That’s a wrap: Moda at Spring Fair concludes upbeat AW22 edition

British footwear and fashion trade show Moda wrapped up an upbeat AW22 edition on Wednesday as fashion brands, retailers and buyers enjoyed the return of the in-person event.

The show, which took place alongside Spring Fair from February 6 to 9 at NEC Birmingham, welcomed a host of new and returning faces, including Pamela Shiffer, Gormley Shoes, Lovely Looks, J Shoes, Goody2Shoes, Houstons Footwear, Charles Ager Ltd, Greenes Shoes, Donaghy's, Anthony Ryan, and Charles Ashley.

Mike Wilde, the UK sales agent for Spanish brands XTI and Carmela, said he saw a strong number of new customers and follow-up appointments during the show.

He said: “The quality of the buyer we have seen has been excellent, they are at a much higher level wanting to buy at more premium price points across our XTL, Carmela and Refresh brands.

“Boutiques are putting more footwear into their stores, and having been starved for two years they are looking for new product and are delighted to be able to meet in person and see the collections.”

Danish brand Henriette Steffensen Copenhagen, which was attending for the first time this season to network and for brand awareness, said: “We simply wanted to use the show to network and be visible in the fashion community, not really with a focus on orders, but on the first day had four great orders with brand new shops.”

Meanwhile, returning brand Jayley said it had a record-breaking first day at Moda after showing its collections on the Moda catwalk, while Perfection Clothing said it had its best day in 10 years at Moda, adding that it plans to come back “bigger and better” next year.

‘Busiest trade show in years’

The Moda Jewellery and Watch Edit was similarly busy. Lindsey Straughton, head of communication and industry liaison at the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ), said: “It’s been a very busy day on the NAJ stand, we’ve signed up new members, people have been very interested in the educational courses, the NAJ summit and our awards. The new move, new halls, leads to new fashion opportunities.”

Meanwhile, first-time exhibitor Sobo & Co said: “It’s the busiest trade show I have attended in years, lots of new accounts, amazed for my first year at the show. I will definitely be back next year.”

It's perhaps not so surprising the event had such a high level of energy when looking back at the past few years. Like other international trade fairs, Moda and Spring Fair were forced to cancel their physical editions due to the pandemic, and instead focus on a newly launched digital platform.

Julie Driscoll, divisional managing director of Spring Fair and Moda, described a “truly extraordinary four days”.

“Despite the two-year break, the team haven’t stood still,” she said. “We have invested in our people and in new products such as Curated Meetings to ensure we not only have our finger on the pulse of what our customers and the retail industry needs, but also to continually think ahead to the future to create new ways of doing business.”

Driscoll continued: “We look forward to putting on another retail spectacle at Autumn Fair and look forward to welcoming you all back.”