Pure attracts record numbers

From 2-4th August 2009, fashion fair Pure London attracted a record number of visitors in comparison to the previous year. It was the highest number for the summer show to this date with a rise of 9%. The opening day saw attendance up by 11%, followed by 4.6% on Monday and 27% on Tuesday.

The number of buyers who returned to spend more than one day at Pure London increased with 21%. With over 900 brands exhibiting, over 12,000 sqm, including the largest Accessories and Footwear area in the UK; buyers were able to see established brands as well as view over 270 new collections.

Attendance from UK buyers went up by 9% with all the key UK Stores attending, including Fenwick, Harvey Nichols, Harrods, ASOS, Selfridges, House of Fraser, John Lewis, Debenhams and McElhinneys from Ireland, as well as independent retailers such as Flow, Psyche, Stone, Richmond Classics and Stuff. International attendance increased by 3.5% with attendance from Ireland, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Greece as well as the Saudi Arabia and Japan.

The Spirit section featured various new brands. London based label Arrogant Cat returned to Pure London after missing a few seasons. Ethical exhibitors were back with over 50 ethical brands edited into the show by price point and style including People Tree, Jackpot Organic, Miksani, Komodo, Wellicious and Monkee Genes. Ethical seminars and walks were hosted on Sunday and Monday educating visitors and communicating the stories behind ethical brands.

Steve Newbold, Managing Director of Pure London commented: “The attendance was significantly up year on year and the visitor profile was of a very high quality. Feedback from exhibitors was incredibly positive with many having their best ever show. This bodes well for the industry and proves that good businesses can flourish in a difficult economic environment. Pure London has cemented its position as Europe's leading fashion trade event for directional womenswear, boutique fashion, accessories, footwear and young fashion for men and women..”

The dates for next season’s Pure London are 14-16th February 2010 at Olympia in London.

Image: Pure London