OVER TO THE EXHIBITORS

M aggie Sottero

What the exhibitors say

Were the halls of Harrogate bursting with visitors? Were retailers in buying mode? What were the positives... and also the negatives of the September event?

From all reports, Maggie Sottero’s arena was packed for the full three days with buyers queuing from first thing in the morning to get on the stand, and to see the MS catwalk show. While the team did notice it seemed quieter elsewhere in the halls, their success story was one to be applauded.

They did find stockists were cautious in their buying decisions but said: “The economic challenges of the supply chain, coupled with the impending loom of a recession did make people a little more conservative and conscientious in their investments. That said, there’s also the balance of what the designer is bringing to market with their new collections and having a proper offering for brides. Brides are searching for the latest, hot-off-the-runway gowns from Maggie, and we ultimately want to set the brides up for the best chance of success in finding their dream dress.”

Maggie’s new collections were met with rave reviews – something we heard from one buyer after the other. There was plenty of colour throughout the ranges and black – is that going to be the next white? And the pandemic, has that had an effect overall on business for the multi-award-winning house?

“Overall, the bridal industry, as in any other trade, has been impacted post-pandemic — from the fabric and lace suppliers to the production at the factory level to shipping and customs accessibility. All of it has expanded timelines and increased costs. It’s all about understanding the new norm of business and being strategic in our approach. We support each boutique through personalised trainings to better equip them in their efforts to make brides’ dreams reality.” Mascara was another busy stand throughout the show, but felt the lack of overseas buyers was noticeable, although understandable. According to boss Danny Saul, the more established retailers were not particularly cautious in their buying – they were there to shop and wanted the best – while smaller shops and newer retailers did express concern.

Mascara produces three collections a year but is one of those companies that believes a once-a-year show would be right for the industry, benefitting suppliers and their stockists. Where would that be, given a choice? “Harrogate”.

Sarah of Ivory & Co says: “We didn’t think it could be as busy as last year when it was the first show after the pandemic… but this year our stand was even busier, which was a bit

R ichard Designs

R ainbow Club uPon J Ivory & Co

of a surprise to us. Stores that had already bought from our dress collection at White Gallery in March came back to order more dresses from the collection, and accessory sales were huge with shops generally placing large orders for lots of different designs.”

Interestingly, Ivory & Co brings out a dress collection every two years as feedback from its stockists has supported a much longer selling cycle. “Shops prefer this to a system where they receive samples of the styles they’ve invested in a short time before a new collection is out ,” says Sarah, who also continues to supply a large number of retailers from overseas, and has adjusted shipping practices to make this easier.

At Harrogate, Ivory & Co launched a new fashion-forward collection of headpieces and jewellery, focusing on oversized pearls or pearl-only pieces, and positioned to be pricecompetitive. “Our range of speciality pieces – high end tiaras and statement jewellery – was still as popular as ever but feedback from stores was that they loved that they can finally offer great quality products at a lower price point as well.”

When it came to gowns, it was the whimsical, romantic styles in boho blush and champagne colours that proved to be first choice.

“New shops loved that we give access to our dropbox gallery of still life images, as well as inspirational pictures from our amazing photoshoots abroad… in order to make it easy for them to create brilliant and eyecatching content.

And one show vs two? “Having done all the White Gallery / London Bridal events since the first show and having attended Harrogate for many, many years, we can honestly say that these are very different events and that we see entirely different customers.

Whilst a few attend both events, it’s our experience that we mainly see Southern based-shops in London and northern-based shops in Harrogate, and from conversations with stores they’ve communicated to us that if their “local” show was to close they simply wouldn’t travel that distance to the other surviving show.”

Monday was the busiest day for Richard Designs, topping even the success of the opening day of the show, despite seeing few overseas visitors. “We never impose minimum orders so our customers don’t need to worry about negotiating terms with us,” says the company’s Charlotte Brookes. “Retailers were very open and

COLOUR COUNTS Shades of blush are still one of the big trends

Richard Designs Jupon

willing to make an order on the day and careful to choose the right product for their store, but we found that they really committed to the collections and bought in deeply, ready for a busy 2023 season.

“Our statement veils and headpieces were the most popular accessories, with buyers looking for something a little different that they can style with pared-back gowns. The soft, feminine styling of our bridal gowns was very well received, and our satin ballgown bridesmaid dresses were super popular. Our mother of the bride collection was picked up by lots of new stores, as they are looking for a lowcommitment collection to add to their offering for 2023.”

According to Gary Wilkins at Jupon, this Harrogate was not as busy as expected, and the halls seem very quiet for “vast periods of time”.

Monday was the busiest day on the stand with serious buying taking place, and ‘style’ was the in-demand factor. While Gary feels there are more challenges ahead for the industry, which will make change a vital factor, he does believe that the market will continue to be strong.

Jupon shows at the two key events, London and Harrogate, and also many of the smaller shows. “Harrogate has to be the vibe,” he says. New products with a big future include bestsellers – faux fur jackets in bridal white and also in multi colours, extra-long veils with intricate edgings, petticoats and separates.

Rainbow Club reported an increase in orders – footwear was 3% up on last year, while veils, handbags and clips came in at +64%. At Harrogate, Sunday seemed to be busy with browsers, who then returned to place their orders on the Monday and Tuesday.

“Some placed large orders across different styles and sizes to offer variety in their shop,” Richard Marsh reports, while others, he says “were more specific about backing particular styles in a range of sizes, that they were confident would sell well or have previously been bestsellers for them. Overall, they are cautiously optimistic –optimistic about the bridal year ahead, cautious over the economic outlook.” And sandals, pearls, block heels, wide fit and shoe clips are currently stepping out into the limelight.

What gives Rainbow the edge is its stock availability and delivery timescales –the company offers an instock policy on all veils and bestselling shoes, along with one-to-two working day delivery. The company also invests heavily in aspirational lifestyle marketing and produces all the necessary visual support to its retailers.

While Rainbow Club would like to see one show a year, they say it would be hard to suggest the perfect location. “As an accessory company we’re happy to follow the big bridal brands and where the demand and high footfall

A HEAD START Pearls are the key statement-makers at the moment

Q&A

WITH NICOLA BALL OF HALO & CO

Were you as busy/busier than expected?

Even though we felt the show was quieter (which was to be expected with the national mourning and cost of living crisis), serious buyers and good retailers made their way to see our new collection. We have a network of dedicated, loyal stockists who know we can help them add value to their bottom line. So it is in their interest to come and buy from the new collection.

Did you find retailers were cautious in their buying?

Yes, as retailers face the challenge of the current trading conditions, stores were looking for new exciting looks and products that allow them to get healthy mark ups. Most of the stores we talked to said they weren’t looking at taking on new labels or lines but had decided to stick with the brands they currently work with.

Did you receive many questions about minimums?

Most orders were placed by existing retailers who already purchase Halo & Co so it wasn’t a conversation we had. Many of our customers said they struggled to buy the dress labels that had big minimums and welcomed brands that were working with them on staggering deliveries or lowering amounts from each collection.

Where is your collection made and how many collections do you produce a year?

All our products are made in the UK from start to finish in our own workshop. We produce two bridal collections a year.

Did you see many overseas buyers and were they concerned about buying from the UK since Brexit?

The show didn’t pull in many overseas stores from Europe or other markets that we saw. We have many overseas stockists who said they were not visiting the show. Most customers we saw were from UK.

What was most in demand – stylewise, colour-wise, price-wise?

Pearls were very popular, and the most important point retailers mentioned was that they want products which are of great quality and worth the investment. We had a number of budget price points through the collection but to be honest stores wanted more couture pieces. Our stockists know brides are still looking for that British-made quality product and will pay a premium for it.

Do you think that ultimately we should be moving to a once-a-year event as they do in every other country and if so, where should that be – London or Harrogate?

The UK is quite a small market in the number of retailers, especially when you factor in boutiques wanting area or brand exclusivity, so we need a show to bring in more international buyers to make it profitable and sustainable for the suppliers showing. I don’t think overseas buyers would travel twice to the UK for two shows; maybe they would for one if the show can offer something different that they can’t get from other markets.

Location is really difficult. Harrogate is loved by UK buyers, it’s sociable, easy to drive to, cost-effective for accommodation so stores can bring their full team. But on the other hand, it is harder to get to for international buyers. London is expensive and Excel is difficult to get to for many UK stores based in the North. All these questions have been argued over the past decade by the industry. I don’t know what the answer is but ultimately if suppliers don’t generate enough money they won’t continue to show. If the show just brings in new labels and sells more stands it doesn’t fix any of the underlying issues.

NEW YORK DESSY GROUP

EST. 1939