PARIS — Luxury proved the mantra of retailers attending the Premiere Classe and Eclat de Mode trade fairs at the Porte de Versailles here.
Demand at the fairs, which ended four-day runs on Feb. 4, centered on fashion-savvy products with individual flair. Changing weather patterns also were a hot topic, with exhibitors of cold-weather accessories touting fashion over function. Strong demand for fur was among the biggest surprises. As for bags, lightness was paramount, retailers said.
Premiere Classe, which reported 15,370 visitors, had a 15 percent jump in attendance by European retailers, primarily from Italy, Spain, Germany and the U.K. The number of Japanese visitors, affected by the struggling yen, dropped about 1.5 percent. Spending budgets increased an average of 10 percent compared with last year.
“I’m changing the way I buy, looking for lighter pieces with interesting details and textures such as ruffles or embroidery,” said Georgina Barber, a buyer for British department store Bentalls.
In line with other retailers, she stocked up on cashmere after a particularly good sell-through season. Color is also key for next fall, added Barber, citing an array of green shades and berry tones that had caught her eye.
“The warm weather has had a definite effect on sales of gloves and knitwear accessories this year,” said David Capon, a buyer for accessories boutique Black Truffle, which has two stores in London, noting that he hadn’t decreased his buying budget.
“We’re willing to take the chance that it’s going to be cold again,” he said, lauding the beautiful simplicity of German brand Karakoram’s scarves, hand-knitted in Mongolia. “We’re banking on the idea that if a piece is really special, it will shift, whatever the weather.”
Broadening its range of headgear, Austrian hat brand Muhlbauer unveiled its first line of hats with detachable jewelry. One pillbox, for example, came with a detachable string of pom-poms that doubled as a necklace.
“Retailers have reacted well to the idea of multifunctional pieces,” said director Klaus Muhlbauer.
A spokeswoman for French glove brand Agnelle said that after a “very tricky” season, the house was mulling more fashion-friendly fare.
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“We haven’t changed anything yet, but for [the next session of Premiere Classe in] March, we’ll probably fold in more fashion-oriented pieces,” she said.
Concerned that the recent mild weather would hamper orders, certain brands had lightened up. Dutch designer Marly Verhoeven, for example, added lightweight rain hats to her namesake hat line.
“Funnily enough, first orders have been for our most extravagant fur hats,” Verhoeven said, adding that to remain competitive, she also had been steering away from “that H&M quality.”
That meant lining even her entry-level hats with silk and sourcing innovative fabrics such as washed tweeds and Japanese velvets for her range of trilbies priced around $80 retail.
“In Japan, looking fashionable and luxurious counts, not the weather,” said Yukiko Yuzawa, a buyer for H.P. France in Tokyo. “Even when it’s hot, the Japanese will wear fur.”
Following a robust season for silver jewelry, Yuzawa was scouting mainly jewelry and fur pieces.
“I adored Julie Schowey’s silver range, featuring vintage charms,” she said.
Isa Du Pire, head of accessories for French high-street chain Morgan, said silver would continue to be big.
“I’ve seen some great chain-mail pieces,” she said, citing Italian brand Paola Volpi Gioielli’s collection featuring necklaces crafted from recycled materials such as oil filters and electrical wires.
Others signaled brighter things to come.
“Color is back,” said French accessories buyer Isabel Moralejo, who will launch her online store, Matilda, Matilda, in September. Moralejo pointed to Italian brand Trait d’Union and Ann Lou of London’s vibrant jewelry as directional.
Retailers praised the plethora of glittery products, considered a safe bet for the holiday season.
“The crystal-embroidered earmuffs at William Sharp are just fab,” said Adele Marie, who owns a concession in Harrods, as well as a store in Wimbledon, near London.
Marie also noted a nod to Sixties and Seventies references in bags. “There are lots of vinyl, Mary Quant and Courrèges-inspired styles,” she said.
The consensus among retailers was that bags would continue to straddle extremes.
“There’s a return to hardware on both big and small volumes,” said Michel Thierry, commercial director for French accessories chain Manfield, which has 35 stores across France.
At Eclat de Mode, where attendance was flat at around 11,000, visitors praised the hall’s design but complained of dim lighting. The fair recorded a 4.5 percent increase in foreign visitors, notably from Italy, Portugal and Japan, and a 50 percent increase in visitors from the Middle East.
“We’re impressed by the variety,” said Elena Fedorova, a buyer for Moscow accessories store Aphrodita. After a tough season, Fedorova was counting on the fair to unearth brands to compete in Russia’s “saturated” accessories market.
“It’s very disparate in terms of trends here,” said Mo Nicklin, owner of Gliteratti, a jewelry boutique in Tumbridge Wells, England. “Our strategy is to know what the bulk buyers are doing and steer around them.”