Harrogate set for a fashion comeback as new trade show is announced

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Feb 26, 2018

Harrogate used to be an important destination for many fashion brands and buyers in the 1980s, and the city is gearing up to return to its former glory this year with the launch of a new two-day trade show for the fashion industry.

Harrogate Fashion Week will be the first fashion trade show to be held in the spa town in over 15 years, ending a dry period after the move of many buying events to Birmingham in 2001.

The event is being planned by renowned organiser Wendy Adams, who has run The Harrogate Bridal Show, the largest bridal trade show in Europe, for over 32 years. She also built up The Flooring Show at the Harrogate Convention Centre, with the event becoming the UK’s national flooring event.

The industry has showed “an overwhelming response” to the new fashion trade show, which aims to become a platform for independent brands and retailers by offering affordable stand prices.

“With difficult times on the high street making exhibiting less profitable for brands and agents, we want to launch a new type of event where our main consideration is to keep the stand prices low without compromising on the buyers experience,” comments Wendy Adams.

“The stand packages are competitively priced from just £900 to make sure Harrogate Fashion Week works for all our exhibitors.”

The event will be held at the Convention Centre, which is also home to many trade shows including The Harrogate Bridal Show, Home and Gift and Tip-ex.

“The Convention Centre provides an extensive exhibition space in the centre of the spa town with plenty of room for the show to grow as it puts its stamp, once again, on the fashion trade industry. With so much to offer, it’s the best placed exhibition venue for mixing business with pleasure, right in the heart of the town, with a vibrant mix of restaurants and bars for after hours networking, creating a high energy and vibrant atmosphere for visitors to enjoy for the duration of the exhibition,” said Adams.

The event’s website is expected to launch in the next few days ahead of the upcoming show on 29-30 July.