PARIS — French trade show organizers are betting that creativity, savvy marketing and increased services will lift their shows above the international competition, as will associating themselves closely with Paris’ reputation as fashion’s reigning capital city.
With business starting on a solid note this year, organizers said that their shows so far have clocked more buyers from regions such as Russia, Japan and other Asian countries, as well as the U.S. and Europe. But with an increasing number of shows, organizers agreed concentrating efforts on creativity was key to making Paris an essential stop on the retailers’ trade show world tour.
“Fashion is going faster and faster,” said Jean-Pierre Mocho, president of Prêt à Porter Paris. “Shows are no longer just about placing orders, they also must provide concentration of information in order to inform buyers who are seeking to discover new creations and directions,” he added, noting France’s ready-to-wear market reached $14.96 billion last year, with nearly 40 percent in exports.
“Today the young designer category is a commercial success; buyers from across the globe are coming to the Paris shows specifically for unknown brands and young designers,” said Xavier Clergerie, organizer for Who’s Next and Premiere Classe, contemporary rtw and accessories shows that run at the Porte de Versailles Sept. 6 to 9.
“We have to be in the business of today but you must prepare the business of the future,” said Philippe Pasquet, Première Vision’s recently appointed chief executive officer. To that end, Pasquet will introduce a “Creative Vision” badge that will be given to established designers as well as top students from the leading fashion design schools. “We must promote creativity across all
categories; young stylists will be our future clients,” he said.
Organizers agreed that tomorrow’s business also includes new markets. Première Vision, for example, concentrated its commercial efforts in Russia, applying a “door-to-door policy” when it came to making new contacts abroad. “There is a growing upper middle class in Russia with a continually increasing number of brands,” said Pasquet, who noted that European textile manufacturers increased exports to Russia by 22 percent last year.
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Première Vision, which also operates Paris Indigo, will gather at the Villepinte exhibit halls Sept. 18 to 21, the same time as the Expofil yarn fair, the Mod-Amont trimmings show and Le Cuir à Paris. Across town, at Texworld, the Messe Frankfurt fair will showcase around 830 less expensive textile exhibitors at the Paris Le Bourget exhibition hall.
To wit, more and more French events have organized smaller versions of their marquee shows in cities around the world, such as Tokyo, Shanghai and New York, in order to appeal to a broader range of retailers.
However, organizers agreed that today the quality of visitors to the shows is as essential as the quantity. Première Vision, for example, launched a new badge system for select individual retailers. Dubbed “Club,” the card is valid for two years and gives the bearer priority access and services at the show. Meanwhile, the “Business Vision” card will be given to nearly 6,000 firms that have been nominated by at least five exhibitors. “We felt it was important to privilege qualified firms,” said Pasquet.
Although organizers pinned success on positioning their shows at the top end of the creative curve, they also expanded their offerings to cover all fashion categories.
Next fall, the Prêt will inaugurate its first space dedicated to plus sizes. Dubbed “So Sweet,” the 10,800-square-foot space will feature approximately 50 plus-size labels. “It’s an important category that should not be overlooked,” said the Prêt’s Mocho, who noted that a study on sizes concluded that French women have increased one commercial size in 30 years and 15 centimeters (about five inches) around the waist in 50 years.
Mocho said more than 1,500 firms would participate in the upcoming edition of the Prêt, which will convene at the exhibit halls at the Porte de Versailles, Sept. 6 to 9.
Organizers agreed that an increase in budding designers’ labels helps to keep up with fierce competition from fast-fashion behemoths such as Zara and H&M.
To that end, Who’s Next said it was making a “big effort” to promote young designers and to court international buyers looking for the never-seen-before brands.
“We have always supported young designers, and today the category is a key feature of the show,” Clergerie said.
While streetwear and urbanwear continue to be France’s rtw Achilles’ heel, Who’s Next said a new wave of high-end urbanwear designers were tuning into conceptual designs and helping to keep the category afloat. “Prices are getting much more expensive. There is a new wave of streetwear designers that are upping the category, it’s not just about cool T-shirts anymore,” said Camille Roucheraud, sales manager at Who’s Next, which counts five different fashion categories: Fast, Fresh, Fame, Face and Private. “We noted more young designers are collaborating together to create new brands,” added Roucheraud.
To increase exclusive appeal, organizers said that stands and booths needed to brush up their image. At Who’s Next, stands are taking an installation approach, selecting key items from the collection as well as gallery-like exhibits that run concurrently to the shows.
Clergerie said Premiere Classe would continue to be highly selective, especially in its second edition, which gathers Oct. 5 to 8 in the tents at the Tuileries Gardens.
Other accessories events at the Porte de Versailles include the jewelry show Bijorcha/Eclat de Mode, which runs Sept. 6 to 9, and Silmo, the eyewear fair that will feature more than 800 brands Oct. 19 to 22.
Exclusivity and limited edition appeal have been the driving forces at Tranoï, the ubertrendy fashion fair to be held Oct. 4 to 7, concurrently with Paris Fashion Week, at the Bourse de Commerce, Palais de la Bourse and Avenue Montaigne. “We are not dealing with the same buyers as we were five years ago,” said Michael Hadida, general manager of Tranoï. “We must offer never-seen-before brands and styles to set us apart from the others.” To that end, Hadida, whose Swedish designer platforms were a hit with retailers in the past, will launch a Japanese designer platform for next fall.
Paris is also home to smaller, fashion-forward fairs that dot the capital around the runway shows. Workshop will assemble select brands at the Cercle Républicain and the Hotel Regina from Oct. 3 to 7, while Vendôme Luxury Trade Show will run Oct. 4 to 7. Rendez-Vous Femme, meanwhile, boasts a fresh selection of young designers from across the map at the Espace Richelieu Oct. 5 to 8.
Other fairs coinciding with Paris’ runway shows include Paris Sur Mode and Atmosphère d’Eté, both meeting under tents in the Tuileries Gardens and Hotel Saint James & Albany, Oct. 5 to 8.