850 high-quality visitors came to preview the fabrics and private label collections offered by fashion co-contractors at the October 2012 show, down 15% year-on-year because of the sluggish economic climate.
Fast Fashion London remains resolutely British, with 85% of visitors based in the UK, but the show also attracted a number of international visitors, particularly from France (8%) and Belgium (4%).
Visitors to Fast Fashion London praised the excellent quality and specialist know-how of the show’s exhibitors. The originality, creativity and finish of the products, particularly of the fabrics and private label collections, caught the eye of buyers, manufacturers and creative directors in the UK fast fashion sector. Most were impressed by the innovative new solutions showcased by exhibitors, from techniques and know-how to fashion and style.
Many visitors were also pleasantly surprised by the wide range of countries represented by the 70 exhibitors, who provided them with new sourcing opportunities. Fast Fashion London featured pavilions from France (17 exhibitors) and Portugal (15), with a significant presence from Romania, Morocco, Turkey, Italy, Lithuania and Pakistan.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Northern France stand focused attention on the diversity and quality of the region’s textiles and fashion manufacturers, including lacemakers and embroiderers such as Sophie Halette, who made the lace for Kate Middleton’s wedding dress designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.
29% of visitors attended Fast Fashion London to source new suppliers, 19% to view samples, 15% to place orders and 12% to meet their regular suppliers.
Some of the major participating brands included:
UK: Ais, Asos, Berwin & Berwin, Boden, Bordelle, Burberry, Casimi Christopher Kane, Coast, Day 22 Limited, Eveden Limited, Figleaves, Jack Wills, Jane Norman, Jigsaw, John Lewis, Joy, Monsoon Accessorize, Paragon Clothing, Pomodoro, Price &Buckland, Rare, Ted Baker, Warehouse , Wolsey…
France: Beaumanoir, Cevimod, Galec, Leclerc, Promod…
Belgium: Paprika….
Germany: Gerhard Roesch
In keeping with the UK’s perpetual search for new talent, Fast Fashion London launched its own competition to find tomorrow’s emerging fashion designers: the Young Designer Competition, led by Competition Ambassador and award-winning fashion journalist Hilary Alexander.
Alexander and her panel of industry experts – Jessica Brown (Fashion Director, Amazon UK), Isabella Griffiths (Editor, Womenswear Buyer), Graeme Moran (journalist, Drapers), and Sylvie Maysonnave (Creative Director of Eurovet fashion trade shows) – awarded the top prize to University of Derby graduate Aduu Juma Masudi, whose menswear collection was inspired by the Pachucos, a Latino subculture. Masudi wins a trip to Paris for the upcoming Made in France by Fatex trade show, staying at the luxurious 5-star Maison Champs Elysées hotel redesigned by Maison Martin Margiela, plus a fashion shoot of his award-winning collection at fashion photo studio Fashot.
The runner-up was Matthew O’Brien of John Moores University in Liverpool, for his couture-inspired collection made with protective fabric designed for the British army. O’Brien wins a trip to Lille for the Fast Fashion Lille show on 28-29 November, where he will also be able to visit the brand new European Centre for Textiles Innovations.
To help visitors make better buying decisions and provide them with more information on the sector, Fast Fashion London organised 3 talks on key future trends.
Speaking to a packed audience, Sylvie Maysonnave, a contributor to L’Officiel Paris, member of ESMOD International and Creative Director of Eurovet fashion trade shows, analysed the latest fashion week shows and gave some key pointers for the upcoming seasons:
Summer 13 – A New Era: Luxury and Rationalism
Clean, simple lines, a futuristic take on 60s style, romantic minimalism goes beyond 90s basic: the focus is on cut, high-quality materials, strong lines and handmade or hand-finished garments. It remains to be seen how the Fast Fashion sector will react to the challenges of this new “couture-à-porter”: affordable pricing, classic design, eco-friendly fashion, the advantages of products “Made in” a specific country and traceability.
• Textiles recycling talk hosted by the French Federation of Knits and Lingerie. A presentation by two organisations whose primary focus is on textiles recycling:
TRAID, a charity that recycles second-hand clothes through a network of shops and also creates its own ready-to-wear line from recycled fabrics (www.traid.co.uk), and U-Clife, a company that produces textiles and leather fabrics from recycled clothing and accessories.
• Linking in with the Young Designer Competition, Hilary Alexander reminded an attentive audience of the importance of the UK’s independent fashion designers, citing several case studies of co-branding collaborations between mass-market brands and fashion designers.
Source:
http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/apparel-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=117594
