Moda celebrates successful spring edition

Moda, the UK’s national trade event for the womenswear, accessories, menswear, footwear and lingerie & swimwear industries, has reported a three percent rise in attendance for its spring 2013 edition, which took place last week at the Birmingham NEC.

Organisers have labelled this season’s show as “buzzing”, added that the increase in footfall was also matched with reports of “increased order volumes from across the halls”, which has been reiterated by buyers who cited a diverse range of collections and strong spring/summer 2013 trends across the footwear and accessories sectors.

The spring edition showcased more than 1,450 collections, including 200 brands that were new to the exhibition, which helped to attract buyers from the UK’s leading department stores including John Lewis, Fenwick, Debenhams, Beatties and Beales, as well as independent retailers from across the UK and Ireland.

One of the newcomers this season reporting a successful show is Dutch coat and jacket womenswear label Creenstone, its head of sales, James Preston, said: “Being based out of a West End showroom Moda gave us the opportunity to travel out of the south and target new retailers. It worked very well for us, and we couldn’t be happier.”

Nati Jimenez, owner of the eponymous womenswear label, was also pleased with business written at the show, commenting: “This was our first ever UK trade show, and was even better than we’d expected. We opened a lot of new accounts and saw very high calibre buyers who were really happy with our quality and price points.”

As well as Moda Women being a success, retailers visiting Moda Gent were also impressed with both the show’s line-up, the largest ever for a summer show, as well as  the quality and commerciality of spring/summer 2013 collections; and Moda Footwear once again hosted the country’s largest selection of shoes for men, women and children.

“The atmosphere across the shows this season was one of real positivity, and it was borne out in the volume of orders taken across the halls,” says Nick Cook, commercial director of Moda organiser ITE Moda Ltd. “It’s been another tough year for the UK retail industry, but buying patterns have proved again this season that retailers are still on the lookout for new and interesting product.”

The next edition of Moda will take place from February 17 to 19 at Birmingham’s NEC.