With Moda AW16 less than two weeks away, the show’s organisers have revealed a host of new features as the show welcomes a refreshed format for the autumn edition.
The show – which takes place at NEC Birmingham from 21-23 February 2016 – has realigned each of its product sectors, and has introduced several new platforms across the exhibition in line with the evolving industry.
Making its debut this season, Outdoor Lifestyle will host collections for outdoor living, bringing together aspirational styling and performance attributes with a strong focus on heritage design.
The development is accompanied by a new, unisex border between Gent and Woman which will allow lifestyle labels to showcase their entire collections without the limit of show borders. Moda Gent will also evolve its offer for autumn, with new additions joining established young fashion labels to increase the show’s focus on contemporary casual brands.
“Demand from exhibitors wanting to show both men’s and women’s collections on the same stand has been growing for several seasons, something which Moda can now take account of with a new border between Moda Gent and Moda Woman,” said Nick Cook, portfolio director of show organiser ITE Moda. “This new area allows us both to address demand from existing exhibitors and bring in new names who want to showcase the full range in one location.”
Over in Moda Woman, the focus is on contemporary, in-season fashion with the launch on brand new area Moda Loves, as Moda Loves sales manager Sam Chambers explained:
“The fashion sector has evolved over recent years, and topping up mid-season is more popular than ever with womenswear buyers. We introduced Moda Loves in response to this, offering buyers the chance to respond quickly to trends and buy fast fashion alongside their forward order collections, helping them to remain firmly on the pulse of spring at the same time as looking ahead to autumn.”
Elsewhere, Moda Lingerie & Swimwear will move into its own hall, adopting a more intimate setting for dedicated sector-buying, while maintaining the convenience of its adjacency with Moda Woman and Accessories. Buyers can also discover the latest in new talent and niche lingerie labels with the welcome return of the Boutique platform.
Within Moda Footwear, the arrival of Boutique will showcase directional, contemporary women’s brands, while Moda Accessories boasts a revised layout including new adjacencies with womenswear for increased efficiency of cross-sector buying. On-trend collections will be showcased alongside in-season womenswear collections, while contemporary designs will be adjacent to complementary collections in directional womenswear area Moda White. Millinery will relocate to a new position alongside Moda Noir, maximising the potential of the synergy between occasionwear and the industry’s leading hat labels.