Pure London: the ultimate fashion buying destination

Forget a lazy Sunday lying in bed! Last Sunday, despite the chill in the air, I headed down to Kensington’s magnificent Olympia, where Pure London has returned this February to showcase their latest collections for A/W12. Over three days, the venue played host to countless big names and niche brands, proving once again why Pure London is the UK’s favourite fashion buying destination.

This trade show is advertised as the perfect sourcing ground for A/W12, so I joined the hoards of fashion buyers in discovering over 1,100 brands displaying their wares with pride. With so many stands to admire and catwalk shows, talks and events to choose from, visitors were spoilt for choice as to what to cram into their schedule. Inspiration was everywhere as catwalk shows throughout the day unveiled the latest trends, and talks by industry experts gave style advice and tips on what to buy for the season ahead. The Contemporary Stage showcased womenswear brands such as Rene Derhy, mais il es où le soleil? and Canisse. In the evening, the Inspiration Stage was ignited with a Young Fashion Show that featured the hottest trends from youthful labels Glamorous, AngelEye, Danity, Rinascimento, Forever Unique, Yumi and more – showing everything from urban street fashion to girly prom dresses.

Pure London was divided into four sections: Womenswear, Footwear, Accessories and Spirit Young Fashion. Spread out over two floors, there was definitely a lot of ground to cover. Labels representing all different styles and price points were there – from recognisable high street favourites like Desigual, Radley and Love (you might know it from their concession at Topshop Oxford Street), to online ethical trendsetters Beyond Skin, as well as many lesser-known but up-and-coming brands. My personal favourite discovery of the day was Yumi. Yumi’s display exuded a bold 50s America vibe, but their S/S12 collection featured nautical summer staples and tons of pretty floral dresses, whereas their A/W12 collection offers a darker palette of knits and winter wear.

Over 180 new brands have launched at Pure London this season, debuting their collections for A/W12. One of them is footwear brand Just Anna – founder Anna Chan said of Pure: “It is one of the best shows around, and I hope to meet some interesting buyers.”

Another addition to Pure London this February was a free mobile app, which aimed to help visitors navigate the show, personalise their agenda for your day, source brands easily and read the latest news – all on your smartphone. The app for Blackberry, iPhone and Android users featured a detailed map of the show, an A-Z list of all the brands exhibiting, a schedule of the catwalk shows and speakers as well as a social media function delivering information from Twitter and Facebook.

Don’t worry if you missed it, Pure London is back at Kensington Olympia from 19-21 August 2012 for S/S13 – put the dates in your diary! For more information, click here.

Khaleda Rahman

Photos: Sara Reverberi