Pure London announces Spirit rebrand to Gen Z

London trade show Pure has announced it will rebrand its young and fast fashion section Spirit to Gen Z for its February 19 edition, reflecting the rise and importance of this demographic and its impact on current culture and the future.

Gen Z will focus primarily on unisex, trend-led and street-style collections, as well as a higher intake of sportswear brands.

“Spirit encompasses youth fashion and what the market wants now, so it’s about continuous change and market demand. We are rebranding Gen Z to reflect the rise in this exciting demographic and its transformative effect on our industry and culture. Gen Zs are extremely knowledgeable about fashion, discerning and adventurous and they are key drivers of sustainability efforts. We are going to capitalise on this movement and with Gen Z we will create a platform that reflects all this. There will still be a home for our existing brands, but we also want to ensure that we bring in more unisex and sportswear brands that tell a story, that have a conscience and have a soul, as well as brands that offer a stronger degree of personalisation,” says Julie Driscoll, managing director of Pure London in an interview to FashionUnited.

Driscoll also confirmed plans to expand the show’s Pure Conscious area, which debuted this season and was received equally well by buyers and brands, showcasing a curated edit of sustainable and ethical brands amid a wider focus of the show on sustainability and initiatives such as the Power of One campaign as well as collaborations with Common Objective and Global Goals. “We want to have a lead role and create a movement within the fashion sector for more sustainability. It’s about inspiring individuals, companies and the wider industry to take small steps that will eventually build up to a more sustainable future,” says Driscoll.

Future focus on festival character and further expansion

Following the acquisition of Pure by ITE PLC, which also owns fashion trade shows Moda, Scoop and Jacket Required, for 300 million pounds - which was completed on 17 July, just days before the s/s 19 edition - Driscoll said she is “excited and energised” about the future. “It’s early days, but ITE is a very experienced exhibitions organiser committed to creating world leading trade shows, so it’s an exciting time to see investment in the show which will facilitate further developments. We believe we have a great platform that we can build and expand on,” she says to FashionUnited.

She adds: “In the future we will be moving increasingly towards a festival model where we are bringing opportunities to the whole industry, from fibres to the finished fashion product and the whole supply chain. We want to be the place where people can connect, network, do business, learn and celebrate the industry.”

Photo: Pure London