Storming the runway: the best of Pure London AW20/21
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Last Sunday, Storm Ciara descended on us, so it would be rude not to mention her in the title of this season’s show round up. Despite the stormy weather, which made us all want to batten down the hatches, Pure London pulled it out the bag, delivering yet another exciting Festival of Fashion. If you missed it, or just want to relive the action, I’ve broken down some of the best bits right here.
Defying the windy conditions outside, Sunday saw visitors flock to Olympia London for the AW20/21 edition. On stage, keynote Dame Zandra Rhodes shared some of her career highlights as we were treated to an exclusive interview with the fashion icon. Meanwhile the return of the iconic Pure London catwalk presentations brought us up to date with the latest collections and the seasonal trends as inspired by our trend partners Unique Style Platform. You can read more about the AW20/21 trends, Hibernate, Attune, Opulence and Nu-Tech, here.
Attended by key buyers from leading multiples, national department stores and exciting independent stores, the quality of visitors spoke for itself as Pure London continued to provide a key trading platform for the UK fashion industry. Buyer and owner of The Collaborative Store Elena Todary labelled Pure a platform for discovery saying, “there’s always a sector dedicated to discovery at Pure, which is something that’s really important to me and for my store.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be Pure London without a focus on sustainability. This season, in collaboration with Conscious Fashion Campaign, we encouraged every single one of our exhibitors to get involved asking each of our brands to align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. An overwhelming number of brands took part, with 172 of our exhibitors actively aligning themselves with at least one of the goals.
In keeping with the sustainability theme, Pure Conscious enjoyed growth yet again, ahead of its move to the front and centre of the show next season, whilst a number of sustainability experts, including Kerry Bannigan, Steve Kenzie, Tamsin Lejeune and Christopher Stopes took to the Nomad Stage. Highlighting the power the fashion industry holds, the UN’s Steve Kenzie said, “fashion is the most influential industry in changing the way people think. We need to make sustainability fashionable”.
We were also joined by Brexit expert Sietske de Groot, menswear stylist Karlmond Tang and trend forecasters Laura Aldous and Jane Kellock from Unique Style Platform and futurist Geraldine Wharry amongst many others.
Meanwhile, in Pure Origin, strong footfall was enjoyed across the three days, as the show was opened up across the National Gallery, with strategically placed content stage and speed networking area which facilitated over 500 meetings over three days between exhibitors and key buyers and sourcing professionals.
The Origin Stage, sponsored by Moxtra, also heralded the return of the Origin Catwalk, presenting the key fabric trends for SS21, three seasons ahead. Also informed by Unique Style Platform, the Origin Catwalk gave us a taste of what’s to come on the Pure London Runway next season.
And it wasn’t just the trends we were treated to up on the Origin Stage. An equally exciting speaker line-up included the ASBCI’s Alistair Knox, Lectra’s Stefania Del Chiaro, London College of Fashion’s Nina Van Volkinburg and Trend Academy founder Marie Oakes all take to the stage, along with a wealth of industry experts.
A dedicated pavilion for Uzbekistan formed a central point in the newly expanded Pure Origin space, as over 150 international exhibitors joined the line-up providing every element of fashion supply and manufacture. With a relocation and new sectors on the cards for Pure Origin next season, February’s edition provided just a taste of what’s to come for our sourcing arm.
As we head out of AW20/21 and swiftly into SS21, make sure you’re staying up to date right here on the Pure London blog. Don’t forget, we’ll be returning to Olympia London from 19th – 21st July 2020 for the SS21 edition of the Festival of Fashion.
This post was created by Pure London editor Emma Wilder
About Pure London and Pure Origin
We are the UK’s number one leading fashion trade event that brings together the entire fashion supply chain, right the way from fibre through to finished ready to wear garments.
No other UK show offers sourcing and brands together, making Pure London and Pure Origin the only event to cater to all your fashion buying needs under one central London roof.
Location & Opening times:
Olympia London,
Hammersmith Road,
Kensington,
London W14 8UX
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Sunday 19 July 2020 09:30 - 18:00
Monday 20 July 2020 09:30 - 18:00
Tuesday 21 July 2020 09:30 - 16:00