During 1st-3rd February 2015 LondonEdge burst into the capital at the brand new Olympia West venue in Kensington. The team behind the only tradeshow on the planet dedicated to alternative and sub-culture fashion, proved exactly why LondonEdge is loved by buyers, exhibitors and press with a show that by definition, rocked!
With thousands flocking to the West Hall, Olympia to view the new creations and collections from hundreds of international exhibitors, LondonEdge saw a record number of new exhibitors debut their collections to the world of buyers, press and bloggers. Brands such as Hidden Temple, Yummy Gummy Latex, House of Intelligence, Bésame, Righteous London, Betty Page by Ellie Shoes, Offend my Eyes, Twisted Beak and many more made their entrance into the world of the weird, wonderful and downright beautiful at this season’s exhibition.
Opening with a bang on the Sunday, LondonEdge held their second ‘Bloggers Meet-up’ in their uber cool press office, situated in the middle of the exhibition. Lead with a talk by blogging queen, Kat Williams, over 60 bloggers were welcomed with a champagne reception, a huge goody bag and a fabulous makeover from leading brands Voodoo Vixen & Jawbreaker. Social media went through the roof as the blogging world showed their love for the alternative fashion capital.
Not only were the crowds treated to four fully loaded fashion shows per day, makeovers, show-stopping collections and a first class buyers experience, they were also invited to the legendary LondonEdge party. Sponsored by Voodoo Vixen and Jawbreaker, this season’s after show party, saw over 500 exhibitors, buyers, journalists, organisers and bloggers come together at Gem Bar in Soho for the tradeshow’s most full throttle party yet!
Hosted by Meth, ‘The Drag Queen of London’ herself, the venue was buzzing from the moment the crowds rocked up in a pair of vintage double decker. Taking full advantage of the free bar was mandatory while guests enjoyed music by Shorebitch DJs, were entertained by Miss Betsy Rose, Dee Christopher and the vocal stylings of The Lounge Kittens. A memorable finale came in the shape of The Sinisters, a fetish duo which certainly set the bar for the after shows of the future.
This season saw a show come to Olympia which was reminiscent of the heydays of LondonEdge as attendance figures rose by 9% on last season. Overall there were 31 countries represented at the show in both exhibitors and visitors, with the top 10 countries being France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Norway.
This season saw LondonEdge continue to maintain it’s reputation for attracting international buyers as they reported an all-time high in the attendance from the USA and welcomed visitors from Japan – a first for many years. Additionally, visitors from Eastern Europe travelled to LondonEdge with Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania & Croatia all represented.
With a phenomenal footfall, happy exhibitors and a record number of business transactions taking place at LondonEdge, Managing Director Carole Hunter was very happy:
“This show exhibited a new buzz reminiscent of how trade shows felt before the recession hit the world’s economy. Our increasingly successful Bloggers Meet Up has generated a substantial amount of online activity which is perpetuating the buzz post show. This, increased attendance to the order of 9% against last show, a brilliant Catwalk Show and a unforgettable show party, we feel we’ve got plenty of reasons to be cheerful here at LondonEdge.”
And a buzzing show, makes for happy exhibitors. Here’s what the crème de la crème of the alternative fashion world had to say about LondonEdge:
“LondonEdge is always great for us – it’s a fantastic show. It attracts the right audience and buyers for our market and a lot of people come here especially to see us. Although buyers can get what they need online these day we always choose to exhibit here because it’s still important for our customers to come and experience our product. We genuinely love LondonEdge and wouldn’t choose anywhere else!” – Monkey Business
“We’ve been coming here for the past 8 or 9 years and we love the new venue – it really fits the show well. We enjoy coming to LondonEdge because it has such a fun atmosphere, the people are great and it attracts the right buyers for our brand. You can’t ask for much else really!” – Extreme Largeness
“We love LondonEdge… it definitely beats the shows in the US! It’s opened up our brand to an international base that we never had before. This is our third time exhibiting and we love it! LondonEdge has helped our brand and we get so much more of a networking opportunity in the UK than in America.” – Betty Page Shoes by Ellie
“This was a weekend of firsts for us… LondonEdge was our very first tradeshow, took part in our very first catwalk show and we got out first buyer which is really exciting! The contacts and networking here are fantastic, we’ve met people who we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet before and the team at LondonEdge really look after you as a new exhibitor. We’ve had great feedback, a great show and we’ll definitely be back!” – House of Intelligence
The next LondonEdge will run, fully loaded, from 6th-8th September 2015 at The Business Design Centre, Islington London N1. Register to visit LondonEdge at www.londonedge.com/visitors. For more information on exhibiting please contact:
Jackie Farr – Event Director
01787 269841
Hayley Wright – Sales Director
0116 289 8249
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