BUYERS GET DOWN TO BUSINESS AT PURE LONDON

7th - 9th August 2011

The 'who’s who of fashion buying' attended Pure London this weekend and the show closed its doors on Tuesday with a record number of exhibitors already committed to the show next February.

On track for another increase in total visitor numbers the riots in London affected the last day’s attendance resulting in the overall unique visitor numbers being down by 3%. Not deterred key buyers were committed, writing orders and spending up to 3 days at the show. 13% more visitors’ year on year returned for a second day of buying.

'Pure London is amazing, it is very well organised and there is so much to choose from. We need more than 3 days to get around! It is my first time at the show and we will definitely be coming back.' commented Loubna El MKaour owner of Primrose boutique in Morocco.

Visitors included Fenwick, Harrods, Selfridges, House of Fraser, John Lewis, Debenhams, Urban Outfitters and Hoopers; as well as key independent retailers such as American Pie, Choice, Sarah Coggles, Sunday Best and Village Bicycle. Online stores included Amazon, ASOS, Figleaves, My Wardrobe, Net A Porter, Play and Very.

International attendance was up by 3 % with visitors from Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Scandinavia and the US with buyers visiting from over 70 counties and from as far afield as Australia, Brazil, Japan, Hong Kong and UAE.

Mark Ashton, Managing Director of Little Mistress commented 'The show has been fantastic for us we’ve seen lots of new customers and we’ve opened 90 new accounts across 6 countries – UK, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Canada and Germany. Our clothes are going to be stocked in 500 shops in Canada which is amazing! Bank, Littlewoods and USC are all stocking our products across 36 stores so we’ve done incredibly well! Footfall has been quality not quantity but we still ran out of order pads and had to get more staff in!! We will definitely be rebooking.'

Celebrating its 30th season, Olympia saw the biggest selection of womenswear, footwear, accessories and premium brands while Earls Court 2 was home to the energising young fashion section, Spirit. This season over 1100 brands exhibited across both venues. Womenswear brands included Olivia Rubin, YaYa, Almost Famous, Sandwich, Ian Stuart, Selected Femme, Darling, Charming, Fenn Wright Manson and Anoushka G alongside top young fashion brands Quiksilver, Day 22, Desigual, Yumi, Molly Bracken, Only, Vila, Dahlia, Lavand and Mina. Footwear and Accessory brands included Cleo B, Love from Australia, Fly London, French Sole, Sam Uhbi, Matt & Nat, Zandra Rhodes, Patrick Cox and Adele Marie.

Stitch co-located with Pure London for the second season, with brands such as Pretty Green, Original Penguin and Duck and Cover.

Mindy Dully, Sales Agent for footwear brand Redfoot commented ‘The show has been really busy! We have been very successful and found lots of new customers. It has been nonstop all day and we have seen a broad mix of buyers from a range of countries.’

Pure Premium upped the fashion ante for Spring/Summer 2012 with a host of established design heavyweights. Returning to Olympia’s Pillar Hall, collections from Wondaland, Katyakatya Shehurina, BLAK, Jofama, Totem, TBA, Baby Ceylon and D.Efect sat alongside premium accessory brands The Branch, Sam Ubhi, Ally Capellino and House of Harlow.

‘We have been really busy! The show is improving each season, it is the place to write orders, you see every key buyer at the show! We have seen everyone from My Wardrobe, Richmond Classics, Hoopers....the who’s who of fashion buyers!’ Commented Bridget Boakye, Director of Maverick Agency.

'We have been introduced to lots of new brands; the show is very on trend and fashion forward. I loved the premium section especially the brand Wondaland. The show is so big I think I will have to come back tomorrow.' Lawandad Wallace, Owner of Lu's Bazaar in New York

This season saw an impressive line up of industry experts with 43 speakers including leading fashion gurus from the world of TV, online, high street and independent retailing. Guest speakers including Caryn Franklin, Eric Musgrave, Zandra Rhodes, Thea Green of Nails Inc and Selfridges Window and Concept manager Sarah McCullough; all offered top advice across 86 sessions. WGSN presented daily inspirational womenswear trends for Spring/Summer 2012 while Drapers provided essential buying advice for maximising profit.

‘The show is great for picking up ideas. I love the whole experience of the show; there is so much to choose from. I love the catwalks and seminars they create a great atmosphere and our very insightful. I can’t wait for February!’ commented Janice Mallalied, owner of Stage One Boutique in Ashton Under Lyne.

Hilary Cookson owner of Maureen Cookson in Lancashire commented ‘I would never miss Pure London; I come looking for interesting new collections and have found exactly what I am looking for. I am delighted that Spirit Young Fashion will be moving back to Olympia, with everything under one roof next season. Even though Spirit brands are not core to what I buy the whole section adds to the overall buying experience.’

Steve Newbold, Managing Director, Pure commented “It is a real credit to the exhibitors and visitors who come to Pure London that the show was positive and buoyant right up to the last day despite the problems in London this weekend with minimal effect on visitor numbers. There has been great enthusiasm and commitment for our plans for next season with Pure Spirit Young Fashion returning to Olympia. The development of a new double-decker hall and other improvements at Olympia will enable Pure to provide the additional space and facilities that exhibitors and visitors want under one roof. Pure London will continue to work with Stitch as a co-located event.”

Pure London will take place from 12 – 14th February 2012 in Olympia.

Pure London’s new show, Pure Close to Season, will take place from October 23 – 24th 2011. Held in Olympia the show will give buyers an opportunity to top up their current forward order collections, buy short-order for autumn 11 and source new on-trend product for Spring/Summer 2012.