A strength of the INDX Woman selling event is its predictability. Serious independent buyers turn up, put down sensible orders and leave the clothing, footwear and accessory exhibitors feeling largely satisfied.
This week’s three-day gathering (Sunday-Tuesday, 21-23 July) followed the usual pattern, with around 600 buyers registered to view the spring-summer 25 collections of just over 100 exhibitors. To no one’s surprise, given trading conditions, footfall was slightly down on recent editions but any comments about this from exhibitors tended to be merely observations rather than complaints.
Despite the laughably bad spring-summer weather this year, buyers seemed to be adopting a Scarlett O’Hara-style optimism (“Tomorrow is another day”), viewing the first half of 2025 as a fresh opportunity to entice consumers to part with their cash.
The team from Austins of Newton Abbott: Julie King, Paul Lewis, Sarah Spiceley and David Austin.
“Rain, more rain and cold weather has made the current season quite demanding, but our overall business has been more or less as usual,” reported David Austin, managing director of Austins of Newton Abbot, Devon, the independent department store that celebrated its centenary in March. “I would say it’s been a ‘coffee and lipstick’ season as transactions in our coffee shop and cosmetics have been well up, rather than in fashion. But we‘ve still been selling plenty of Chesca dresses at £300, so people still do have money.
“Big brands like White Stuff and Seasalt have also sold very well with us. As we did not over-buy for this spring our stocks are right down. We will continue to look at more in-season brands for spring 2025 rather than forward ordering.”
John McElhinney of McElhinneys of Ballybofey, County Donegal with womenswear buyers Elizabeth Burnett and Sarah Scott.
Also enjoying good trading is the McElhinneys department store in Ballybofey, County Donegal in the Irish Republic. Owner John McElhinney was back at INDX Woman for the first time since before COVID, accompanied by two of his womenswear buyers, Elizabeth Burnett and Sarah Scott. The trio spent Sunday and Monday at the event.
“The weather has not been ideal but we are a destination store and people travel a long way to shop with us,” he said. “We attend lots of shows because we are always looking for something new, something that will give our customers a reason to buy. We have found a couple of new suppliers here but we know INDX Woman is not the most fashion-forward show, so there is not a lot we won’t see at other UK shows or in showrooms in Dublin.”
Johanna Petty of Peony & Mint is enjoying having a shop instead of selling online.
Also on the hunt for new suppliers was Johanna Petty, who opened her shop Peony and Mint in Swinfen, Lichfield, Staffordshire in October last year after running an online business for nine years. She stocks commercially-successful Scandinavian brands like B Young, Fransa, Only and Pulz.
“I am finding having a shop is so much better than being online. That was fine until the COVID lockdown, when everyone went online and it became so hard to achieve sales,” she remarked. “The weather made spring-summer trade not what I wanted but I’ve kept selling throughout and I haven’t gone into Sale yet.”
Among exhibitors, there was the usual praise for the set-up at INDX Woman, which is organised the AIS buying group and is held at its Cranmore Park exhibition centre in Solihull. There are about 100 members in the group, typically regional independent department stores, but the event is open to any bona-fide non-AIS retailers.
Vernon Etridge-Beech, showing Italian collection Avolto, said This show gives you bang for your buck.
Agent Vernon Etridge-Beech was showing Avolto, an Italian linen-based collection with printed dresses retailing at £45-£85, for the first time. A veteran of the INDX shows with other collections, he wants to deal with AIS members on a concession basis and was pleased by the opportunities presented.
“This show is about getting bang for your buck. The stores I want to deal with are here,” he asserted. “I am turning away smaller independents who want to buy wholesale because I work on a concession model. AIS stores typically have an amazing plethora of brands because they have a unique offer in their locations. There’s no way I am going to get a concession for a new brand in John Lewis, but I can with AIS stores.”
He added that buyers he’d spoken with were in a good mood and optimistic about next spring although, like many exhibitors, he noted footfall was relatively slow on Sunday and Monday.
This season’s date clash between INDX Woman and the Home & Gift Buyers Festival show in Harrogate was mentioned by several exhibitors as having impacted attendance. One company managing to show at both was Surrey-based Signare, which specialises in tapestry bags featuring licensed characters like Paddington and Peter Rabbit.
Mia Reeve of first-time exhibitor Signare was pleased to meet new customers.
Two senior directors were in Harrogate while business development manager Mia Reeve and a colleague were in the Midlands. “The clash is not ideal but you have to work round it. This is our first time here. We were a last-minute booking but it’s been worthwhile. By Monday lunchtime we’d opened five accounts with people we didn’t know, which is what we are here for,” Reeve said.
On the Jessica Graaf stand, agent Irene Douglas and MD Raman Shorey.
Back for the first time in many years was Dublin-based Jessica Graaf, an inexpensive womenswear brand aimed at the more mature womenswear consumer, a category well looked after by many AIS members. Managing director Raman Shorey praised the event: “This is so different from the old days when only AIS members were allowed in. It’s a nice, relaxed show, very customer-friendly, which it makes it easy to sell.”
His 35 sq m stand was one of the largest at the event but it is small compared to the 50-60 sq m the company takes at the Harrogate Fashion Week and Moda at the NEC, two of INDX Woman’s direct rivals in what is a crowded womenswear fair schedule.
Agent Ward Mann was showing Dutch accessory brand Bart’s.
Another first-time exhibitor was Bart’s Amsterdam, which was showing a mix of woven hats and bags and beachwear clothing. New UK agent Ward Mann is very familiar with INDX Man, the menswear event that runs at Cranmore Park one week earlier. Last week he attended with the Blend, Casual Friday and FG1924 menswear ranges, all part of the DK Company stable.
“We’ve had a good reaction to Bart’s, especially to anything with colour in it,” he said. “”NDX Woman is a good platform because the AIS-type stores are all local heroes with a positive reputation, but I’d say INDX Man has a better profile because for menswear there really is only it and the IMC buying group event for the sector. The womenswear brands have more options and can be seen at more shows, so maybe don’t pay as much time to presentation here.”
Lesley Southgate and Tiina Korpela on the stand of first-time exhibitor, Aïno of Finland.
Lesley Southgate of the Joanna Edwards Agency, which was at the event for the first time with a Spanish collection called Argiddo and one called Aïno from Finland, noted INDX Woman attracts buyers not seen at the London fairs. “What’s nice is that I am seeing customers that I don’t already know,” she said, ” and also they are serious buyers. You don’t get the onlookers here.”
Simon Lomond of Brighton-based Pretty Vacant: “Buyers are stoical about the trading conditions.”
Also pleased with the response to the new collection was Brighton-based Pretty Vacant, a vintage-inspired sustainable range, which was at the show for the third time. “Footfall has been slower than usual, but that was to be expected after a difficult season,” said Simon Lomond, “but buyers come here to buy. I’d say most are stoical about the trading conditions.”
The season’s event brought together 64 clothing exhibitors, 25 showing accessories and 19 footwear specialists. Among the attendees were Elphicks of Farnham, Facy of Henley, Jarrold of Norwich and Ulster Stores from the AIS membership, plus significant independents like The Dressing Room in St. Albans and Black Diamond Boutique in Hinckley, Leicestershire.
In 2025, INDX Woman will be held on Sunday and Monday, 29-30 January and Sunday-Tuesday 20-22 July.
