Pure London - the trade fair for 'highstreet' labels

Pure London day two opened up to a steady flow of visitors, buyers and exhibitors on Monday morning, who were keen to see the latest collections and place orders - with the right brands. Lin Ritson, sales manager for British label Bench revealed that they were focusing on working with and attracting full-priced buyers this season, rather than discount retailers.

“We really want to attract the right buyers to stock our brand, ones that will enhance our presence, rather than potentially harm it. That's why we have worked on the designs as well as the prices for our A/W '15 collections.” The sales team at Pure is really focusing on highlighting the quality as well as the updated design of the collection, which contains modern A line coats, streamlined parkas and soft knitted dresses. “Pure has been good so far, but it felt as if the Sunday was busier than the Monday, which is odd as it’s usually the other way round. I did notice that there was a big influx of independent retailers coming on the Sunday, which could have been why.”

Pure sees "big influx" of independent retailers

Does she think Bench would be interested in showcasing their menswear next season alongside their womenswear? “I did not know they were launching menswear next season, that’s new. I heard they tried to do it a few seasons ago but something fell through. But if they did, then yes I could potentially see Bench presenting their menswear collection alongside the womenswear one day, it would make sense for us, maybe less for the labels who only offer women's wear.”

On the second floor of the exhibition hall, FashionUnited met Aaron Jones, founder and CEO of Eco-fashion label Fikay, who was visiting Pure as a visitor and potential buyer this season, although he has attended Pure in the past as an exhibitor. In the past he made a point of exhibiting at Pure, but he has decided to pull out of the trade circuit in the UK now the brand is focusing on expansion in other markets, such as the US, and has a strong distribution network in place.

“Honestly, the first few times we showed at Pure, we found it hard to find the right type of buyers we wanted. Now we find it easier to directly contact our established buyers, take them out to dinner and show them the collections before they place their orders, so much simpler than showing at a trade fair here in the UK. Showing at a trade fair can also be quite costly, especially for new or emerging brands, and you are not guaranteed to get the exact buyers you want or need.”

“But I still think that Pure is one of the better trade fairs here in the UK, although they are still not quite as grand as some of the fairs in the US, especially the ones in New York.” He especially came to Pure this season to see the launch event for People Tree and Dame Zandra Rhodes collaborative A/W ’15 collection “Dancing stars and Fast Cars,” to get a sneaked peek at the collection. “When we were first starting out, I remember People Tree was one of the brands we really looked up to.”

Bigger demand for brands that focus on sustainability

Seated next to Safia Minney, CEO and founder of People Tree, Dame Rhodes and Minney discussed the new collection as well as the importance of sustainability in the fashion industry. "It really has become a world wide trend,” said Dame Rhodes. “I was so impressed when we where in Japan and went to a People Tree store and was blown away to see that people there wanted to know the story behind the garments and know it had been ethically produced. That's the thing that was so impressive to me, that a somewhat smaller country like Japan has such a strong interest, it’s really great to see.” Dame Rhodes will also take to the stage Monday evening to present her lifetime retrospective.

Another label with a strong story behind its brand attending Pure this season was Vanessa Gounden. Marie Cacace, sales and marketing manager for the premium label explained how they previously signed a contract to attend Pure for three seasons, but after showing at the trade event, they do not plan on extending their deal. “Vanessa, the founder and creative director does not cut corners on the quality or design of her products, which results in a very personal and authentic label. We feel that Pure is better suited for highstreet labels, rather than upscale or premium brands. Once we open our flagship store on Conduit street in London next month, we aim to use that space as a platform for the brand. Although we like Pure, we would rather focus on developing our own platform for Vanessa Gounden.”

Pure is "better suited for highstreet labels"

Victoria Scott, sales manager for Little White Lies, previously attended Pure whilst working for other labels, but says she quite enjoys attending Pure as a representative for a newer brand. “Asos is the main customer for our core line, but this season we launched our more premium label, Gold Line, which incorporates a lot of silks, wools as well as embellishments. So far, we have had such a positive reaction to the premium label, especially as a lot of people are mixing and matching highstreet labels with more premium, designer names. We felt that there was a lot of interest in our main line, which is stocked by Urban Outfitters in the US as well as Asos a number of boutiques. But now we want to grow in the market with our Gold Line and take it to the next level.”

“We worked hard to make sure there is a clear difference between the lines, but made sure that customers from the main line will not feel completely alienated as well. So far we have had interest from Net-a-Porter, Harrods, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, which is great, as well as interest from a buyer from Factory 64, from Israel. So it has been great to see that we have been able to attract more quality buyers as well as boutique buyers as well, which offer a lot of room for our main line to grow in. It is always busy at Pure, it is established with buyers who keep coming back to us, which is great for us as a highstreet brand.”