Record attendance and record business as Moda welcomes new names and industry sectors.

Moda, the UK’s largest trade fashion exhibition, reported a 21 per cent* increase in attendance at its most recent edition, which ran at the NEC, Birmingham on 21-23 February. The show saw a raft of new exhibitors taking part across its Moda Woman, Moda Menswear, Moda Footwear and Moda Accessories halls, and Moda Lingerie & Swimwear.

A positive mood was felt throughout the halls, with snowfall in many areas of the country failing to deter buyers, and exhibitors across the shows reporting significant increases on February 2009 - with some reporting record orders. Visitors to the event included buyers from major department stores including Harrods, John Lewis, Fenwick and Debenhams, as well as Hoopers, Bentalls, Beales, Creaseys, Voisins and Williams & Griffin.

Independents visiting the show included womenswear retailers Gene Sutcliffe of Accrington, Maureen Cookson of Clitheroe, Pennita of North Yorkshire, Rodayo of Liverpool, Plum Boutique of Circencester and Camp Hopson of Berkshire, and menswear stores Chessmen of Cardiff, Cross Synott of Birmingham, Carl Stuart of West Yorkshire, Leaf Clothing of Newcastle, D7 Menswear of Surrey and WD Coe of Suffolk, while footwear indies included Edwards of Manchester, Jake Shoes of Cheshire, Heaven Is… of Wetherby and Genesis of Warrington. Independent lingerie retailers were also out in force for the debut edition of their new national show, and included Cheshire Lady in Congleton, D’Braz in Banstead, Perfect Fit in Bristol, Cameo in Dyfed, Better Than Chocolate in Saffron Waldon, What Lies Beneath in Bramhall and Chantilly Lace in County Down.

Italian womenswear label Elisa Cavaletti was one of a large number of new arrivals at the show. “Moda Woman surpassed all of our expectations,” says UK agent Joy Redfern. “The stand was packed from the off and it continued throughout the three days. The size of the orders we were taking showed real confidence in the product, and buyers were obviously on the lookout for something new.”

Mandy Travis, buyer at womenswear independent Helen Winterson in Marple, Stockport, was impressed by the brand line-up at this season’s show. “The brand mix was really strong this season, and amongst others we added John Smedley to our portfolio at the show,” she says. “Moda has proved to be a great shop window for us and we viewed and bought some very strong collections. The fact that Moda Woman runs alongside Moda Accessories is also an important bonus, and we also we picked up some interesting new accessories finds.”

Moda Menswear also saw strong business throughout the three days, with the event’s biggest ever line-up of brands attracting a large number of new visitors to the show. Regular visitors praised the addition of new brands such as US giant Calvin Klein Jeans, Spanish lifestyle label Florentino and British heritage brand Alan Paine to the event, which also saw first-time appearances from the likes of Dockers, Brax, Caliban, Selected Homme, Nani Bon, Benvenuto, Coxmoore and Mirto. Many regular exhibitors such as Camel Active, meanwhile, reported a significant increase on previous shows.

“This season’s Moda Menswear was our most successful ever, not just in terms of orders from existing accounts but also on new business,” says Marc Thompson, director of the brand’s UK distributor Enya. “Retailers were in optimistic mood, and the show certainly had the best brand line-up so far.”

Retailer Brian Smith of Leaf Clothing in Newcastle is a regular visitor to the show. “Moda Menswear is a great place to take a fresh look at ranges and identify the strengths of a brand in comparison to the competition,” he says. “It’s obviously really growing as a show, and now saves me a lot of time on visits to the showrooms.”

Moda Footwear, the UK’s largest footwear show, also featured a large number of new names this season, including men’s lifestyle brands Peter Werth and Boxfresh, and new women’s fashion brands including VUDU, Zimo London, United Nude and Rakish Heels. Lee Davies, agent for United Nude, comments “United Nude picked up some great new customers at Moda. It was good to see more premium fashion labels taking part, and the retailers were certainly impressed with the line-up.”

Hush Puppies returned to the show after a season’s absence to report record figures over the three days. “We were very happy to be back at Moda,” says marketing manager Julie Bradley. “It provided the perfect showcase for our new Body Shoe and 1958 concepts, which were both well received by buyers. Overall we had our best show ever, taking a record amount of orders and opening some new and sought-after accounts.”

Steve Fitzsimmons, buyer at footwear independent Edward of Manchester, visited the show for a full overview of the new season’s footwear offer. “The standard of exhibitors this season was the best it has ever been,” he says. “The show was very busy, which I think indicates that next year is going to be a better year for retailers.”

The next edition of Moda takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on 8-10 August 2010.

*Awaiting audit by ABC

Business booms as brands and buyers flock to the industry’s new national lingerie and swimwear show

The debut edition of Moda Lingerie & Swimwear saw three days of packed stands and strong orders as brands from across the lingerie, swimwear and hosiery sectors met with buyers from all corners of the UK and Ireland at the industry’s new national show. Held at the NEC Birmingham on 21-23 February, the event played host to over 200 collections and attracted buyers from across the lingerie retail sector. Full story...