How Scoop is redefining the modern buying experience

Fashion buying is about far more than the collections themselves. At Scoop, every conversation, styling session and designer showcase is curated to help buyers discover new ideas, build confidence and make better buying decisions. Returning to Olympia National from 19–21 July, Scoop combines a UK and international edit of premium fashion, accessories and lifestyle collections with industry conversations, expert styling sessions and immersive experiences, creating an environment designed to help retailers make more informed buying decisions.

"The designers will always be at the heart of Scoop," Karen Radley, Founder & Managing Director of Scoop explains. "But buying isn't something that happens in isolation. Every buying decision is influenced by conversations, by seeing how pieces work together, by understanding what's happening elsewhere in Europe and by hearing different perspectives. We've built this season around exactly that."
 

Parisian elegance is represented by names including Vanessa Bruno, Aurege, Minuit Douze and Julie Sion while Spain brings contemporary collections such as Dr Bloom, Sophie + Lucie and Rita Row. Scandinavian labels including Masai and A - View add their signature clean, wearable aesthetic, sitting alongside British designers and an expanding selection of collections from Australia and the United States. Complementing the wider international edit, Scoop's landmark collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) introduces buyers to an exceptional collective of contemporary Italian designers including Ninaleuca, Avant Toi, Angela Caputi, Ripani and Fiorentini + Baker. New discoveries including, JC Sophie, Resume, MRP Star, Alessandra Salvatore and Kore Collections further demonstrate Scoop's continued commitment to championing independent designers with distinctive identities.

"I'm always thinking about balance," says Radley. "You want buyers to recognise names they're excited to see, but you also want them to discover something completely unexpected. The most successful retailers aren't buying the same product as everyone else. They're looking for collections with personality, originality and a genuine story behind them, and that's exactly what Scoop has always tried to champion."

Helping buyers interpret those collections is equally important. Highly respected fashion stylist, Financial Times Fashion columnist and former Selfridges buyer Anna Berkeley returns to host daily Style Spotlights, sharing her own edit of the standout designers, trends and pieces shaping the season. Rather than simply highlighting what's new, the sessions help buyers understand how collections can work together commercially and creatively before they begin writing orders. "I've always believed it's valuable to hear from people who look at fashion differently," says Radley. "Anna has an incredible ability to connect creativity with commerciality. She understands what makes a collection exciting, but also what makes it work in a real retail environment. Buyers really value that perspective."
 

This approach continues with Behind The Curtain, Scoop's live conversation with the buying team from Galeries Lafayette. Hosted by Radley, the discussion brings together Womenswear Buying Manager Fanny Courtade alongside Womenswear Ready-to-Wear Buyers Alice Sordello and Julia Bonnebat to share how one of Europe's most influential department stores identifies emerging trends, evaluates new collections and approaches buying decisions. "For me, those conversations are incredibly important," says Radley. "Our industry has always been built on relationships, but it's also built on sharing knowledge. Buyers rarely have the opportunity to hear how other retailers approach buying, and those insights can be incredibly valuable. If someone leaves Scoop having discovered a brilliant new designer and gained a fresh perspective on their business, then we've achieved exactly what we set out to do."

The same thinking extends across the wider show experience. Dedicated celebrations of French and Italian fashion, carefully curated social moments, live music and Scoop's distinctive circus-inspired setting have all been designed to encourage buyers to slow down, spend time with designers and enjoy the conversations that so often lead to lasting business relationships. "I've never wanted Scoop to feel like rows of exhibition stands," says Radley. "Fashion is emotional. It's creative. It should be inspiring. When people walk through the doors I want them to feel they're stepping into another world, because that's when they're most open to new ideas and new discoveries. The atmosphere is just as carefully curated as the collections."

For Radley, this is what continues to distinguish Scoop. In an increasingly digital marketplace, where collections can be viewed online months before a show opens, bringing buyers, designers and industry experts together, creates something technology simply cannot replicate. "The best buying decisions rarely happen because someone walked past a rail," Radley concludes. "They happen because a conversation sparked an idea, because a buyer saw a designer in a different way, or because they connected with the person behind the collection. This is what Scoop is really about. We bring together exceptional collections, but we also create an environment where people can discover, learn and leave feeling genuinely excited about the season ahead."