Source Fashion has opened its biggest responsible sourcing show yet in London with exhibitors from around the world embracing new ways of sourcing, collaborating and growing.
The event marked a new chapter for the United Kingdom’s leading responsible sourcing show at Excel London.
According to the organisers, this edition of the show reflects the changing priorities of the global fashion industry. Buyers and manufacturers were seeking more resilient, transparent and commercially agile supply chains.
A variety of UK-based and international retailers, brands and buyers attended the show. Buyers from Burberry, Caroline Gardiner, and French Connection, non-retail buying organisations including Abbey Road Studio, British Airways, and Marriot. International visitors from Zalando, EJ Menswear and Main Rose among others were registered to attend the event.
More than 300 exhibitors from 19 countries were showcasing their apparel at the show. Buyers had access to an expanded network of audited suppliers offering apparel, textiles, trims, manufacturing services and material innovation, all under one roof.
This season marked the arrival of several new countries to broaden buyer’s manufacturing options. The first Vietnamese Pavillion joined the show alongside representation from Mauritius, Indonesia, Jordan and Eygpt. The introduction of the countries met buyer demand for more diverse and resilient sourcing strategies.
Highlights included premium knitwear manufacturing businesses through Egypt's partnership with the UN Women's programme and expanded sourcing opportunities across Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Source organisers said rather than relying on traditonal sourcing markets, buyers were increasingly building more balanced supplier networks that combine established manufacturing regions with emerging production destinations offering specialist capability, flexibility and resilience.
The show also had guest speakers to discuss the challenges that were reshaping fashion sourcing including OMNES Chief Executive Jordan Razavi, Sourcing Journal Editor-in-Chief Jasmin Malik Chua, and Euromonitor International Senior Global Insight Manager Maguerite Le Rolland. They discussed how artificial intelligence, nearshoring, supply chain resilience, regulation, and British manufacturing were reshaping sourcing decisions, giving buyers practical insight into commercial challenges and opportunities facing the industry today.
Live features at the show included Fashion Deconstructed and award-winning charity Neuthread demonstrated responsible sourcing.
Source Fashion Event Director Suzanne Ellingham said buyers were looking for trusted partners, greater flexibility and the confidence to build supply chains that were resilient, responsible and commercially sustainable for the long term.
