PARIS — Despite looming concerns that the economy will slow, order writing held strong at the most recent round of apparel trade shows here, where buyers said feminine styles — particularly the dress — continue to buoy business.
Retailers shopping the four-day Who’s Next and Prêt à Porter events at the Porte de Versailles exhibit halls that ended Sept. 4 voiced confidence for the fall and winter after seeing solid sales over the summer.
Nonetheless, they said climbing interest rates and crippling gas prices had forced them to adopt a more cautious stance as they navigate possible road bumps in the future. The majority said their budgets for goods for spring-summer 2007 would remain on par with last year’s.
Exhibitors acknowledged more restraint from buyers this season, too.
“There’s much more concern about price, and each piece and every order is being scrutinized with care,” commented Gabriella Cortese, founder of Antik Batik, a contemporary women’s apparel firm here. “There’s a certain anxiety about what the future will hold.”
That said, Cortese noted her firm logged double-digit increases in sales.
Prêt president Jean-Pierre Mocho explained that although retail sales have been slow in Europe, apparel sales outpaced the rest of the sector, adding that apparel exports from France grew 12.6 percent in the first half of the year.
“What is selling now is creativity,” he said. “If the clothes tell the right story, they will sell. The high end is selling.”
Mocho and his team have been honing the Prêt’s image over the last few years, making it more upscale and trying to attract more international visitors.
This outing, the Prêt unveiled an overhauled third-floor space, including an area dedicated to so-called ethical fashion, and a special exhibit on Japanese fashion culture.
Mocho said 1,130 firms exhibited at the fair, an increase of 5 percent over last year. He said international attendance grew 18 percent, led by Italians, Germans and Irish.
Didier Parakian, who runs his fashion brand of the same name based in Marseille, reported brisk business from Lebanese retailers, despite the recent war. “They are incredible,” he said of his Lebanese clients. “They can bounce back from anything.”
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Parakian said he was on track to increase his orders by 30 percent this year.
“I’m pretty confident,” he said. “We’re up against last year, which was a remarkable year for us.”
Parakian said colorful prints and complicated washings were in demand, as well as dresses and “chic” tailoring.
Retailers said they were keen on bohemian glam styles with accents of gold and silver. They said demand for high-end merchandise showed little sign of decreasing and that expensive dresses were fueling business and were expected to continue to do so.
“The dress business has been very good for us,” echoed Lian Beraha and Tanla Ozuzun, buyers for Vakko department stores in Turkey. “Our luxury business is booming.”
The duo said they were hunting for sculptural dresses with “very luxurious” details, such as fur and “extravagant” beading. They also mentioned interest in Napoleon-style jackets and black, red, gold and silver. They said their buying budget was the same as last year’s.
David Barker, managing director of Emma Somerset, with 12 stores in the United Kingdom, said, “We’re not looking to increase budgets. Caution is better than optimism.
“We’re trading strongly on last year, but I think there could be rougher times ahead.”
Barker said dresses topped his buying list, but that now he was interested in looks with less embellishment.
“We want to find styles that clean up the gypsy/bohemian look,” he continued. “Pencil skirts and more tailored pieces are good. The metallic look is already flying out the door.”
Fiona Dunne, owner of Sofina, an upscale boutique in Enniskerry, Ireland, added that jackets with nipped waists conveyed the pervading feminine trend.
At the concurrent Who’s Next, buyers said feminine dresses in soft tones of gray and navy would fill wardrobes next summer, along with lightweight knitwear made from linen, cotton and silk.
Retailers, who spent time reorienting themselves in the show’s new venue in Hall 1 at Port de Versailles, said budgets were on par with last year’s.
Buyers from France, Italy and the U.K. were at full force at the show, and there was strong attendance from Japan.
“Exchange rates are very expensive right now, which is not good for Japanese retailers,” said Yoshioka Mikio, partner of A Can B fashion chain, with 12 doors in Japan. Still, Mikio said he would place orders with France’s Les Prairies de Paris and Honore contemporary fashion brands.
“We’ve seen a lot of graphic prints and pastel colors as well as a return to navy and shades of gray,” said Diane Elisabeth Poirier, director of shoppingparismode.fr, an online shopping site that went live this month. Poirier left orders with contemporary brands here such as Nocollection, Manoush and Berenice. “Materials are much more fluid,” she said. “There are interesting uses of volumes and, with the recent boom in leggings, customers can wear much shorter lengths in skirts and dresses.”
Retailers agreed chic dresses would be a wardrobe staple.
“Graphic prints on feminine dresses as well as caftans worn with slim jeans and shorts are key,” said Anna Park, owner of her eponymous store with five locations in the U.K. Park said embellishments such as lavish embroideries and sequins, which decorated looks last summer, would be toned down next year.
Exhibitors at the show were satisfied with the turnout.
“We increased our sales over last year,” said David Pariente, president of American Retro here, who noted that Japanese and South Korean buyers placed 30 percent of its overall orders at the show.
Pariente, who is the son of Gérard Pariente, president of French fast-fashion retailer Naf Naf, also presented a new fashion line. Dubbed Zoe Tee’s, it offers a selection cotton T-shirt dresses made from ultra-fine jerseys in navy black and natural colors for 35 euros, or $44.80, at wholesale.
“We believe that successful mid-range fashion lines should not exceed the 150 euro [$192] price mark,” said Pariente, noting solid colors were a key direction, as was fine knitwear for the summer.
“Knitwear is essential especially as the collection hits stores as early as February,” agreed Wanda Herbert, designer and owner of Nocollection. “It enables customers to add a hint of summer during the last months of the winter season,” she said. Nocollection offered rock ‘n’ roll-inspired, looks including slim-fitting pants and cropped jackets.