Workwear on the catwalk

- Published: 23 August, 2007

Workwear is to be in the spotlight as part of a new two-day exhibition.

The NEC in Birmingham plays host to many exhibitons, with the annual Clothes Show as one of the most glamorous. This year, it will be hosting a new event, unrelated to the Clothes Show, still featuring catwalks and models, but focussed on slightly more practical clothing.

The Workwear and Corporate Clothes Show is the result of a newly formed partnership between Ocean Evens and director-e, a textile and marketing consultancy. The show will feature workwear, corporate clothing and uniforms paraded on the catwalk and will host around 100 stands, the organisers predict.

The exhibition will be dedicated to senior buyers, specifiers and suppliers working in the working garment industry and will take place at the NEC on 2-3 April 2008.

Worth an estimated £430m in the UK, the corporate clothing, workwear and personal protection equipment (PPE) industry makes around 32m garments every year. In spite of the industry's stature, there is no dedicated exhibition for buyers to source the latest developments in clothing and equipment. Working with the workwear and clothing industry's key bodies and influencers, the show is being designed to be an image conscious and comprehensive event for suppliers and buyers of workwear clothing.

The two-day exhibition will feature a giant exhibition area, catwalk shows devised and staged by international choreographer Debbie Astell.