Overall impression of atmosphere and spirit
Pure was busy in the established show sectors like womenswear, but quiet to very quiet in new additions such as kidswear, ethical fashion and menswear.
This buying season will be remembered for
A bigger focus on content is evident across trade shows; they are less and less just about being a buying platform, but more about exchanging ideas, education, inspiration and adding value to help navigate a difficult retail climate.
Important new trend this season
Animal prints, long puffa coats, statement knits on the fashion side; in terms of topics, sustainability and the future direction of the industry towards a more responsible, circular economy are discussion trends and focuses.
Most interesting new names
Not seen any at Pure, but generally it’s the smaller niche labels with their very own signature and a savvy social media (influencer) strategy that seem to be able to quickly become the ‘next big thing’.
The overall buying trends
In the UK, retailers seemed to be relatively confident this season and ready to defy the uncerainty over Brexit; comments were generally that order budgets were healthy and order volumes good; some commented that some retailers are more price conscious, but overall it seems business as usual.
What everybody was talking about
At Pure it was brands such as Thought, Rino + Pelle, Nymph, Kaffee – biggish brands that were busiest. Maybe it’s a sign of the times that some retailers trust the big names more to be in a strong position to navigate through the next few months?
Missing this buying season
Generally the trade fair landscape is changing which means that more brands are dealing with retailers directly instead of buying a stand at a fair. I can’t think of brand names that were missing this season, but thinking back over the years, I realise that Pure used to have stands and stands of big Scandinavian, German, French brands etc. and there were definitely much fewer of those there and the stands generally much smaller and more small labels.
Any additional tips?
Brands with their own signature or USP (e.g. great jeans brand / great knitwear brand / super cool trainers / great tailoring) seem to be doing better commercially in stores than those who purely follow trends and churn out the same as the high street. So I would say to retailers to have the courage to see those out and to jazz up their offers with individual labels.
