Pure London A/W 2013: day one

Pure London is an event for fashion buyers, and allows a select group of fashionistas to get a look-in at the new trends. Disguised as The Upcoming minions, we strode through the doors of the Kensington Olympia and were met by a near ocean-scale amount of shops and more importantly, sellers.

We met some of the designers and creative directors behind much loved labels such as Mrs. Pomeranz, Jovani and Michaela Louisa, and got some gorgeous sneak previews to some beautiful collections. Our favourite pieces of next season were from brands such as Forever Unique, Hippy Heart and Gill Harvey. Then there were the glorious runway shows, featuring some of the bestsellers from the extensive collection. Here are some of our favourite looks: 

UAL

 Join Clothes 

 Siss on Bare

 Voodoo Vixen 

We attended special seminars with the likes of Caprice Bourret (businesswoman and supermodel), James Leslie (co-founder of Trilogy) and WGSN’s Lorna Hall, all of who talked trends, fashion strategy and much, much more. There was an abundance of sequins and sparkles, alongside some gorgeously hippy trends, futuristic and fantastical prints, shapes and styles. Lorna Hall stated that WGSN (top fashion forecasters) could see three clear trends taking hold in the next year: Hack-tivate, Living Design and 21^st Century Romance. Sound exciting? Here’s a brief breakdown:

Hack-tivate

For this trend we can expect a lot of deconstruction of fashions and repairing, creating a notion of positive hacking. There appears to be a new generation of makers who find their success and inspiration online in social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest. This look requires a mix of textures and patterns, a relaxed relationship between formal and casual, and a real rebirth of military cuts. In fact, Hall called this aspect “taking military with a pinch of salt”. It’s modern, with a huge array of textures, clean lines, leather, slimline silhouette blocking and sports luxe. Excited? So are we.

Living Design

Living Design seemed to be a direct contradiction between natural comforts and man-made madness. In fact, Hall described it as human, animal and technological. Therefore we saw a huge amount of chunky and outfit defining knits, particularly in the accessories section. The occasion wear saw a lot more digital printing, delicate fabrics, organic curves and oily iridescent materials. We see a welcome return of sheer materials, the beanie hat, metallic leathers and cut-out backs.

 21^st Century Romance

Last but not least came our favourite trend of next season. 21^st Century Romance is loaded with dark-based florals, high-necked shirts, ruff-inspired chokers, hoods and slipper shoes. This look is all about mixing historical aspects of fashion with the new, all with a gothic edge. Even some of the sculptured shapes are reminiscent of armour. This look focuses on flattering print placement, luxurious textures and ornate jewellery.

We had a fabulous day at this particular fashion hub. Roll on day two!

Elizabeth Finney