Over 1000 womenswear, young fashion, footwear and accessories brands are showcasing their forward-order SS14 and short-order AW13 collections at the three-day event, organised by i2i Events and taking place at London Olympia.

Brands exhibiting at the show agreed that the recent spell of hot weather has helped to boost the general feeling in the trade and encouraged buyers to buy deeper in to high summer styles for the next spring/summer season.

Mason Young, UK sales and marketing manager for Brazilian flip-flop brand Ipanema said: “We have had a really good show and have already opened lots of new accounts.

“The hot weather has meant that we are also getting lots of requests for short-order stock for immediate deliveries as well as people forward-ordering for next spring/summer.”

Lorena Raymond, commercial director of French directional womenswear brand Lollipops added: “We have been really bust and have already made lots of new contacts and taken lots of orders. We are excited to see what the rest of the show holds.”

Buyers also agreed that the show had a good buzz about it on its opening day. Sally Heath head of multichannel product and trend at young fashion retailer New Look said: “I think people are starting to feel a lot more positive about trade.

“Spirit seems to get better and better every season and Pure London is, once again, the only show to visit for womenswear in the UK.”

As well as all the brands exhibiting their latest collections, the first day of the show also featured a packed programme of informative seminars and trend-led catwalks.

One of the highlights was a session on what makes a successful buying strategy with Alexandra Stylianidis, owner of STYL Consulting and former head buyer of accessories and jewellery at Liberty London, who was interviewed on stage by Drapers & Retail Week stores editor John Ryan.

Additionally buyers were treated to a what to buy session with Ian Wright, fashion director of industry bible Drapers, who shared his top tips on what to buy for the SS14 season.

Elsewhere, away from the seminars, young fashion brand Ruby Rocks treated visitors to a musical performance from pop star Javine Hylton on the Spirit catwalk.

After her performance, Hylton shared her thoughts on the show and her own personal style. She said she had been impressed with the collections she had seen at Pure London. “I am usually a jeans and t-shirt girl but I do like to glam it up when I am performing. Ruby Rocks has some great pieces for AW13 and I especially like the giant bird of prey dress and the eastern peacock blazer.

“I love the bright colours that they use and the patterns,” she added.

Pure London