Attire Accessories - May/Jun 2019 (Issue 76)

84 GREEN IDEALS ` Alongside its usual myriad buying opportunities, Pure London’s February event held sustainability at its core, with many fashion shows and talks focused on this concept The February edition of Pure London offered a plethora of buying options across the board. With accessories brands aplenty, buyers were once again in their element, and this showed in visitor numbers. Julie Driscoll, UK regional director at ITE Group, reflected on this when speaking at the event. “This is the best show in many years,” she said. “We’ve welcomed more visitors than ever before, there is a palpable energy and excitement here that so many of the exhibitors and visitors have commented on.” However, it wasn’t just the range of product on offer that ticked the boxes for visitors at Pure London. Indeed, placing a strong focus on sustainable production within our industry, as well as continuing to throw the spotlight on these brands in the Pure Conscious area, the show was at the forefront of a current issue. Mary Creagh MP and chair of the Environmental Audit Committee spoke to environmental expert and writer Lucy Siegle, stating that she became aware of the cost of fast fashion following the Rana Plaza disaster. “I said to M&S that I know more about the lives of the pigs that makes your sausages, but you can’t tell me about the lives of the women who make your clothes,” she said. “The audit into fashion has been a real eye-opener for my colleagues; they can’t believe the carbon and chemical footprint and the stories they’ve heard. We’ve mainstreamed something that wasn’t mainstream. “We’re relying on future technology that hasn’t been invented yet, and the clock is ticking – we need to bend the curve of consumption. We’ve had the slow-food movement, and I’m trying to get together the slow-fashion movement.” Katharine Hamnett also took centre stage at the show, asking businesses to be more transparent and to engage consumer power. Julie echoed these sentiments, stating, “We aren’t preaching, but if we all do one small thing, then we will make a difference. We want brands to tell their stories, let us know their small steps, build communities to enter into this dialogue together.” The next edition of Pure London takes place from 21 st -23 rd July, 2019. Who: Pure London, purelondon.com Where: Olympia, London When: 21 st -23 rd July, 2019