Brick Lane, in London’s East End, was a flurry of activity as Just Around the Corner, founded by Juls Dawson, opened its doors for the London AW23 edition (8-9 February), with the first day coinciding with a visit by King Charles and Camilla to a mosque on an adjoining site.
Attendance numbers at the show broke all previous records, with Juls confirming:“Our new Lifestyle and Beauty zone debuted at the show, with brands showcasing jewellery, gifting, home fragrance, skincare and men’s grooming, and was an area which created a lot of attention. It’s a zone which we definitely see having growth in upcoming seasons. We had the specialist buyers for these categories, although, of course, there is so much relevance to our existing fashion buyers’ remits, as retail environments now cross over from fashion into these categories and vice versa.”
Continued Juls: “Several of our brands also had the support of the Danish Embassy, Spanish Footwear Federation and French Consulate and were grouped together in the respective ‘pavilions’ creating a focus for brands from our European neighbours. We also launched our Together zone, which housed brands that were genderless or dual gender, reflecting the change in consumer buying patterns.”
Visitors included key retailers spanning, New Look, Morleys, Slaters, Fenwick, Hoopers, Debenhams, Urban Outfitters and ASOS. A myriad of indies included retailers from as far afield as the Orkneys, along with The Dulwich Trader (Dulwich), Fox and Feather (Bristol), Choice (Multiple), De Gruchy (Jersey), Denny of Southwold, Doodie Stark (Horsham), Kit Lifestyle (Broadstairs), Burrows and Hare (Oxford), D Solos (Crystal Palace), Mainline Menswear (online), Energy (Stamford), G23/Porters (Harrogate), Fifty 5a (Totnes), Museum of London and Jarrolds (Norwich).
The event spanned the entire first floor of the Truman Brewery, tripling its footprint on the previous edition as exhibitor numbers increased to x140. Each stand was provided with 50% more floorspace, giving the show an airy, considered feel.
Praise was received for the logical layout of several zones through interconnecting rooms around the perimeter of the building, encircling a central room where the lounge and complimentary food/coffees were provided.
Visit www.justaroundthecorner.co.uk
Top: Lewis Davis, joint founder of Candlemeleon, (shortlisted in the Gift of the Year 2023 competition) was among the exhibitors in the new Lifestyle & Beauty zone at Just Around The Corner (JATC).
