Show news Fashion trade show updates to keep you ahead of the crowd TOP DRAWER LONDON WELCOMES ROKA AS HEADLINE SPONSOR Top Drawer S/S26 will welcome ROKA London as its Headline Registration Sponsor, placing the B-Corp certified brand at the very start of every visitor journey. From registration through to the show floor, ROKA London will be impossible to miss, culminating in one of the most ambitious and innovative stand concepts the show has seen to date. Rejecting the traditional polished showroom, ROKA London is unveiling a live buying workstation designed entirely around how retailers actually source. Raw, tactile and warehouse inspired, the stand invites buyers to touch, feel, compare and plan with product in volume, rather than vie in wing single posed samples on a wall perfectly encapsulating Top Drawer’s mission to FAST FWD to Design through to. Built using recycled wood and modular components, the stand has been developed in collaboration with The Better Trends Co. and reflects ROKA London’s commitment to sustainability, longevity and purposeful design. As Headline Registration Sponsor, ROKA London is also using its presence to give back to the Top Drawer community. New buyers visiting the stand will be invited to engage with interactive incentives designed to spark conversation rather than pressure, including playful moments of discovery and product trial. Existing partners will be offered forward order incentives on A/W26 ranges, alongside opportunities to explore categories they may not yet stock. Every touchpoint has been designed to feel human, generous, and rooted in connection, not hard sell. www.rokalondon.com ENTER PITCH LIVE AT AUTUMN FAIR AND GET YOUR BRAND ON THE MAP For an emerging brand, getting a foot in the door with retail buyers can feel like shouting into a crowded room. Pitch Live at Autumn Fair 2026 offers something different: a stage, a spotlight, and a room full of people whose job it is to spot what comes next. With entries closing in just a week, past winners are urging newcomers not to let the deadline slip by, having watched a single pitch reshape the direction of their business. For anyone building a gift, fashion, interiors or kids’ brand, Pitch Live is a useful case study in what a pitching competition can deliver beyond the trophy. What is Pitch Live at Autumn Fair 2026? Pitch Live is a live pitching competition at Autumn Fair, run in partnership with co.lective and Retail Huddle, giving emerging brands a direct platform to pitch to retail buyers, industry judges and fellow exhibitors rather than hoping to be noticed on a stand alone. Autumn Fair 2026 runs 6 to 9 September at the NEC Birmingham, with Pitch Live staged across the first three mornings on the Counter Talks Stage. What do Pitch Live winners receive? Beyond pitching to this panel, category winners receive a threeday pop-up with co.lective, a PR and brand strategy consultation with Sharon Good, and a contribution towards a 3m² stand at Autumn Fair or Spring Fair 2027, a package that, as Duvall and Robinson’s experiences show, tends to outlast the stage time itself. Visit the Pitch Live stage to see the brands compete for the win – and get inspired to apply for Spring Fair’s edition of the competition! www.autumnfair.com ON WITH THE SHOW 11
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