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Vol.06  Issue 01/02, 08.01.2006

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Photo : Copyright © 2006, fashionfreak. All rights reserved.

 

 

WHO'S NEXT, INTERNATIONAL LAB FOR FASHION TRENDS
News for 2006

 

 

WHO'S NEXT Catwalk

WHO'S NEXT Catwalk Sep.'05

 

 

WHO'S NEXT has imposed itself as the professional trade show in Paris that presents the most acute vision of a high-quality men's and women's fashion, thanks to an up-market selection of creative products.

More than a trade show, Who's Next is a label that gathers brands in different creation universes. After years of observing and analysing consumers purchasing behaviours, WHO'S NEXT creates complementary universes, which adapt to market evolution and welcome 520 exhibitors.

For 11 years now, Who's Next has been presenting a unique vision of fashion. Because the trade show and its universes are constantly evolving, WHO'S NEXT is drawing up a report and presents the evolutions of the "urban" and "feminine" universes through its upcoming events.

 

 

WHO'S NEXT's feminine universes (FAME and FRESH) have experienced a boom since 2002, which has been reinforced for 2 years now, with PREMIERE CLASSE taking place at the same time and at the same place.

The success of WHO'S NEXT's feminine products is mirrored with a constant rise in the number of buyers and, especially, in the number of international buyers.

However, the percentage of foreign buyers in the urban sector has been decreasing over the last season. A reasonable explanation of this effect is the late date (September) of the trade show.

Also, it was noticed that the urban sector is becoming marginal in France, probably because of the September dates, which are quite out of step with the key moments in the European Market (June-July).

Another reason identified might be that today's average consumer is more attracted to a product rather than to the brand's image. Customers have evolved significantly and now have their own style, which consists of mixing products originating from different worlds.

For the next trade show in February 2006, WHO'S NEXT will focus on the urban creative products for a 25-30-year-old target. WHO'S NEXT conveys its vision of the market's style with a product policy. The information will be concentrated to improve both product visibility and supply legibility.

The means
A supply standardisation thanks to the creation of single stands.
A greater coherence of the whole urban universe in hall 6
A tighter selection of the collections with a maximum of 200 brands

 

WHO'S NEXT PREVIEW - End of June 2006

WHO'S NEXT PREVIEW is the creation of a new Image Event in the heart of Paris during the men's catwalk shows.

The goal :
Create a special event to gather the best urban and trendy men's brands. Give international buyers a selective and up-market mix product.

The means :
Creation of an elite and cultural event that brings together about 200 brands.
Creation of single stands with a limited surface area. Deliberate choice of the trade show's team to highlight the creative lines of each exhibiting brand.
An artistic scenography of the event : the trade show accentuates the cultural and artistic main line it's been defending for 11 years: it is the cultural cement of the trade show since its beginnings.
Furthermore, in partnership with the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, WHO'S NEXT PREVIEW will invite some brands to present their collections on the occasion of catwalk shows.
WHO'S NEXT intends to reinforce the place of Paris during the men's catwalks in July and increase its support to creators.

 

THE FEMININE MARKET

The proportion of women's collections exhibited at WHO'S NEXT has increased, and today, 580 selective brands compose this unique mix.
The global feminine supply is currently divided in 3 groups:
FRESH : 80 young talents highlighted in a space scenographied as a show-room.
FAME : 150 conceptual and up-market brands that target a selective distribution.
PREMIERE CLASSE : The International rendezvous for Fashion Accessories Designers groups together 350 brands.

In February 2006, WHO'S NEXT will reinforce its booming feminine market with a new universe: PRIVATE : dedicated to women's pret-à-porter brands with strong creative and business potentials.
The 70 leading brands of this complementary market out of the trade show's different sectors, showcased in an area designed as a jewel bow with the creation of single stands.
PRIVATE will be situated in hall 8, at the general entrance of the February trade show. The creation of services dedicated to this new universe among which a catwalk at the disposal of the PRIVATE exhibitors.
An exclusively feminine trade show is planned for the WHO'S NEXT in September, 1st to 4th, 2006 at Porte de Versailles, with the following creation universes:
FRESH - FAME - PRIVATE - PREMIERE CLASSE .
WHO'S NEXT gives therefore a synthesis of the feminine market with more than 650 brands. The trade show conveys its vision and positions itself as the inescapable selective rendezvous for women's fashion in Paris, the prerequisite for all International buyers in search of creative products.

 

SUPPORT TO DESIGNERS

Each season, 5 designers per creation universe are invited :
5 young talents in the FRESH
5 feminine PAP brands for the FAME
5 new urban labels in the FAST
5 new fashion accessories designers for PREMIERE CLASSE
This means 20 invited brands each session.

Support to already-existing events
The Chamber of Trades and Crafts of Paris
The Chamber welcomes young businesses in the creation sector in an incubator system to accompany them for two years.
1 brand invited at PREMIERE CLASSE
1 brand invited in the FRESH universe

The Dinard International Festival for Young Fashion Creators
Each year, the trade show offers the two award winners a stand.

Partnerships with the French administration :
The Young Fashion Entrepreneur Prize -
With the support of the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Sports and Associative Life
Since January 2005, this contest rewards a young brand, a young entrepreneur for the originality and viability of its project in the field of fashion. The ministry offers the winner a stand for 2 sessions in a row. WHO'S NEXT supports the young entrepreneur in his communication strategy for the same periode of time.
The name of the next award winner will be announced after the jury has deliberated on December 12th 2005.

The French Creation Prize for the development of exports with the support of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry.
The creation of a new contest. The selection criteria for this contest will be focused on the brand's export potential. This capacity to export will be judged both from the product point of view and from the International Business strategy point of view. This annual award allows the winner to enjoy a stand offered by the Ministry for 3 sessions in a row, as well as a privileged contact with international buyers thanks to UBIFRANCE.

 

THE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS FOR 2006 -
The new communication strategy

The new images for the trade show's communication have been imagined and drawn by Kamel Yahimi, a painter from Lyon. After exhibiting many times around the world, in Germany, Switzerland, Spain and in the United States, the artist has created acrylic works of art on paper for the visuals of the new WHO'S NEXT & PREMIERE CLASSE campaigns.
Kamel Yahimi gave a resolutely artistic touch to the 2006 communication campaign, poles apart from the "diktats" of Fashion. Half Man, half animals, his characters refer to the mythical "the Beauty and the Beast", somewhere between the real and the unreal. This new campaign sets the tone and gives a deep impact to the trade show's new 2006 strategy.

For several years now, it has been developed many « traditional » communication and marketing campaigns:
Advertising investments and media partnerships, with a presence of WHO'S NEXT in about thirty professional mediums in 15 countries. Actions of direct marketing: sent invitations and newsletters on the trade shows to 45 000 contacts for WHO'S NEXT and 30 000 for PREMIERE CLASSE, as well as weekly newsletters by e-mail two months before each trade show. Internet campaigns via the Web sites.

 

THE WHO'S NEXT / PREMIERE CLASSE TOUR
In addition to its marketing campaigns, WHO'S NEXT proposes a relational approach, through various actions to meet buyers, designers, brands and opinion leaders, as well as the press and the institutions.
These « on-the-field » actions may take the form of exhibitions in galleries, libraries, cultural spaces or department stores.
These events will welcome :
the young talents we support, which have become the shop window of the different creation universes of the trade show. The artists who attend our trade shows in Paris.
The styling exercises carried out in partnership with the brands exhibiting for several seasons already, and which reflect WHO'S NEXT's creativity and artistic dimension.
For 2006, a calendar of events
1st semester in Europe with :
an event in London from February 10th to March 10th, during the Fashion Week
an event in Italy in June to promote the July WHO'S NEXT PREVIEW
2nd semester in Asia with :
an event in China at the end of October during the Shangaï Fashion Week
an event in Corea at the end of the year .
According Boris Provost, Director Marketing & Communications of WHO'S NEXT, it is not intended to launch a WHO'S NEXT trade show abroad, like Bread & Butter (Berlin) does at Barcelona (Spain). It is rather intended to foster Paris as 'Capitale de la Creation'.

The 2006 CALENDAR
From February Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th 2006 : the strategic axis for the next trade show
Evolution of the urban sector in the FAST
Creation of a new feminine universe : PRIVATE
From June 30th to July 2nd 2006 : creation of an urban event WHO'S NEXT PREVIEW
Brand new WHO'S NEXT PREVIEW in the center of Paris
Between September 1st - 4th 2006 : Womenswear at the Porte de Versailles
Synergy between the PREMIERE CLASSE and WHO'S NEXT trade shows for a total of 650 feminine brands.

 

Latest News : WHO'S NEXT PREVIEW Postponed !

 

To the general Fashion Fairs Calendar 2006

 

 

 

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 Copyright © 2006, fashionfreak. All rights reserved.   ISSN 1619-5779