By David Brough
MUNICH, Germany – INHORGENTA MUNICH returned in-person after an absence of more than two years due to the pandemic, and showcased an array of new exhibitors presenting their latest collections in jewellery and watches.
The Munich show (April 8-11, 2022) was staged against a backdrop of a continuing pandemic, and war in Ukraine that will mean a sharp drop in Russian visitors this year, organisers said.
However, the mood was businesslike as international and domestic buyers were delighted to gather with exhibitors again to order new stock from the latest designs and collections, with many highly innovative designers showing off their creations, often using unusual materials, in Hall B-2.
The current edition of INHORGENTA presents almost 740 exhibitors from 34 countries, including well-known jewellery brands showing here for the first time such as Thomas Sabo, Faberge and Giovanni Raspini, and watch brands, such as Seiko, Daniel Wellington and Mondaine.
The trade fair saw a high turnout of exhibitors representing responsible and ethical supply chains, underlining the importance of sustainable practices across the industry. This was further underlined by several talks on issues linked to sustainability in the “Trendfactory” conference programme.
The show takes place during a period of challenging market conditions: the pandemic dragged on brick-and-mortar retail sales in the German jewellery and watches sector, which fell 11.3 percent year-on-year in 2020, recovering 3 percent in 2021 to 4.38 billion euros, below pre-pandemic levels, according to industry association data.
