With just three months until the AW18 edition, Pure London has announced that the show will offer their largest womenswear portfolio to date, with strong growth in first-time exhibitors and a high level of returning brands.
Julie Driscoll, Managing Director for Pure London at Ascential commented; “We are thrilled by the continued growth of our womenswear portfolio. Being able to present such a varied and exciting offer including International and British brands, newness, individuality and exclusivity of product to buyers and retailers remains the ethos of Pure London. We bring passion, ideas, curiosity, networking and education together with an edit of the best brands to empower visitors to bring fashion to life.”
After consultation with both exhibitors and visitors, the womenswear offering will be streamlined to offer two distinct areas, Womenswear and Premium Womenswear, allowing an easier navigation of the show and an opportunity to see a wider and more varied collection of products.
Premium Womenswear, created to offer designer brands, new talent and inspiring collections, has seen 40% growth with continued diversity from international brands from Turkey, Greece, India, Italy, Romania, The Netherlands, France and the USA. Exciting new brands to look out for include Ying Cai. Born in Canton, China, Ying Cai is an American designer living and working in New York, her luxury brand has been inspired by her early career as a ballerina as well as her Eastern background. Well-established in Spain, Coosy brings its sophisticated yet flirty collection to the UK in February, as does Karma Koma – a collection of feminine, sensual and bohemian clothes originating from Corsica. Jane Lushka from the Netherlands, Indian brand Vidhl Wadhwani, and premium emerging Romanian brand THAÏS & STRÖE will also join Pure for the first time.
A selection of returning brands include Bitte Kai Rand, Choiboko, Isabel de Pedro, Vilagallo and Rains.
Within Womenswear, visitors can expect to see the growing interest in French brands reflected with a host of new and returning brands including Chantal B, Lovie & Co, Rene Derhy, Mat de Misaine, Miss June and Somewhere Paris. A strong Danish presence sees the return of Soyaconcept, Godske, Masai, and DK Company bringing ICHI, Part Two, Kaffe, B.young, Soaked in Luxury, Fransa and new this season, Cream – all offering popular, timeless, contemporary collections. Other new brands worth discovering are Pinelopi from Greece, Y-Y Lin from Taiwan, German brand Armedangels, Alquema from Australia, A Line from The Netherlands, and a collection of brands on the new Peru Association stands. Popular returning brands include EAST, Joe Browns, BLANK, Thought, Emily and Fin, Noa Noa and King Louie.
Eveningwear, which is now located at the front of the show next to Premium Womenswear, will showcase designers including Linea Raffaelli, Gabriela Sanchez and new to the February show Adriana Papell.
Athleisure remains a key focus for retailers and this section continues to deliver exciting brands including Brazilian fitness label Live!, British brands Xavi Active and Jilla Active, and new brands Inphorm and Kandumathi Swimwear.