Buyers are back: Paris trade shows breathe a collective sigh of relief

PARIS — Salon operators here could breathe a sigh of relief: buyers were finally back in business. town.

Things are pretty much back to normal for the two First Class, who again filled two tents the length of the Tuileries (as well as a third Splash resortwear event), and Tranoi, back on two floors of its historic Place de la Bourse, for four days during Paris Fashion Week.

American and Japanese buyers came back strong. "I did not expect so many Japanese buyers", observed the president of Tranoi, Boris Provost.

“Japanese buyers are really excited to be back, they couldn't go on without traveling; it's so important for them to have an idea of ​​the production, the materials and the cuts,” said director Antoine Floch.

The context was favorable for both brands and buyers, as most retailers were content of pandemic-tested labels, observers said.

"Our business is all about touch and feel," said David Sahlin, co-founder and creative director from the Danish label. Street in Tokyo, featured in Woman.

"I missed it," said Nathalie Maebe, owner of concept store Par Terre near Ghent, Belgium. "I'm always on the lookout for new brands every season and you can't find new brands when you're not travelling. I discover my new brands at trade shows."

Demand from U.S. buyers was high, exhibitors said. "The strong dollar is very advantageous for them right now," Floch said.

"I have quite a few new US customers, they are more willing to buy more European collections , in euros,” said Panos Papandreou, owner of the multi-brand Monochrome showroom in Monaco, exhibited at Tranoi.

"There seems to be a lot of creative leadership coming out of Paris, that's a lot busier than New York Fashion Week has done," said Charles Arnett, business development consultant for hemp specialist Jungmaven, at the Woman exhibit. "With the dollar as it is, it's probably cheaper to come to Paris than to go to New York."

Le Bon Marché style director Jennifer Cuvillier agrees with the creativity presented. "The fashion, accessories and station shows were extremely rich in summer creativity with significantly more exhibitors than last season, with the return of international brands and a renewed mix", she observed. /p>

At Première Classe, some 350 brands were present, of which around a third were newcomers. Attendance was down around 7% from September 2019, said Frédéric Maus, managing director of show organizer WSN Développement, although this is more due to retailers sending smaller delegations to Paris than in the past to reduce costs. "The number of companies in attendance was equivalent to pre-pandemic," he said. "It was really dynamic."

Increasingly, trade show operators aim to generate traffic by attracting buyers with events and fashion shows. For the second time, Tranoï hosted a show by South Korean brands Lie, Kumann and Ul:Kin, in partnership with Seoul Fashion Week, on the steps of the Palais Brongniart (there was also a showroom for nine Korean designers at the inside the parade). New salon/showroom hybrid Together produced the first calendar presentation of Vincent Garnier Pressiat.

For Tranoi, structuring a space twice the size of last season's edition was the most great challenge, said Provost. The brands have been grouped into themed areas, with visitors circulating by...