Attire Accessories - Nov/Dec 2018 (Issue 73)

76 Variety is the spice of life Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring will focus on variety and quality as the main themes of the show, with fashion accessory, craft and jewellery exhibitors aplenty Renowned for its huge range of innovative exhibitors, Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring is brimming with interesting fashion accessory, jewellery and craft exhibitors that will captivate buyers from Scotland, the rest of the UK and beyond. Taking place at the SEC in Glasgow, this show encourages and attracts new and young talent. Notable exhibitors at next year’s show include in the Launch Gallery, Silver Sparrow Jewellery and Botanic Isles, while also new to the show are Sophie’s Wild Woollens, Channel Jumpers, Strathurie Scotland, Borjesson Handskar, Doris and Dude, High Tide Jewellery and Madaraff Bags. The Craft Gallery, run in conjunction with Craft Scotland, is a key feature of the show and showcases some stylish, high-quality craft accessory producers such as BAKKA from Shetland, Carla Edwards, Warped Textiles and Michael James Hunter, which appeal to high-end retailers and galleries. The quality of producers has risen markedly over the 11 years since Springboard Events started running the show. The feedback from visitors last year centred on how inspired they were with many of the products – not just the quality of the products but also the packaging and the way many marketing-savvy exhibitors presented themselves. It seems that the fine summer weather has brought a rise in tourist numbers to Scotland and, with them, an increase in retail spend, especially in hotspots such as the North Coast 500 route, the Isle of Skye and Edinburgh. For many buyers, Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring is the first chance to order 2019 ranges, and among the established show exhibitors are Sea Gems, Eribe Knitwear, Bronte, Ladycrow Silks, Jules Jules, Gracie J jewellery, Berber Leather and Snow Paw. January’s show is not just about the exhibitors, though – there will be a busy programme of workshops, talks and seminars in the Seminar Theatre, including Visual Merchandising from ex-House of Fraser merchandiser Lynda Murray, Ian Retallick giving advice to small retailers on how to succeed against the big boys, a social media workshop from Liz Melville and Visit Scotland talking about how to capture the tourist market. The highly popular Best Product Awards will also be a key feature, with judges including Rhona Henderson from Gretna Green and Julie Pearson from Cloudberry. Karen Shand from Proposals in Callander said: “This is a great show – well laid out and with a good mix of companies. We always place many orders with both existing and some new names. One of the main strengths of the show is being able to bring new commercial talent to the market place – and each year, you manage this – we buyers always need new inspiration!” Mark Saunders, Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring show director, said, “The 2019 show looks set to have the most diverse and innovative range of exhibitors ever. We hope to have products that will appeal to all fashion and accessory retailers, be they big or small.” Who: Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring, scotlandstradefairs.co.uk What: A curated collection of exhibitors showcasing the best in fashion accessories Where: SEC Glasgow When: 20 th -22 nd January, 2019