Wholesale meetings get tenser as margins shrink and egos do not
London Fashion Buyers Now Negotiate Like Hostage Situations
Wholesale season in London has always had a whiff of theatre, but this year the buyers arrived with the energy of people negotiating a prisoner exchange rather than a coat order. Margins are thin, footfall is patchy, and every showroom conversation now opens with a sigh before a single garment is discussed.
Designers say the buyers want exclusivity, flexible payment terms and a personal apology for inflation. Buyers say the designers want the same money for less fabric. Somewhere in the middle, actual clothes are apparently still being sold.
What is clear is that London retail has not lost its nerve, just its patience. For more from the showroom floor, see Roper Penberthys reporting at The London Prat.