Bubble hails fresh industry optimism

The autumn/winter edition of Bubble London launched on Sunday 26 January to a renewed optimism

The autumn/winter edition of Bubble London launched on Sunday 26 January to a renewed optimism across the childrenswear industry, with both buyers and brands showing signs of a growing confidence for the season ahead.

Presenting innovative new designs and the freshest looks in children's clothing, interior and gift product, Bubble once again attracted buyers from right across the industry, from top department stores including Fenwick, Harrods, Liberty and Selfridges, to independent retailers from across the UK and Ireland as well as a host of international businesses.

A key indicator of the growing confidence across Bubble was this season's Rising Star competition. With more than 30% of this season's line-up brand new to the show and almost half of those completely new to the children's market, the competition was fiercely contested.

Of the twelve finalists, British based brand, Raspberry Plum, was crowned the winner and Aleksandra Stasis the brand's designer and founder, summed up the spirit of the competition commenting: "This was the boost I needed to expand my collection. Bubble has been such a confidence builder both in winning the award and meeting buyers but it has also given us a great platform to interact with the whole of the industry, meeting stylists and journalists as well."

The brand's collection of vintage inspired silhouettes, colour ways and fabrics for girls won the judges over, with panel member and Bubble campaign photographer Sonya Hurtado commenting: "Each of the collections were so personal to the designers but Aleksandra's passion and vision for her brand really made her stand out."

She added: "It was great to see that people had taken the plunge into new business ventures at a time when things are still tough and to have produced such high-quality, well thought-out products is a credit to all the new brands at the show."

In addition to the Rising Star competition, the best of the autumn/winter collections were showcased during two fashion parades as Bubble took to the runway to add a new dimension to this season's visitor experience, providing an essential overview of some of the key trends emerging across the show, from pastel colour palettes to retro American styling.

Nikki Jones, owner of Welsh store Liquorice Laces said: "I don’t feel like I'm working when I come to Bubble, all the leg work of sourcing that perfect selection of brands from right across the globe has already been done and the fashion show this season just underlined this for me. It made it so easy to see what was available and it was wonderful new element for the show."

A strong brand line-up and diverse product offer also attracted buyers from Europe and beyond with several brands debuting their collections at the show enjoying international attention. New larger fit brand More 4 Kids and Rising Star finalist LabelLamb, both received particular interest from buyers as far as Kuwait and Russia respectively.

Sariati Ahmad, business manager for Tender Gaia said: "I've come over from Singapore to see the show and it has been excellent for new business and the seminars have been so useful too."

Lindsay Hoyes event director said: "We are delighted with the outcome of this season's show, and have had fantastic feedback from exhibitors and visitors alike. The mood across the entire show seemed buoyant and we are very much looking forward to building on this for next season."

The spring/summer instalment of Bubble London will take place between the 13 and 14 July 2014. Please visit bubblelondon.com for forthcoming details.