Pure London to launch “all-new look” for February 2016

Trade show Pure London has announced that a “progressive programme” is underway to bring a fresh new look to the show for February 2016, including enhanced premium sections, which will sit alongside a new menswear offering, as well as a refreshed layout.

The three-season plan will see the introduction of Pure Premium across all of its categories, to bringing a higher-end offering to fashion, accessories, and footwear, which will be “careful edited” with contemporary brand adjacencies and price points.

Premium womenswear, accessories and footwear will be curated into one high-end section that will be located at the front of the Grand Hall at London’s Olympia location, while the new menswear section will be housed at the front of the Grand Hall, adjacent to the contemporary and premium sections.

The introduction of a dedicated menswear section comes as 75 percent of menswear buyers interviewed by the trade show stated they would attend in addition to 49 percent of the show’s existing audience who are already interested in sourcing menswear. In addition, the trade show’s research also revealed that 61 percent of retail buyers prefer to attend an event showing both men’s and womenswear, as opposed to a standalone menswear event.

From February, there will also be a new layout with the catwalk area being moved to take centre stage within the Grand Hall, while wider aides will run directly from the catwalk to the back of the Hall between Allure and Aspire womenswear sections to aid navigation around the trade show.

Pure London to introduce premium sections for February 2016 edition

Julie Driscoll, portfolio director for Pure London at i2i Events Group, said: “We have based this programme on insight from our Pure Ambassadors, comprising of both retailers and brands, along with qualitative and quantitative research undertaken to menswear retailers and brands.

“Working in collaboration with our customers to develop their future buying needs is at the heart of our strategy. We are a department store for the trade and are always looking for ways to refresh our offering and store interior each season in order to refuel the excitement of our buyers. As part of these initiatives I will be unveiling further developments as we near closer the A/W edition of Pure.”

Commenting on the new layout, Adriana Green, owner of Scarecrow Boutique and a Pure visitor, said: “The new look floorplan and layout for Pure London will add ease of flow and add freshness to the new sectors for Pure Premium and Menswear. It will be much easier and less time consuming to navigate for all buyers.”

Premium footwear expert and retailer Gerard Levy, who has curated the new Premium Footwear section for the August show, added: “The re-edit is something I have been discussing with Pure London for some time, so for it to finally happen is very exciting.

“By moving Premium Footwear alongside premium womenswear shows that Pure London is not only listening to the exhibitors, but also moving with the times. Nowadays retailers need to diversify; focusing on just one product is not enough. It's about the brand, it's about lifestyle.”

The news was announced ahead of the upcoming spring/summer 2016 edition taking place next month from August 2-4 at Olympia London, where the trade show will house more than 700 brands across womenswear, footwear and accessories, including 300 first time exhibitors.

Image: Pure London catwalk