Feature
How did Scoop get started?
I come from a fashion background. Third
generation in fashion, manufacturing and
retailing – always focusing on premium
and contemporary designers. For many
years I felt there should be a smaller,
niche designer trade show and Scoop
was born…I launched in February 2011
with just eight weeks preparation and it
still gives me the same joy as when I first
started.
Inside
Scoop
With a recent acquisition by ITE
Group, these are exciting times
for niche fashion event Scoop.
EN caught up with founder Karen
Radley to learn more
What kind of audience does the
show attract?
Scoop attracts buyers from across the UK
and internationally including premium
department stores such as Harvey
Nichols, Harrods and Net-A-Porter
well as independent boutiques such as
The Hambledon, The Dressing Room,
Precious London, Jules B and Young
Ideas. We also see buyers travel from
Ireland each season from stores such as
Olori and Arnotts. Each designer at Scoop
is handpicked to create a unique selection
of womenswear clothing, footwear,
accessories and lifestyle labels to meet
buyer’s needs. The exclusive sought-after
edit of established fashion collections and
emerging international designers sees
with 40 designers exhibiting. Scoop’s
SS20 edition saw 250 designers from
both the UK and internationally exhibit.
Our visitor base has grown dramatically
with Scoop firmly placed on the buying
calendar. With a wider ITE fashion
portfolio immediate changes have
included complimentary taxis between
Scoop and Pure London at Olympia
London, which has been welcomed and
widely used by visitors.
How did the most recent event go?
many selecting Scoop as their only trade
platform.
What makes it different from other
trade shows?
Scoop is unique to any other trade event
in Europe as it is set in one of London’s
most contemporary art galleries, The
Saatchi Gallery. With an impressive
line-up of the finest premium collections,
Scoop is famed for its unique aesthetic
and offers visitors a unique and bespoke
buying environment to discover a host of
the new season collections.
We celebrated a highly successful show
with buyers and retailers attending from
across the UK and Europe. Exclusivity is
at the heart of Scoop’s luxury offering,
giving visitors access to designers, labels
and collections unavailable anywhere
else. This season we had over 250 hand-
picked UK and international designer
collections who showed their new
collections, many using Scoop as their
only seasonal selling platform.
This season we also collaborated with
designer by Ratti S.p.A. Como to pay
homage to this year’s fabulous Met Gala
in New York, ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’.
The stunning vibrant print was seen as a
backdrop to the show.
Why the Saatchi Gallery?
The Saatchi Gallery is one of London’s
coolest art galleries in the heart of
Chelsea. The gallery presents a wonderful
opportunity to exhibit contemporary
designer collections against the backdrop
of a contemporary artistic venue – each
season presents a wonderful challenge
to curate Scoop‘s designers around
iconic work. The show prides itself on
developing a wonderful atmosphere
where serious orders are written in a
creative curated setting. I believe fashion
runs hand in hand with art, so the gallery
was an obvious choice. The galleries
within the Saatchi lend themselves well
to exhibiting collections, when you turn
every corner there is a surprise for our
visitors!
How has it evolved since launching
in 2011?
Our first show was in February 2011
44 — September
What are the plans for the Old
Billingsgate edition?
For one season only, Scoop in the City
will be taking over Old Billingsgate
Market, London for the February 2020
edition of the show as the Saatchi Gallery
hosts an exhibition of 150 original
artefacts from Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Taking place on 9 – 11 February 2020, the
beautiful building will be dramatically
transformed into a fashion destination
for AW20/21 collections.
What does the future hold for the
show?
Scoop will continue to be the must-visit
show for premium UK and international
buyers from both independent boutiques
and department stores. Every season the
exhibition at the gallery changes and so
does Scoop, always refreshed with an
element of surprise. EN