Moda, the UK’s largest trade show for the fashion, footwear and intimate apparel industries, has reported record visitor attendance at its August 2010 edition, which ran at the NEC, Birmingham on 8-10 August. The show saw a 22 per cent increase in attendance compared to August 2009, making it the busiest August edition of the show to date.
The event played host to the second edition of Moda Lingerie & Swimwear, the new national show for the intimate apparel industry first launched in February this year, alongside established events Moda Woman, Moda Menswear, Moda Footwear and Moda Accessories. Over 1,450 brands showcased their spring/summer 2011 collections across the five shows, with some reporting record orders. The mood across the halls was one of renewed optimism, with Moda attracting high-quality buyers from across the UK and a large number of new exhibitors.
Lauren Nuttall of Jackpot, showing at Moda Woman for the first time, commented: “Moda has been a great addition to our selling schedule this season as we saw a lot of customers we wouldn’t normally see either in the showroom or at other shows. Moda bridges the gap between younger stores and more mainstream ones, and complements our distribution strategy perfectly.”
Visitors to the womenswear show were also in upbeat mood. “As usual Moda was a success for us,” says Caroline Warner, managing director of Gene Sutcliffe in Accrington, Lancashire. “We always do a lot of booking at Moda with collections we’ve already previewed, but this season we also wrote orders with some niche labels including Ronen Chen, Mado et Les Autres and Pause Café. We always write our occasionwear orders at Moda, with John Charles and Mereia being standout collections for spring/summer 2011.”
The second edition of Moda Lingerie & Swimwear saw the show’s line-up of international lingerie and swimwear brands joined by niche and directional names showing in new area The Collections, featuring the likes of Kiss Me Deadly, Playful Promises and Glitter Beach.
Exhibitors reported strong orders across the show, with buyers from across the UK and Ireland in confident mood. “Buyers wanted to place orders straight away, rather than going away to think about it, which is a positive sign in terms of how things are progressing in the wake of the recession,” says Michelle Green, marketing manager of Lepel. “There was a great buzz at Moda this season, and it proved a very rewarding show for the company.”
Regular exhibitors at Moda Footwear were also pleased with both attendance and the calibre of retailer visiting the show. “Moda Footwear is our main exhibition of the season and the place where we consistently write our orders,” says Stephen Joseph, UK distributor for Caprice. “This season in particular however we saw new independents and opened up accounts with them, including some people we’ve been keen to bring on board for several seasons.”
The positive mood of theseason continued at Moda Menswear. “It was a fantastic show,” says Mike Smith, UK agent for Brax. “Sunday was an excellent day, and I’m very impressed with the investment brands are now putting into their appearance at the show. On the strength of this season’s figures we’ll be looking at a bigger presence at Moda Menswear for next season.”
2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class AMG versionUK:KEIA chooses Moda to launch new swimwear collection
