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.

Report from the fashion tradeshow

Sliced and Diced: Dice graphics were seen several times in jewelry and accessories. At Lady Luck Rules OK, tiny dice cubes were used as part of a hair bobble accessory. Wendys and Zukale & Huoviala both showed a string of dice on wallet chains, and Zukale & Huoviala also showed slim neon yellow belts printed with dice. Sliced was also a common theme this season. On Tour Lab’s Slicedworks collection featured circular saw graphics on vests and tees, while Concrete Lawn’s debut collection of hoodies and sweatshirts were sliced at the yoke with contrasting colored jersey fabrics. Block Headwear also got sliced with segmented baseball caps in contrasting fabrics.

Mini-Me: Children’s versions of adult collections were noticably more prominent this year. Maak en Herstel who showed a range of women’s detailed bird image applique tees had cute identical versions for toddlers. Finnish womenswear label Tiia Vanhatapio has a separate newborn line, Quelle Jolie Bebe! which included a very modern take on the christening gown in a folded and pleated pure linen. New to Margin this season was London label Map Nap, with a cute range of prints especially for the kids, including Fuzzy Felt, which pays homage to the 70s art and craft phenomenon.

Cool New Labels: Muffty from London showed slick upscale menswear, including a take on the polo shirt was with a new open and curved collar. Accessories designer Wendee Ou’s bag and purse range mixed glamour with utility, as seen in her silver pleated leather clutch bags with twill and d-ring clasps. Menswear from Tranzit highlighted the trend that casual menswear is taking more and more inspiration from traditional tailoring. Blazers in crumpled linens and slacks in traditional wovens were big hits in this collection.

Next fall’s fashion trends

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

Vintage: When will this not be a trend? Get Cutie from Brighton showed 50s-inspired big bold floral print dresses that were snapped up by buyers. D4 Discus featured vintage inspired prints on 70s style maxi dresses and eco-friendly label Our World Recycled had similarly glamorous sun dresses. Yamama did Me Decade silhouettes in the form of mohair knitwear.

Military: Army jackets were plentiful, as were camouflage prints and details such as epaulettes. Apestein’s U.S. military influenced collection featured fitted crinkled cheesecloth shirts. Southwest Clothing fused army influence with fluorescent graphics, another strong trend.

Rock n Roll: This trend is still going strong, too. Apestein’s far out t-shirt graphics were heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix and 60s psychedelia in general. Wendy’s rock belts had previously been worn by Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten. Lost Property’s graphics were based on t-shirts worn by John Lennon and Frank Zappa.

Tailoring: Although Margin is best known for streetwear, the show is also becoming a destination for more formal tailoring. French men’s and womenswear brand Kulte combined vintage American shirting and striped knits with slim, satin dinner suits. Minimalist Swedish womenswear label Reflective Diffusion put the emphasis on superior quality well-cut basics; detailing was limited to the seams in a range of tops, capes and dresses. Spanish label El Ganso fused tailoring with sports details, such as felt stripes on heritage fabrics and formal coats.

Trends from the fashion trade show

On August 8th and 9th, London hosted the Margin Trade Show, one of the hottest spots for up-and-coming and established designers to flaunt their wares. Despite reports that Margin was lacking in the visitors department due to the recent terrorist events, it was still busy with independent buyers looking for hot labels to keep their stores fresh and ahead of the competition. One of our London trend correspondents stopped by, and this is what she saw for Spring 2006:

FEMININE DETAILS: Using beading, embroidery, and feminine style lines, the girly aesthetic dominated. There were skirts and dresses from Sugarhill with circle embroidery and embellishments, ribbon trimmed skirts and soft lines. Galibardy’s collection had a very glamorous 70s traveler theme, featuring flowing gowns and tops with beautiful, beaded embellishments and sporty hoodies with floral stitching. Stereotype and Ground Zero have taken t-shirts to the next level by introducing a very tailored tee and deconstructed tank tops.

SKULLS/JESUS/BLING MIX-UP: There was a lot of crossover between these three themes, and many brands incorporated all three into their collections. Heidi Seekers mixed beading, butterfly and tattoo graphics with skulls, while Kontakt featured apparel sporting metallic foil logos as well as gold, bling-worthy logo pins. Ground Zero’s graphics were a mix of cultural icons and graffiti art featuring Jesus, JFK, skulls and The Rolling Stones. 3rd Born gave goth a feminine edge with pink skull prints mixed with roses.

ETHICAL TRADE AND RECYCLING: Also a strong theme at the February show, the number of socially responsible and earth-friendly brands has grown even more, whether it be through recycling old fabrics, using fair-trade methods to produce or working with organic fabrics. Enamore’s hemp and vintage fabric mix featured beautiful design details. Rebe mixed vintage and new fabrics with lace to create a modern 50s style collection. Glo for Life sourced only fair trade t-shirts for their collection and Lady Luck Rules featured a quirky jewelry line made from recycled badges, buttons, old jewelry and trinkets.

Potential fashion trends for next summer


London’s Margin trade show continues to build its reputation as a leader in showing up-and-coming upscale streetwear labels. Naturally, it’s a key spot in scouting new fashion trends. Here’s a look at some of the potential heavy hitters for next summer:

Peacock Prints
At label Yes, intricately embroidered peacock heads were stitched onto cotton shirts for men and onto tanks and mini-dresses for women.
OK47 and 20 Four 7 both used peacock feather images on cotton jersey dresses and vest tops.
Limited edition Matthew Williamson Coca-Cola bottles covered in a peacock feather print were given away at the show.

Bling Bling
Jewelry designer Thomas Nayer showed hip-hop graffiti style script on silver hoop earrings and pins.
Glitzy necklaces, pets in jewelery, and diamante effect prints were seen at Heidi Seeker.

Big Cats
Tiger print t-shirts were spotted at Dirty Boy and Marada.
Seeker showed domestic kitty graphics.

Aviation Graphics
T-shirt label Imperfectionist used a hybrid graphic of the Grim Reaper and an aircraft for their next collection.
Planes were also seen on t-shirts, sweats and badges at Lazy Oaf.

Bruised Color Schemes
Many collections were still carrying this past summer’s bubblegum pink and primary greens, reds, and yellows, but an emerging trend this season was shades of purple and lilac, as well as faded shades of denims and blues, as seen at London Denim and Onjoo Mac.

Fall fashion trends. Plus: Luxury Fashion Network One of our London correspondents got the inside scoop at Margin London, the leading alternative streetwear tradeshow in the UK. Here are the Fall/Winter 2004 trends she saw:

What you can look out for next Spring
Recently we checked out Margin London, the leading alternative streetwear tradeshow in the UK.

Here are the Spring/Summer 2004 trends we saw:
Colors: The dominant palette consisted of bright pastel shades of yellow, pink, green and blue, for both men’s and women’s wear. The most popular color was Swimming Pool blue, which is a leading contender to be the color of next summer.

Stripes were everywhere at the show. Prints were vertical, horizontal, diagonal, or creatively computer manipulated as seen at the label Urino.

Brighton-based label Get Cutie used original 50s artwork re-printed onto new fabrics to create a new twist on the vintage trend. Underwear designer Nora Nilsson traveled to Honolulu, where she selected original Hawaiian manufactured and print fabrics, which she turned into cute and sexy swimwear.

Other cool mentions:
Trends in fashion and music have always been very closely linked, and Margin’s offerings were no exception. Twisted Generation used recycled 7″ vinyl as a substitute for the traditional ink on paper press release. Lazy Oaf illustrated their business cards with a cassette tape graphic. And Eternal Beau’s line was covered with guitar-inspired stripes. Also available at the show was the first issue of Fact, a publication dedicated to lovers of all things vinyl. The size, shape and design of the magazine resembled a 7″ single, even encased in its own record sleeve.

Margin, London. 9th-10th February 2003

Young Fashion Event, Margin saw a successful second season last month. Spread over 2 days during Menswear Autumn/Winter buying week, the event was held at the Music Rooms on South Molton Lane. This space was chosen for its central London location, close proximity to Bond Street tube & for the space itself. The Music Rooms is a popular venue chosen by artists & fashion designers to exhibit & show their collections. Parquet floors & white walls make a stylish blank canvas to dress & individualise the location.Margin was created out of a necessity. London is globally known for its young, cutting edge independent designers, who usually have little or no financial backing. Event founder, Odysseas Constantine wanted to create a platform for his own Rainbow Knitwear range and Block Headwear where he works as a consultant & sales associate. “Established London trade events are un-justifiably costly. Smaller, cutting edge brands who are trying to get off their feet simply cannot afford the stand prices being charged.” Brands showing at Margin can save between 50-75%, compared to more established events. Costs are kept low by keeping the profit margin realistic. Odysseas and business partner Laurent Roure, of Bond International have their own brands to show each season and therefore do not rely solely on the profits of Margin to survive.Over the course of 2 days, 500 buyers and distributors came to check out 45 brands including well-respected labels such as Broke, Bitter & Twisted, Electonic Sheep, Gama-Go, OK47, Upper Playground and of course Odysseas’ & Laurent’s own brands.As well as UK stores such as Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Urban Outfitters, American Retro & Joseph, Margin saw a big international interest. From Japan, they welcomed Ships, Agosto, Beams & Baycruise to name a few and influential Italian departments such as Fiorucci, Eight Ball & Daisy Age. Also present were individuals from Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Malta, Mexico, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland & the USA. A total of 17 magazines & press, including Wad, France, Sportswear International & Arena Homme Plus also attended.Next season the shows will divide into two categories showing at different trade weekends.