Pet Fashion Week Spring Show Canceled

Pet Fashion Week New York, well known for its annual luxury pet-industry trade show in August, canceled a second show it had planned for February 2009.

“We’re just not getting the interest we were expecting,” said trade-show director Derek DiFante. “Rather than do something that’s not up to our standards, we think it’s best to step back from it.”

The show, planned for February 8-9, had attracted between 50 and 60 exhibitors, DiFante said, which was below the number expected. The fall show, planned for August 22 and 23, will proceed as scheduled, he said.

Shortly before the cancellation was announced, Alexa Cach, a co-founder of the show, reported she had resigned in October from her post as executive director, citing creative differences. Cach and Mario DiFante (Derek DiFante’s father) founded Pet Fashion Week New York in 2006.

While Derek DiFante confirmed that aside from Cach, several other members of the Pet Fashion Week team have also resigned, he said the resignations in October had nothing to do with the decision in December to cancel the show.

“In fact, Alexa’s primary function was as runway show director,” he said. “When we planned the February show, we had already decided from day one that we weren’t going to do a runway show.”

DiFante said the team members who left had varying degrees of participation with the company, ranging from internships to part-time and full-time employment.

He said there was a “fundamental difference” in views regarding the direction of the company, which resulted in some employees believing their interests would be better served elsewhere.

“I think we got heavily into the fashion aspect of the industry, and I think some people forget we work in the pet industry, not the fashion industry,” he said.

“We just have very different ideas of how the company should be run and where the company should go,” Cach said. “It’s like a marriage. When you get to that point, it’s just better you go your separate ways.”

DiFante attributed the lack of response to the spring-show idea to the United States’ economic crisis.

“The economy is what it is,” he said. “I think 2009 and 2010 might be a couple of years where you see some turnover in the industry. What you’re seeing is growth at the top of the industry with the very high-end products and boutiques. We’re also finding that Wal-Mart, Target and your larger pet-specialty stores are getting into this market. That’s going to have an impact as well.”

Despite these changes, DiFante said, Pet Fashion Week will continue to target the high-end boutiques.

Derek DiFante said Mario DiFante will remain as executive director of the organization.