Pure London AW18-19 closes on a high, thanks to its ‘feel-good’ factor

London - Pure London closed its Autumn/Winter 2018-2019 edition this Tuesday on a high note, as creativity, inspirational and positivity were some of the key factors reigning throughout the event.

As the UK’s online fashion and sourcing trade, linking manufacturers, fabric suppliers, designers, brands and retailers, Pure London welcomed a surge of visitors throughout its three-day event. Key takeaways from Pure London’s AW 18/19 edition included a new focus on sustainable fashion, experimentation, personalization, collaboration, and newness.

During the first day of the event, Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief Farrar Storr, keynote speaker at Pure London, hit the nail on the head when she said that “during tough times we have to dig deep, lean into the discomfort, and that drives creativity.” She said: “To stand out now, you need to be a lot bolder, a lot quicker and a lot smarter in your approach. When things are difficult, creative’s are best equipped to deal with challenges.”

Pure London enjoys successful AW18-19 edition

Similarly, Francesa Muston, Hear of Retail and Product Analysis at trend authority WGSN urged for greater experimentation and excitement in fashion retail paired with core commerciality to help drive consumer spending in the UK. She also stressed the increasing importance of sustainability and provenance for 2018. “We have seen a gradual increase over the last 18 months, but it feels credible and considered which is right for the industry.” She added that we “need to be aware, of where the product comes from, how it is made, and what it’s made from.”

Sustainability was also a main theme in the content programme of Pure London’s newly launched manufacturing and sourcing section Pure Origin. Trend Forecaster and Fashion Designer Geraldine Wharry discussed trend forecasting for sustainability during her talk. She said: “The future of fashion forecasting is incorporating sustainability into the supply chain.”

Pure London’s eight sections drew in a wide range of buyers this season, both from traditional stores as well as e-tailers including M&S, Asos, Topshop, Choice, Fred Funk, Net-a-Porter, Fenwick, H&M, Next, Maureen Cookson, Pamela Shiffer, and The Dressing Room. Visitors at the event were greeted by a number of inspirational stand designs, with many brands re-creating a store environment to capture the imagination of visitors. During the Pure London Display Awards held on Sunday, evening brands were awarded for their visual merchandising and stand design.

“Brands make a huge effort to wow their buyers and their efforts have a massive impact on how the show looks and feels,” said Julie Driscoll, Managing Director of Pure London during the award ceremony on Sunday. “We want to take this opportunity to applaud your creativity and celebrate your amazing efforts.” Buyers were quick to share their appreciation of the effort brands make each season show at pure.

Leona Fallen from McElhinneys in Ireland said: “We come to Pure London every season to find new brands that will excite our customers.” Amy Cook from Eighty Seven in Melbourne Derbyshire added: “I’ve been coming to Pure for 5 years and we’re after newness, emerging brands and exciting product that sets our boutique apart from others. Pure is essential for our buying calendar.” Overall Pure London reported positive general feedback from exhibitors regarding business taken, with a number of orders places from stores across the UK and as well as from countries including UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Turkey, USA, and Ireland.

“Pure London is a great order writing show for us. We’ve seen a good mix of UK and international buyers and the energy in the Spirit section is high,” commented Rishi Som from trend led fashion brand Urban Bliss. Daniel Morris from The Morris Fyfe Agency with Valentino Handbags and Replay Accessories added: “We’ve had a successful show, we had a target of new accounts to open and we’ve reached that target.” In particular, Pure Origin attracted a high turn out from buyers from Burberry, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Harvey Nichols, while visitors shared praise for the educational content programme delivering key insights and driving the future agenda for fashion.

Photos: Pure London AW18/19