i2iÂ's leading fashion event, Pure London, sees successful A/W 13 season with buyers in a confident mood

Highlights

• Over 12,000 buyers and retailers attended the A/W 13 season event
• Over 1,000 brands, including 320 international brands, showcased
• Top industry experts provide over 50 hours of insight at seminar sessions

Pure London, organised by i2i Events Group, took place at London Olympia from 10th – 12th February 2013 and welcomed over 12,000 high calibre buyers from both the UK and internationally. Now in its 33rd season, and widely recognised as the UK's leading trade fashion buying event, Pure London is also one of Europe's leading transactional exhibitions, making it an excellent barometer for the retail industry; and this season it reported a buoyant and confident mood at the event, with positive feedback from both exhibitors and retailers alike.

The ‘who's who' of fashion buying attend Pure London

Key independent retailers, etailers such as ASOS, Amazon, Figleaves and Net a Porter and department stores including Fenwick, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser and Selfridges, to name but a few, were all in attendance at Pure London this season. The high street was also out in force with buyers from Bertie, Dune, Mango, Monsoon, Next, Top Shop and Warehouse, amongst many others, all visiting the show. Underlining the importance of Pure London on the international buying calendar, the show also played host to buyers from throughout Europe to as far afield as Hong Kong, Japan and Australia.
 

More than 1,000 brands and a strong international element showcased

This season over 1,000 brands were presented by exhibitors representing directional fashion, accessories and footwear. Footwear in particular saw a big increase in interest from buyers, as Pure London now presents the strongest and most directional offering of branded footwear in the UK. A key focus for Pure London is the attendance of its core international retailers and brands, and this season the show presented 320 international labels, a year on year increase of 6%. Amongst these were 63 French brands, 35 Italian brands, 49 Spanish, 12 Portuguese and 18 German brands.
 

Over 50 hours of insight from 75 top industry experts
Buyers and retailers visit Pure London to write orders and source new collections, but are also using the show as a vital live resource for business advice. Speakers taking part this season included Julie Deane, Founder of The Cambridge Satchel Company, British designer Zandra Rhodes, Richard Pollin, Head of Business at Google, James Barnett, Production Coordinator of Selfridges and Draper's Editor in Chief, Caroline Nodder.
Julie Driscoll, Portfolio Director for Fashion and Jewellery at i2i Events Group, commented, “We had a fantastic show and it's an exciting time for Pure London. We are working even more closely with our buyers and exhibitors year on year to ensure that Pure London is ahead of the game on every level and consistently delivering what our customers want.â€'

A restructuring of the Pure London team has brought further expertise into the strong retail portfolio which includes Pure London, The Jewellery Show, Jewellery Show London, Spring Fair and Autumn Fair. Recent new appointments include Louise Young, Managing Director of Retail, Julie Driscoll, Portfolio Director for Fashion and Jewellery and Katie Nicholls, Brand Manager for Fashion and Jewellery. A new international sales team is also now in place, with representatives in key European markets, and this will further strengthen the international offering going forward.