, boy + girl was new and fun AND made in USA (love that!). I’m so happy that more people have figured this out, I think it’s more important than ‘organic’, but if you can do BoTH (like nico nico!) it’s amazing! Lots of good design and not overdone.” Carina Schott / Nonchalant Moms, USA
“Playtime New York is always the highlight of the fair calendar for us and this one was no exception! We met most of our existing US stockists and some great new customers from cities in the US we do yet have representation. The streets made us fell brand new and the big lights inspired us!” Ian Reynolds / Pale Cloud, Sweden
“Exhibiting at Playtime NYC is always a great experience! Is very important for our US clients to have the opportunity to touch and feel the collection. For them it is very different from buying trough a catalogue. For us it’s a big pleasure and responsibility to meet the clients and share with them passion for our work.” Carla, Bobo Choses / Barcelona, Spain
“Playtime is a fabulous show which doesn’t feel like a typical tradeshow but rather catching up with friends in an intimate space with good vibe, good mood and good food. The brother and sister team, Sebastien and Marie, running Playtime are not only delightful but also have a particular attention to details which we appreciate very much. We had a lot of fun designing our booth and enjoyed presenting our favorite collection yet (we do say that every year, but we mean it!) in such good company. It feels like a home away from home except nicer, much nicer!” Sophie Demenge / Oeuf NY
I managed children’s trade shows* in the past, so when I visit fairs, people often ask if I am still involved with the organisation. The answer is NO, I am not anymore, I now visit in a relaxed way, for journalistic purposes (Pirouette + Doolittle France and Naif Spain&Brazil, the magazines I represent in the UK). Nothing more…
Next edition of Playtime New York : 4-6 August, 2012
*(Bubble New York/Bubble London, co-founded with Vanessa Boz)
Florence Rolando
I founded Pirouette Blog in November 2008. Today I am a contributor, looking with delight how the blog is developing with Katie as the new boss!
Subscribe to Pirouette's monthly Newsletter.
You might also like
August 4, 2018
Playtime New York #17 preview
This time it's New York's turn to host Playtime, the show kicks off this Sunday 5th and runs until Tuesday 7th August. Pirouette will be there to cover Playtime NY #17 and look for our final…
September 5, 2017
Trade Show Report: Creative Playtime New York SS18
It's no secret that we are big fans of the New York edition of Playtime. Playtime New York 15th edition was fun, friendly and colourful as was the greeting that met visitors at the entrance, with a…
March 23, 2017
Playtime New York AW17
New York has had it's fair share of snow the past few months which made for an interesting flight to Playtime New York but it was well worth the bumpy arrival. It was great to see many European…
February 15, 2017
Pirouette One to Watch Winners: Playtime New York
Playtime New York had over 180 labels exhibiting this time round and what a fun and exciting show it was. Arriving from Europe it was really interesting to meet labels from the US, South America and…
February 14, 2016
TiA CiBANi KiDS at Playtime New York
"Frida Kahlo's garden", a recent exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden, sparked Tia Cibani's interest, which transformed into a collection - currently on show at Playtime New York.
March 26, 2013
Trade Show report : Playtime New York
The 6th edition of Playtime New York took place at the St. John’s Center (Tribeca) on March 9, 10 and 11, 2013. A little bit over 100 American and International brands presented their Fall/Winter…
July 9, 2012
Playtime Paris in images
This was a good edition of Playtime. I heard quite a few people complaining that children's fashion is a bit stagnant and repetitive, but I got personally quite enthusiastic about the brands on…
March 12, 2012
Playtime New York – Part I
Here's a selection of the the brands that caught my eye at the show.
March 11, 2011
Trade Show report : Playtime New York
This second edition of Playtime New York featured about 60 children's brands and some maternity wear. A fair amount of excellent US brands : Dagmar Daley, Atsuyo et Akiko, Jess Brown,…