Europe's newest responsible sourcing show, Source Fashion, continued connecting fashion sourcing professionals and discussing the value of transparency in the industry.
Attendees from leading brands and retailers such as Asos, M&S, Urban Outfitters, and many more came to participate.
"This is now the third time I've exhibited at Source Fashion. We've been here from the beginning, and Source has always been good to us. We've had some really quality clients show up, whether Nobody's Child with Sir Tom Singh or Touker from Dragon's Den," said Exhibitor Vijay Ahuja, owner of ASU Clothing.
"We've met some excellent contacts this year, and now it's up to us to work hard and make something out of it, but we've had some huge brands come by, and that's what we wanted."
Jack Stratten from Insider Trends discussed the importance of retail transparency, presenting case studies of brands to showcase the value of storytelling.
According to Stratten, transparency is the new normal, and there is a direct correlation between how transparent a brand is and how much consumers trust it. He highlighted how brands like Peggy Porschen and Flaming Estate have established a strong brand identity that allows them to sell anything.
Delving into UK Manufacturing, Editor in Chief of The Industry Fashion, Lauretta Roberts, moderated a discussion on the opportunities and challenges of returning to more domestic fashion supply chains with Rosemary Moore, founder of Maxxam Textiles, and Simon Platts, CEO and Founder of Recomme.
"There are two major issues, overproduction and overconsumption, and the UK is perfect for dealing with overproduction. If you want to spend your time chasing a cheap needle around the world, then switch off now; if you want to understand how you can be agile, reduce your markdown, and reduce your inventory, then you can understand how you can make a good margin through transparency," said Platts.
Ian Bell, EMEA Manager at Kornitx, hosted 'Maximise margins and profitability: break free and liberate your supply chain', which focused on unlocking the potential of margins and profitability with Kornit's comprehensive global fulfilment network.
In the "Breaking the Cycle" session with Pretty Lavish, SATCol discussed developments in Fibersort technology and how to get supplies back into the supply chain.
Another session, "Closing the Loop," discussed how fashion marketplaces can contribute to the circular economy and that educating consumers is vital to breaking the cycle of overconsumption.
"It's been another fascinating, eye-opening, and inspirational day. We've welcomed some of the world's most recognised brands and retailers to the show and opened up a whole new arena in responsible sourcing for them – it highlights the need for our show," said Suzanne Ellingham, Director of Source Fashion.
The content programme also delivered solid practical solutions for businesses and brilliant insights into the future of responsible fashion production and retailing.
