Show review: The word from the first combined Pure London x JATC
The first combined Pure London x JATC show at Olympia London, running from 11-13 February, has been deemed a success by the organisers, and many of the exhibitors have echoed the positive sentiment.
Gloria Sandrucci, Event Director for Pure London, said: “The response to bringing the two shows together under one roof at Olympia has been fantastic, and the mood has been overwhelmingly positive. Exhibitors have been reporting great business and the many buyers that have attended have been thrilled with the variety of new and established brands showing.
“Our new showroom format for Pure London in the Grand Hall has also made it more accessible to those brands that want to have a more simplistic approach to exhibiting.”
Juls Dawson, Creative Director of JATC, added: “JATC has worked brilliantly on the gallery (upper level) showcasing all accessories, footwear, jewellery and new destinations menswear and beauty & lifestyle.
“Genuinely foot flow has been strong throughout the show. We have retained the paired back aesthetic that JATC is known for and that puts all brands on a level playing field. Exhibitors and buyers have responded to this really positively.”
Here’s what some Pure London exhibitors had to say from the aisles on day two (12 February):
Nadia Seghrouchni, King Louie
Nadia Seghrouchni, International Sales Manager Wholesale, King Louie
So far, the show has been really good for us, not just for the UK but for Ireland too. We’ve seen the buyers we invited and also some new potential customers.
We used to take space at Pure several years ago, but this is our first time back in about 10 years. We are re-entering the UK market with our new UK fashion agency, Cultivate, who now have it for their second season. We came here to support them and create more awareness, as we really believe in the UK market. We had a steady business here previously, but it went down after Brexit, so we need to rebuild it.
In terms of the feeling amongst retailers, we sense that the AW23 season was perhaps a little bit more difficult than previous seasons, but I must say the mood seems really positive now. And they are seeking new brands, as well as keeping the brands they have that are performing well.
We have quite a big collection for AW24 and what is really strong is our trousers, knitted tops and blouses. We also have a lot of coats and a wide range of accessories. There’s not really a brand in the market that you can compare to our brand, so we stand out as people think we are unique and a bit special.
We are a vintage-inspired brand, and our AW24 collection is mainly inspired by the 60s, but King Louie, which is from the Netherlands, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, so for that we have some special 80s style knitted tops.
Cara Melzack, Cara & The Sky
Cara Melzack, Founder, Cara & The Sky
The show has been really good for me. I’ve been going for five years and, with now being slightly more established, it felt like the right time for me to do Pure. People recognise the brand name now and are a bit more inclined to buy. I have previously done Just Around the Corner (JATC), but this has been better as with the two shows combined it means buyers can come over the same days – it’s made it easier for the buyers.
I am also really pleased with my position at the show – it’s quite prominent. Buyers have been walking past, but have seen something they like and have been placing orders.
I have also had a lot of independent boutiques that have bought from me before that have come back and bought again at the show, but I’d say the majority, about 70%, have been new accounts, which has been amazing.
I’m known for colourful British-made knitwear and people come to me for unique designs that they aren’t seeing anywhere else, at a really great price point – everything retails between £69 - £89. It’s a really good level mid-market price, but you get a lot of detail with it. Buyers have particularly liked my maxi cardigan in a acrylic/nylon super soft yarn with cable detail. They are also bought in to my ‘Marissa’ bubble stitch jumper. It has a lot of texture and volume and it has my signature balloon sleeves. The colours are also fun.
Joe Harrison, Brakeburn
Joe Harrison, Sales Manager, Brakeburn
We’ve not done Pure for a few seasons, in fact it was pre-Covid, so we don’t have a direct season to compare it to from last year. The show has been fits and start for us, with it being relatively steady for a few hours on day one but then dipping off somewhat when the catwalk show started at 3pm. However, we’ve seen a mixture of existing accounts and a few new ones, but not many of the bigger multiples as yet.
Our knitwear has been really strong for us and that’s brought quite a few buyers on. They have especially liked our Fair Isles knitwear. We are also strong on dresses and blouses and we’re known for our unique prints. We design all our prints in-house, so nothing is ‘off the shelf’ like a lot of other brands. We’re also offering slightly smarter products, moving away from jersey and more into wovens.
I think generally it’s been an okay autumn/winter season for retailers, though some have had a tough winter – especially on outerwear, probably due to the mild weather. It didn’t really get cold until everyone was on Sale in January.
We definitely feel that the market needs a good fashion show in London, and we really want this show to work for us. We have written a few orders, and we’ll see how it pans out in the remaining time.
Here’s what some JATC exhibitors had to say at the show:
Morgana Puhl-Boyer, Merry People
Morgana Puhl-Boyer, Customer Experience Manager, Merry People
The show has been amazing so far. We’re an Australian brand, so it’s been great to have a lot of interest internationally. It’s our first time showing at Just Around the Corner, but we also did Spring Fair last week, and last year we did Autumn Fair and Top Drawer.
Our product is a 100% waterproof natural rubber, neoprene lined, boot. It’s our take on the humble Wellington boot, with a fashion meets function appeal and some fun colours. Merry People’s Founder, Danielle Pearce, who grew up in the countryside of Victoria in Australia, originally came up with the concept 10 years ago after growing frustrated at the lack of a fashionable waterproof boot in the market.
We launched in the UK three years ago and we’ve been selling very well through about 40 boutiques, including The Voewood in London, though most of our business in online through our own channels.
Our most popular style is the ‘Bobbi’ boot, which is a short Chelsea boot style which comes in a variety of colours and retails at £85. We also introduced a new silhouette last year called the ‘Tully’ boot, which has a thicker sole for even more of a fashion appeal. We like to be a seasonal brand, so we also do the ‘Billie’ clog - made from the same materials.
We have a lot of retailers happy to place orders with us immediately, but we need to make sure we can fulfil them all as, along with many other brands, we have been experiencing some shipping line issues and we are currently waiting for stock to arrive here.
Lesley Johnston, Outerknown
Lesley Johnston, UK Sales Manager, Outerknown
Outerknown was founded by Kelly Slater, the American world champion surfer, in 2015. He was passionate about the planet and the ocean, so he launched his own brand based on a sustainable model. It was originally just menswear, but womenswear was added in 2018. It’s currently a 60/40 split between men’s and women’s.
The show has been really good for us. I’ve only been with the brand for two years, and the brand has only been in the UK for that time, so I use this show as more of a PR exercise so that people get to see the brand and we can talk about the products. I’ve seen existing customers as well as new independent customers who are looking to place SS24 orders as well as AW24 orders. We have both here, so that’s good in terms of in-season business as well. As it is a sustainable brand, we work on keeping those core essentials and staple pieces in the collection, rather than keeping on trying to inject lots of newness.
For menswear, our blanket shirt is our signature piece in 100% organic cotton, which has been getting a lot of attention from buyers, as have our moleskin shirts. On womenswear our jumpsuit is our signature style, which comes in short-sleeved and long-sleeved versions in an array of colours.
At the moment, we supply John Lewis and some coastal surf shops, but we are a premium lifestyle brand and we want to be in the likes of Liberty, Harvey Nichols and Harrods. The blanket shirt retails at £150, so we are slightly more elevated than other lifestyle brands.
I think the buyers have liked the layout of the show and everyone has been in great spirits. I’ve been coming to Just Around the Corner for a long time and I would come back again.
James Mountfield, Designworks Collective
James Mountfield, Sales Director, UK & Ireland, Designworks Collective, showing Paddywax and Designworks Ink
Paddywax is our candle and home fragrance brand and Designworks Ink is stationery and lifestyle products. It’s our first time showing these brands at Just Around the Corner. We came into doing the show with a wish list of a few of fashion retailers that we were looking to meet, and we’ve seen a good crop of those retailers.
The show has had a real buzz and we’ve been super busy for the last two days – seeing lots of different retailers, from fashion and lifestyle stores through to gift shops.
For Paddywax, we launched a new range called ‘Adopo’ featuring seven candles, which have hand drawn illustrations on the ceramic vessels inspired by colours and patterns of the Mediterranean. We completely sold out of our first allocation of stock, so now we’ve re-ordered. Gifting is a really important sector for our fashion retailers, pick-up items that complement their fashion collections and core business.
The chunky twin wire colour block notepads from Designworks Ink have also been very well received. We originally did them as a design collaboration for one of our big high street partners, and then we launched them into our own collection.
Buyers seem to be really upbeat. There’s a lot more clarity at the moment around interest rates and Christmas trading was very positive for our customers, so I think people have come out of the gate from January and February looking for newness. We are optimistic for the year ahead.”
