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Trends from the fashion tradeshow

We recently checked out Margin London, the leading alternative streetwear tradeshow in the UK. Here’s a quick rundown of the major trends from the show:

Nu Rave: Nu Rave has been bubbling under for a couple of seasons now and if Margin is any indication, it won’t be a flash in the pan trend. In fact, the smiley face looks set to take over from where the skull and crossbones left off. The iconic image, created in 1971, has been developed by the trademark owners into a full collection of tees and sweats, available in a rainbow of day-glo shades, for men and women. PVC, oiled polyester and onionskin nylon in florescent shades were popular at White Trash for Cash and Miss Milne. Accessories from Fiona and Luke and Stylex were also channeling the early 90s club scene style.

Fair Trade? No Sweat!: The backlash to sweatshop labor has influenced even more new brands to operate with an ethical outlook. Traditional European craftsmanship and limited edition hand printed garments replaced cookie cutter factory goods. Revived 70s shoe brand Monbianco was a hit; available in original retro styles, the history and social consciousness of the handmade Italian footwear appealed to retailers and press. Los Cojones del Perro’s line is produced by language-restricted South African tribal workers unable to find work elsewhere. Leather accessories designer Gretchen and UK knitwear brand Vacant only use specialist factories in Europe and the UK.

New Brands To Watch: Now in its second season, the 101 area of the show continues to provide a launch pad for new designers making their debut. Particularly noteworthy was 2-in-1 shoe brand Nat-2, whose sneaker unzips to reveal a slide. Four Holes, Stunt Double and Agharta made a strong impression on streetwear retailers. Womenswear brand Emily and Fin’s collection of blouses, skirts and dresses was also very well received.

“As a first time exhibitor it’s hard to decide which show is the one that will cater to your market fully, never wanting to waste any opportunity. Perfectly Flawed found Margin to be a fun, light hearted, friendly environment where there was a great mix of styles, tastes and brands! The venue was chic and fitted in with the garments on display with a flux of buyers from all over the world all eager to see the next new label/Brand. What more could you ask for in a Trade show! Margin is the Mecca for all cool boutiques and labels alike.” + Perfectly Flawed

“Thank you so much for everything, we had a great response at Margin! It was a nice friendly and relaxed atmosphere and we made good contacts. It was fantastic to hear all the great feedback we had from buyers, stylists and magazines! We were over the moon! We are super busy now with orders from all over the U.K and Europe. We will definitely we showing again next season!” + Junkie Lovers

“Thank you so much for all of your very hard work and please could you thank all the staff that helped set up and do the door and make the show run so smoothly. For an independent brand it is difficult to survive in a world of superpowerful dynasties, doing margin has been an invigorating business move for missmilne. It was an intimate show with a lot of buzz surrounding it and we have found it to be a form of visibility that will help independent designers spearhead their impact.” + missmilne

“Margin was a great show for us. It was a really good atmosphere. We were very impressed with the quality of the buyers, other exhibitors and general production of the show. We’ll definitely be coming along again!” + Eio Clothing

“Margin is a breath of fresh air. It was refreshing to exhibit at a show which has all the boxes ticked in terms of the exhibitors and the visitors. A bright, relaxed, friendly show which is the perfect environment in which to do business. Don’t change a thing.” + Vacant

“We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. It was great to meet many of our loyal stockists face to face and of course getting the chance to meet new ones. We had an overwhelming response to our new collection, with new buyers from all over the world placing orders. The hard work starts now dealing with all our new stockists! We will definitely be back next season.” + Punky Pins

“Margin was great for Stunt Double, we acquired a huge amount of contacts from buyers, distributors and press. The interest in our brand was astounding. The set up of the show was cool, intimate and had a boutique sense to it. The 101 room was excellent to launch our brand, and the only way to accumulate such a wealth of industry contacts. We’ll be back in February but in the main room, it’s a bit bigger in there, with more established brands, which generated a bigger buzz. In short, Margin has provided us with a very high platform from which to launch our brand. The rest is up to us…”
+ Stunt Double

“We wrote super-orders and the visitors were stunned about our Nat-2 Project. Thanks to the Margin crew for all the good service, support and platform for our growing success in the fashion scene!” + Nat-2