The LondonEdge trade show has reported a dip in attendance this year but said its co-located Ledge event for the street and actionwear industry nearly doubled in size.
 
The second annual edition of LondonEdge was held in Olympia’s National Hall and attracted 160 exhibitors, a drop of 10 compared with its February edition. Its also saw a 15 per cent dip in European attendees, which the organiser blamed on the Euro crisis, but retained UK visitor numbers compared with the last edition. The final figure has not been released.
 
LondonEdge dropped its second show branding, LondonCentral, in favour of plans to revamp the core exhibition with two defined ranges of styles: LondonEdge Fashion and LondonEdge Original.
 
Other features included an Old Music Hall themed catwalk show, a beach lounge, Mister Ducktails Rockabilly Barbers Lounge, live tattooing and hairstyling and Pauls Chop Shop.
 
“LondonEdge Original offered a typically edgy platform for punk, rock 'n' roll and tattoo styles while LondonEdge Fashion was the show for quirky, young, commercial, vintage, retro and kitsch influences,” a show spokesperson said.
 
“The adaption of LondonCentral into LondonEdge Fashion was welcomed warmly by all with buyers happily exploring the plethora of brands available within each section of the show.”
 
The third edition of The Ledge, which was held alongside LondonEdge, attracted 200 brands, nearly double the figure in February. The organiser claimed the result reflected the positive response the show is receiving from the action sports and lifestyle industry.
 
The number of buyers in attendance was also up by almost 50 per cent. Again, a final attendance figure wasn’t released. 
 
A key highlight of The Ledge was the Mini Ramp Competition, which featured two double ramps and skate pros competing for a £5,000 prize. The activity was open to the public for the first time.
 
Another new feature was the Streetwear section housing 50 selected streetwear brands including Dickies, King Apparel and Analogue.
 
LondonEdge and The Ledge return to Olympia from 25 to 27 January 2013.
 
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