The Crown Jewels as King is Just Around the Corner

Brick Lane was a flurry of activity as Juls Dawson’s event, Just Around the Corner opened its doors for it’s London edition of AW23 as it coincided with a visit to a Mosque on an adjoining site on Brick Lane, from King Charles.

Attendance numbers broke previous records set by the event hitting nearly 750 buyers by the close at 6pm.

Visitors included a range of keys spanning, New Look, Morleys, Slaters, Fenwick, Hoopers, Debenhams, Urban Outfitters and ASOS.

It was my first visit to a trade show since covid and it was great to see a buzz again at the show. People wanting to see new brands and product even though it has been a tough couple of years. I think I have over looked the practicability of virtual appointments compared to actually looking at the product you forget how important that is even if like us being an online retailer

A plethora of indies from afar afield as Orkneys included The Dulwich Trader (Dulwich), Fox and Feather (Bristol), Choice (Multiple), De Gruchy (Jersey), Denny of Southwold, Doodie Stark (Horsham), Kit Lifestyle (Broadstairs), Burrows and Hare (Oxford), D Solos (Crystal Palace), Mainline Menswear (online), Energy (Stamford), G23/Porters (Harrogate), Fifty 5a (Totnes), Museum of London and Jarrolds (Norwich).

The event now spanned the entire 1st floor of the Truman Brewery, tripling its footprint on the previous edition as exhibitor numbers increased to X140 and each stand was provided with 50% more floorspace giving the show are really airy and considered feel.

Praise was made for the logical layout of several zones through interconnecting rooms around the perimeter of the building, encircling a central room where the lounge and complimentary food/coffees were provided.

Today started off well with a flurry of customers on the Guess stand immediately when the doors opened. It’s been great to see familiar faces, as well as several retailers who are new to JATC. We’ve found the partnership between JATC and the Danish Embassy has proven to be a fantastic opportunity to promote Nu Denmark for us with orders being written throughout the day. This is also the first time we have presented Karl Lagerfeld Jeans at a show, and we’ve been happy to see buyers responding well to the launch of this diffusion line from the brand.

Juls Dawson, founder of the event explained “Our new Lifestyle and Beauty zone debuted at the show with brands showcasing jewellery, skincare, mens grooming, gifting, home fragrance, and was an area which created a lot of attention and one which we definitely see growth on in upcoming seasons as we have had the specialist buyers here today for these categories, but of course there is so much relevance to our existing fashion buyers’ remits as retail environments now cross over from fashion into these categories and vice versa.

Several of our brands also had the support of the Danish Embassy, Spanish Footwear Federation and French Consulate and were grouped together in the respective “pavilions” and really created a focus for brands from our European neighbours.

Dropped into JATC at the Truman Brewery today while buying around the area and so glad we did. Lots of great brands on both womenswear and menswear, some good accessories and a lively vibe around the place. Add tasty food, coffee and cocktails free of charge and you can only leave feeling well and truly satisfied!

We also launched our Together zone, which housed brands that were genderless or dual gender, reflecting the change in consumer buying patterns.

Pre registration is looking good for our last day today and we are confident of a strong turnout once again”