The popular Manchester-based sportswear brand left hundreds of bargain hunters queuing for hours to be unleashed into a fashion brawl last weekend, if you missed out on the action or have not seen the viral TikTok’s, here is what you missed!
The Manchester-born brand ‘Adanola’ announced they were holding a sample sale on the weekend of the 25th and 26th of February at the Love Factory, Manchester City Centre. And of course, fans went wild! The sample sale sold new and unavailable products from their successful sportswear online website, with up to 70% discounts! If you've done as little as opened your Instagram app over the course of the past, let's say… three months, you'll have spotted Adanola. You might not realise it, but Adanola has been there.
Here is a little information about the influencer-adored activewear brand… Launched in 2015, Adanola balance style and functionality as their performance wear works just as well in the gym as it does on the street. Their minimalist designs and muted colour palette include lots of bra tops and legging coordinates, bomber jackets and super soft hoodies.
The crux of Adanola's success is simple. Every single item on site matches the next. A capsule athleisure wardrobe, if you will – where each piece matches every other and the majority of your pre-existing wardrobe. And that's what they champion. The average woman will wear just 20% of her wardrobe 80% of the time, but Adanola's tonal collections push us in the sartorial direction of a wardrobe filled entirely with clothes we'll actually wear.
“We’re committed to creating quality, durable activewear that lasts for a long time as well as staple fashion pieces design
ed to become wardrobe essentials as versatile as your lifestyle," Adanola says. “Our production runs
are small and considered to avoid any waste, we’d rather sell out and bring back a style our community loves.”
With over 420 thousand Instagram followers and 82 thousand followers on TikTok, it is evident that Adanola’s supportive community is on the rise. With influencer collaborations with Molly Mae and Jess Hunt promoting the athleisure brand to millions of trend-following Gen Z females, it is no doubt that the sample sale was going to be busy…
Adanola’s first-ever sample sale event took place last Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th of February, 10 am – 4 pm at The Engine Hall in Spinningfields. They advertised the best deals that their customers have ever seen and even offered an extra special gift to the first 50 attendees!
The shopping experience was soundtracked by a live DJ and free fresh coffee was waiting for all attendees after their long-awaited queuing experience! Although that does sound idyllic, discounted clothing, music and coffee, the event was not quite what attendees had in mind…
Like myself, many excited fans of the brand travelled from different areas of the country, to arrive in Manchester to be greeted with 5-hour queues and many irritated bargain hunters. I have been a long supporter of the brand since I discovered Adanola during the COVID lockdown and since then have been a lover of all things athleisure wear. After seeing the sample sale advertised across their Instagram platform, I planned to attend the sample sale on Saturday 26th February. I woke up extremely early and travelled from Leeds to Manchester Piccadilly Station via train and arrived at the event location at approx. 8:45, over 2 hours before the event began… When I arrived, I was greeted with a queue over a mile long with an estimated wait of 4 hours. Disappointed yet not surprised, I stuck it up and queued with my friends for just under 3 hours until we were eventually let inside the event. After a long wait of built-up excitement and anticipation, we stepped foot into the event, and it was carnage!
Crowds of inpatient bargain hunters filled the room and scrambled for garments. Items of clothing were disbursed all over the floor and empty rails and hangers were all that remained. Viral TikTok videos saw crowds of shoppers pushing one another out of the way in a bid to swipe the items they wanted. Although videos of sample sale hauls were uploaded by lucky shoppers, the majority of videos showcased the harsh reality of the event.
“I queued for 3 and a half hours today and left with absolutely nothing. I couldn’t believe how unorganised it was” said @AmberLeigh. @Antoniaduffin also commented on a viral TiKTok stating, “We queued from 8:40 am and there was not any decent stuff that people want, like popular colour ways or styles etc. No hoodies or ‘ada”.
In the clip, which now has over 147k views, the user added that the “queue was a mile long” and that “every time a new box of stuff came out, people were literally fighting and pushing.”
Some attendees stated that the turnout of the event was a result of the success and popularity of the brand, however, other attendees argued that this is no excuse! TikTok users continued the debate online writing “This is awful. They should have made it a ticketed event or closed it while they restock and then opened entry. Shocking.” - @JustLotte.
After witnessing the chaos of the event, I too agree that this event was rather unorganised. As an avid supporter of the brand, I will reconsider attending future sample sales if there is no ticket process included. Adanola has yet to comment on the negative backlash of the event that took place last weekend. However, let's hope they gain the trust back of their supporting shoppers and plan a safer, more organised sample sale in the upcoming warmer months…
(Images from TikTok)
Leave a comment below about how you thought the sample sale went and how you think Adanola could improve their future events!
Mia x
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