By Costanza Passeri Dimoso recently attended Pure London, one of the leading B2B fashion industry events in Europe on behalf of its client EyeFitU, a great chance to take a look behind the curtain of the fashion industry. Pure London is designed for networking and as an exhibition for journalists, fashionistas, bloggers and influencers in the fashion world. It appeals to a broad audience in fashion: buyers, independents and online retailers, department stores and everything in between. At Pure, emerging and ground-breaking brands have the chance to catch the attention of buyers and press presenting new seasonal trends and products on engaging stands and dynamic catwalks. This year’s Pure London had some great partners: WGSN, FashionMag.com, Attire, FashionJobs.com, alongside a busy and varied programme, attracting journalists and editors from well-known fashion magazines. People like award-winning editor of GQ magazine, Dylan Jones, who presented a speech on London as the Capital of creativity. The event consisted of two exhibition spaces and an upstairs gallery. Exhibitors are divided by sectors dependent on the target audience of its brands: Pure Premium, Premium Footwear, Accessories, Allure and Spirit. At the centre of each space there was a stage for conferences and catwalks. Particularly important from our perspective was the sector dedicated to retail solutions, which varied from stock control platforms to packaging solutions. Here different kinds of companies exhibited diverse products and solutions to common fashion retail problems. EyeFitU fits nicely into this category, the app allows retailers to potentially save millions in costs by helping people shop in their correct size thus helping retailers limit their returns. The app creates a trusted and personal shopping environment that will become an indispensable tool for retailers who want to build loyalty and deliver an excellent user experience. The seminars and conferences were interesting and inspirational. Fashion and business journalists, bloggers and entrepreneurs, were invited to be part of the event as guest speakers. These opportunities were used to discuss different topics with a common focus: the synergy between fashion and technology. The future of fashion and business was a key point of discussion, as were innovations in technology and social media. One of the best seminars was hosted by special guest Navaz from Disneyrollergirl. The famous blogger explained what blogs do for brands, in terms of connecting with the audience. She explained that collaborating with influencers and bloggers is like building a bridge between brands and the public, spreading the word to the right community. Navaz also took part in a seminar on the Fash Tech Evolution with the business, fashion and technology journalist Rachel Arthur. They discussed the importance of social media, especially new forms like Snapchat: Its spontaneity engages users all around the word and is seen as the next main tool of influencers. The journalists also underlined how exciting this specific time is for fashion and technology, with more and more focus on improving the user experience. One way to make it great? Take inspiration from the videogames industry; follow big trends like Pokemon Go utilising AR to make artificial environments and products to feel real for consumers. Pure London was an amazing opportunity to connect with retailers and well-known personalities in business and the fashion industry. Being there demonstrated how many people, in different roles, are working hard to make fashion accessible, amusing and fresh, while innovating latest technology.
What we took from attending the event is that creativity, passion and innovation are essential to making a positive change in the fashion industry, and that technology paves the way for the future. Who would’ve thought the latest trends in fashion would be apps and AR, rather than bell bottoms, pleated skirts and turtlenecks?
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