Preview of London’s trade shows: Pure London x JATC, Scoop and Source

Trade fair season is well underway, and with it, the hustle and bustle of such events is on the verge of hitting the city of London next week. From July 14 to 16, Pure London x JATC, Scoop and Source will be collectively housed at the event venue Olympia London, each one catering to their own niche of the industry.

Here is what to expect from each of the events.

Pure London x JATC

Theme: ‘Immersive Encounters’

The theme for what is now only the second edition of the combined Pure London x JATC event draws on exactly that: the merging of two concepts into a cohesive experience. ‘Immersive Encounters’ references a SS25 trend forecast by Trendhub, for which ‘illusory’ comes as a key theme reflecting the evolution of AI as a medium of creating seemingly real elements.

While the concept will be integrated into the aesthetics of the surrounding venue, it will also take centre stage on the Pure London x JATC Catwalk through a curated selection of brands presenting their own take on the SS25 trend. To give a glimpse into what to expect, TrendHub said the concept comes with a new colour palette of pearlescent tones and shades of deep blue.

Seminar programme

Over the three days, there will be a series of seminars to attend at the Pure x JATC main stage. Here, TrendHub’s creative consultant, Georgia Charalambous, and Gwyneth Holland, a futures strategist for the firm, will be hosting two separate SS25 trend talks. AI and tech will also have a place in the discussions, with conversations surrounding these topics to be held by founder of Digital Women, Lucy Hall, and Andrew Xeni, founder of Fabacus, Nobody’s Child and Soreto.

A panel discussion on the complexities of sustainability will be hosted by Bianca-Francesca Foley, founder of Sustainably Influenced; Nick Reed, founder of Neem London; and Joseph Mountain, sustainability lead at N Brown, while five influential women in fashion will take the to the stage to discuss how retailers are enhancing employee wellbeing.

New brands make up the roster

On the trade show floor itself, visitors will be greeted by a host of names new to the event, some brands using the show as an actual launchpad. As such, this season 47 percent of exhibitors will be showing for the first time – 51 percent of which are womenswear brands. Among these are Nigerian brand Abebi, founded by Seyitan Atigarin who launched the brand’s first ready-to-wear collection ‘Serenity’ in February; Hollyyz, which will be exhibiting its first venture outside of childrenswear into adult’s clothing at the event; and Italian independent brand Favette, for which sleepwear is the core focus.

In Pure’s now long-running category Pop, focused on brands for younger generations, streetwear label H4 will be attending for the first time, as will Sky Unique Brand, a label created by a 12-year-old entrepreneur. Sustainable label Bohemia will also debut at Pure, bringing to the table its new range of hand block printed accessories expanding on its collection developed in partnership with grassroots artisans and fair trade organisations in Morocco, India and Turkey.

Ethical and sustainable brands

With this in mind, the upcoming event will see the return of Pure London x JATC’s dedicated ‘Sustainable’ destination, which will continue to utilise the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to assess the impact of participating exhibitors, each of which must demonstrate they are tackling key issues in this area. As such, a number of qualifying brands will be in attendance, including performance wear label UP, zero-wastage womenswear brand Nesavaali, and ethical brand Bibico, which utilises mulesing-free wool and cotton and fair-trade processes.

Scoop

Theme: ‘Here comes the sun’

In a hall adjacent to Pure London x JATC will be the contemporary fashion and lifestyle show Scoop, where a sense of optimism and the promise of warmth will be encapsulated among the location. The longing for summer is to be translated through vintage, eccentric illustrations, much of which will evoke the French Riviera, in light of the coinciding Bastille Day.

The theme extends into a collaboration with artist and costume designer Paul O’Farrell, who will be bringing some of his acclaimed pieces to the show for display. It revives Scoop’s past tradition of integrating contemporary art into its event, with O’Farrell’s work, some of which was formerly exhibited in the Saatchi Gallery, to be placed around the show to both highlight his work and create a visual experience for visitors. Among the collections to be displayed are that of ‘Glitterarty’, which ranges from wall paintings to functional garments, and Heavenly Bodies, consisting of, among other things, a plastic bodice once used in an opera.

Australia and Spain lead the line up

Within the 250 strong line up of curated exhibitors will be new and emerging international talent from Spain and Australia, reflecting the essence of ‘Resort wear’ that Scoop’s theme sets out to capture. From Spain, Black to Grey will present its new SS25 collection, acting as a tribute to the ballet ‘Le Sacre du Printemps’; Madrid-based Sophie and Lucie will put forward a selection of on-trend dresses and separates; and Barner will be bringing its line up of eyewear to the floor.

From down under, Oneseason will be showcasing a line expanding on its collection of products developed with their family-run production house in India where they merge Chikankari embroidery techniques with modern technology. Saint Armont will also bolster the reimagining of traditional design, bringing together luxury and sustainability, while La Bottega di Brunella is to showcase its 50-year old experience with linen through in-house created garments.

Source

Unlike Pure London x JATC and Scoop, Source is dedicated to offering visitors a “responsible sourcing show”, with exhibitors centred around the manufacturing and production side of business.

Seminar agenda

This is reflected in the event’s seminar agenda, with different themes covered over the three days; day one being industry innovation and collaboration; day two, trends, legislation and big brand ideology; and day three on learning, education and certification. Speaking on the programme, event director Suzanne Ellingham said: “We intend to make the show a platform for discussion around the topics where there is no defined solution, simply businesses that are moving forward and are brave enough to share their learnings.”

Highlights include a conversation with Asos’ ex-CEO Nick Beighton, who will discuss the “realities of trying to make positive change” in the industry; Next’s group head of sustainability, CR and product legislation, Jo Mourant, will talk on how the retailer is combatting sustainability challenges; and Fashion Futurist, Geraldine Wharry, will highlight three macro trends that define the future of the fashion industry’s infrastructure.

Regional expansion on the trade fair floor

While there are already 30 some countries represented on the Source Fashion floor, there will also be some new ones joining the roster in the form of first-time exhibitors, expanding the event’s line up of new and emerging sourcing regions. Kualesa Apparel will be the show’s first ever Malaysian manufacturer, showcasing its production capacity of 50,000 pieces a month while setting out on a mission to meet brands and retailers it can potentially do business with in the future.

Nigeria will also be represented for the first time by Beyond Clothing, a garment factory specialising in premium custom clothing, branded uniforms and sublimated t-shirts. The company’s founder, Prince Arthur Oche, said it was attending to “share the beauty and richness of African stories” with the goal to expand globally and find new markets from around the world. A returnee among the roster is International Trade Center (ITC) which will be debuting an area for Ghanaian producers within its pavilion.