The only international fashion sourcing platform of its kind in the UK, Source Fashion launches this Sunday at Olympia London with an international showcase of Sedex audited designers, producers, and manufacturers from over 20 countries, and hours of thought-provoking and informative free content from industry leading names including Alice Temperley, Sofia Minney, F&F Clothing, and Boohoo as they discuss the latest trends and topics in sustainable fashion.
Suzanne Ellingham, Director of Sourcing at Source Fashion says, “There is an urgent need for retailers to adopt a diversified, transparent, and ethical supply chain, so we have launched Source Fashion to become the gateway to UK retail and to set the new standard for how inspiration, collaboration and awareness will shape the future of responsible product sourcing. All exhibitors at Source Fashion are required to have had a recent audit from Sedex or a recognisable audit institution. I am looking forward to the doors opening to our inaugural show.”
The show has also announced it will feature a dedicated Source Catwalk showcasing cutting-edge new materials, textiles, forward trends, innovative designs by fashion designer Eirinn Hayhow, plus the work of Fashion students from a Redesigning Fashion collaboration with the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCol) and Winchester School of Arts.
Designs from Eirinn Hayhow’s latest collection Plantasia will be presented twice a day. A pioneer in sustainable fashion, Eirinn continues to push the boundaries of innovative material production, using natural resources and specific healing properties to heal the wearer from anxiety, depression and other nervous disorders. She was the first designer to create couture pieces from her grown vegan leather made from waste coffee granules.
Combining notions of science, philosophy and spirituality as she reconnects people to the earth, Eirinn creates magical gender fluid garments, using wellbeing magic, wild foraging and bio design to create unique garments. With each collection she builds a new world, one that evokes all senses to show the viewer the power of our natural world. Eirinn creates her own dyes and plant inks from foraging herbs, plants and berries and using fruit and vegetable waste and grows her own bio leather and bio plastics using herbs, fruit, vegetables waste coffee granules and crystals.
Suzanne Ellingham, Director of Sourcing, Source Fashion says, We are very excited to be supporting the visionary work of Eirinn. She is a super eco designer and her show will give a glimpse into future materials. Everything is made from salvaged and sustainable materials that have a positive impact on our ecosystem and she continuously researches innovative ways to produce materials from natural resources. Her catwalk scene is going to be magical.”
Eirinn adds’ ‘There have been some amazing changes as we move towards a more sustainable world in so many industries, but I cannot deny the fear I have that, like everything, it has now become a trend to many people. i am not sure how sustainable I believe many things really are. It does upset me that huge corporations seem to get away with greenwashing, particularly when there are some real innovators striving to make a change, but equally, I am hoping that even small changes in the right direction can help to save our planet.”
The catwalk also showcases the Redesigning Fashion campaign, a collaboration with the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCol.) and the Winchester School of Arts. Scenes will feature a collection of garments repurposed by a group of innovative and highly creative Year 2 Fashion students who were given items that had been donated to the Salvation Army’s clothing banks across the UK.
Source Fashion has a compelling line-up of over 20 countries represented, with manufacturers attending from around the world, from Peru to Cambodia, Pakistan to Portugal, Hong Kong to Italy and Greece all the way back to the UK, plus industrial powerhouses like Chino, India and Turkey.
Source Fashion Pavilions will shine a spotlight on curated collections of high-quality producers and exporters from countries including Peru, Pakistan, India and China.
Bringing a textile pavilion to the UK for the first time, the Peru Pavilion will showcase six manufacturers specialising in high-quality alpaca wool from the raw material right through to garment production, as well as cotton and other natural mixtures. The main Indian Pavilion at this year’s Source Fashion, in collaboration with the Wool and Woollens Export Promotion Council, will showcase 20 established garment and textile exporters specialising in wool, woollen and acrylic fibres. The exhibitors will be showing full garments including men’s, women’s and kidswear as well as a selection of fabrics and raw materials. These exhibitors are regular export partners to the UK retail industry and already work with some big retailers in white label production.
The China Pavilion will present a selection of high-quality Chinese manufacturers ranging from full garment manufacturing through to raw materials, fabrics, cashmere and components.
From raw materials, fabrics, trims and packaging, all the way through to contract manufacturers offering in house design services, Source Fashion brings the inspiration and tools together in one exciting destination to bring new ranges to life. Each season the show will bring the world’s best manufacturers, fabric producers and technology providers from around the world to London Olympia. Visitors will know when they walk through the door, that each supplier will be audited and accredited and ready to work with them.
To discover more about Source Fashion visit Source Fashion 112-14 February 2023i Olympia London (source-fashion.com)
(Photo by Paul Winstone/Fabuk Magazine)