Shoreditch, East London

 

It doesn’t take a numerologist to elucidate that ‘thirteen’ is particularly charged when it comes to its mystical qualities and prevalent association with superstition. Yet Jacket Required, the premium menswear trade show, looks to relish the opportunity to redefine the nature of the number of its upcoming edition this summer. What’s luck got to do with it?

 

26 & 27 July, 2017. The Old Truman Brewery, Shoreditch, London. With nearly 300 brands expected to present spring/summer 2018 collections, renowned industry insiders and co-founders Craig Ford and Mark Batista prepare to deal a strong hand of like-minded labels for the must-attend date on the international buying calendar.

 

“From day one, Jacket Required was and is about hosting quality – not quantity. We established the show with 30 exhibitors as a place for buyers and press to meet prominent labels, and provide an opportunity to discover something new,” says Batista. “While each season we welcome further international names across casualwear, tailoring, sportswear, streetwear, denim, footwear, accessories and lifestyle product to strengthen the selection, our selection has always been carefully considered.”

 

Jacket Required is driven by its visitors: the team constantly search for mid to high-level brands suited to the buyers invited to the premium menswear trade show. If a label is relevant to the shops which visit, and the organisers-come-curators believe it is pertinent to those retailers’ loyal customers, it’s welcomed. Just like any successful menswear store, the trade show takes the same approach in assembling an inspiring, balanced selection of brands which will give a point of difference – putting themselves in the right place at the right time.

 

“We launched some six years ago, not long after the recession – Jacket Required never existed in the purported ‘glory days of menswear’,” says Ford. “With the current political and economic climate, it’s all about managing supply and demand. The show is here to serve a certain sector of the industry – stores such as Selfridges, Harrods, Mr Porter, to Urban Outfitters and ASOS, with a wealth of respected independents in between, while also including international territories like Saks in the States and United Arrows in Asia."

 

He continues: "We strive to support brands that have been with us from the beginning while also looking to provide a platform for new talent making waves in menswear. Our family of brands and buyers have all had to adapt and evolve to set themselves apart from the rest. Intuition, endurance, innovation – for those that have chosen to gamble, fortune has favoured the bold.”

 

This summer, Jacket Required will gather together the fortune tellers of fashion, looking 12 months ahead to the styles, trends, fabrics, cuts and colours of the future. In a world built around forecasting and forward planning, nothing is simply left to chance. While there may certainly be an element of sartorial serendipity, the winners in the fashion industry are those taking necessary risks to turn chance circumstance into successful business: the lucky man, makes his own.