PARIS — With the lingerie market, especially in Europe, still in the doldrums, exhibitors at the recent Mode City and Interfilière sister trade shows here were putting an increased focus on swimwear.
“Swimwear is becoming a strategic axe for brands, pushing the salon, and the industry, forward,” said Marie-Laure Bellon-Homps, chief executive officer of Eurovet, which organizes both events, held from July 5 to 7 at the Portes de Versailles exhibition center.
Mode City registered a 0.5 percent drop in visitors to 15,330, while textile fair Interfilière saw a 5 percent decline, to 10,501.
Many buyers cited flat or lower budgets, although those operating in the high-end segment reported stronger business trends.
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“If you manage to stand out, noticeably with good advice and high-end products, you can still succeed,” said Florence Scarletti, director of Cannes, France-based boutique Maria Lingerie, lauding the new bright colors from Wacoal and Freya.
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At Wacoal, a change in positioning was tangible. From January next year, the company’s European operations, including the Eveden Group brands acquired in 2012, will be merged into a new structure, Wacoal Europe Ltd.
It will incorporate a streamlined offer for the core Wacoal brand, with design teams in Europe and the U.S. working together for the first time to create a single, broader collection, Wacoal Europe chief executive officer Tracy Lewis explained.
Its Marquise lace collection, which offers a variety of different shapes, was selling well in a bright green shade, priced from 55 to 86 euros, or $74.40 to $116.33, at retail for a set.
Melanie Mitchell, head of intimate apparel and lifestyle for U.K.-based flash-sale Web site Secretsales.com, said the offer on show was strong, and cited Melissa Odabash, winner of the Paris Capitale de la Création Swimwear Designer of the Year award, among top collections. “Our customer loves it,” she said.
Top-selling Odabash designs for spring 2015 were a white lace bikini wholesaling for $97, and a maxi lizard-print kaftan at $220, said sales director Vanessa Chamoiseau.
She highlighted the strength of the high-end market throughout the economic downturn. “Very high-end brands did not suffer,” she said. “Throughout the recession, our sales were on the increase.”
At Lise Charmel’s stand, buyers were choosing swimwear designs with colorful tropical prints as well as classic marine styles, managing director Olivier Piquet said.
Alexandra Worm, owner of high-end Netherlands boutique Kant Amsterdam, picked out swimwear from Lise Charmel brand Antigel.
“The swimwear market is performing very well,” Piquet said. “Overall, we are seeing an increase in sales so far this year,” he added, notably thanks to expansion in the U.S.
He also confirmed the strength of the high-end segment, saying that consumers are moving toward a “less is more” buying pattern — purchasing lingerie or swimwear less often, but preferring quality brands and investing more in them.
Simone Pérèle USA general manager Louise Schultz concurred, reporting that she has built the brand’s U.S. presence over the six years since she joined the firm through focusing on core pieces and service, and this was paying off in terms of repeat business.
“I shifted the whole product mix to focus more on core and less on fashion…and we’ve become a real brand that retailers come to,” she said.
Young British brand Asceno by Beautiful Bottoms saw brisk business in high-end swim and loungewear, while U.K.-based Pistol Panties offered a collection combining retro styling with African tribal prints.
Over at Interfilière, Invista revealed a new brand identity to better communicate about its Lycra fibers. The new tag line “Lycra Moves You” will replace a variety of different labels.
“Everybody knows Lycra, but people don’t know what it is,” explained a Lycra spokeswoman. “We needed to communicate better [with a] simplified brand architecture.”
The company also presented what it claims is the first bio-sourced elastane, made from fermented corn sugar.
At the event, Eurovet announced a 50/50 partnership with Igedo, organizer of Moscow trade show CPM Body & Beach. Rebranded as Moscow Mode Lingerie & Swim, the partners will work together on the February 2015 edition, with Eurovet in charge of sales, strategy and promotion and Igedo managing the operational aspect.