A day out at the London Garments Expo

Profile and the London Garments Expo may not be events you will have heard of, but rather important in the grand scheme of fashion. LGE, as it’s known more briefly, is a trade show drawing in buyers of practically every high street store, to cast their eye over merchandise from across the globe. Profile, aiming to create a more accessible version of fashion week, joined forces with the LGE to stage catwalk shows and bring in a bevy of emerging young designers to add variety to the more commercial offerings. 

Last night a gala was held to showcase the best of the event and to give networking opportunities to clusters of busy looking women in LK Bennett court shoes and men in finely cut suits. All in all very much a business event, but there were plenty of things for the average fashion fan to spot and appreciate. The catwalk show/dance performance was organised by the London Garments Expo in association with Profile, it kicked off with a group of dancers voguing to Madonna clad in Sonata lingerie and Sparkle Mode swimwear. We had our eye on a beautiful French lace playsuit by Sonata, available in a plethora of jewel colours, though the one on the stage was an opulent black and gold. Other highlights included an embellished be-ruffled white creation by Stency Kidega, and some stunning marbled prints from Riona Treacy.

Later on at the gala, the lights were dimmed and so began a presentation of the best of the samples from the Asian manufacturers that were showing this year. There was a heavy emphasis on well-crafted details, beading, dyes and embroidery, which hopefully finds a lot of buyers on the UK high street. One of our favourites was a slip style floral summer dress, which on closer inspection revealed that the flowers were embroidered sampler-style, closely followed by an embellished pair of leggings and a cut-out dark denim sundress. The brands behind the manufactures of this kind of accessible but detailed construction, such as Celestial knits and fabs, Rinko Sobti and Registan Exports, are all steadily growing and carving out niches for themselves. 

Around the rest of the fair a few other things stood out: the adorable and established Petite Bateau clothes for children. Lynnja Wang’s designs, embroidered to resemble quilting and beading (embellishment and embroidery was a bit of a theme it seems), which was enough of a stand-out collection to gain a place on the main advertising image for the event. Wang is a recent surface textiles graduate from London College of Fashion, and is one to keep an eye on. We were also charmed by Lillyang bags, the most perfect shape for the working woman – room for your laptop in one side, essentials in the middle and everything else in the third section. All in all, a productive day out.

Sarah Cleaver