WHO'S NEXT & PREMIERE CLASSE
Both trade shows have ended on a very positive note with a 6% rise in the number
of visitors compared with September 2010, i.e. 48,778 buyers. If French customers,
especially from the Paris region, have leaped by 11%, the number of foreign buyers
(32%) has dropped by 2%, with especially -28.2% for the United States and -33.5%
for Germany. Italy, Spain and Belgium are the three most represented countries.
Atmosphere wise, all the fashion professionals showed a lot of enthusiasm purchasing
their last SS 2012 items. They all praise the clear offer and the quality of the selection.
PRÊT-A-PORTER PARIS
PRET A PORTER PARIS closed its latest edition on a good business atmosphere, after
four days of SS 2012 collection presentation. Exhibitors and buyers noted and
appreciated the nicely spaced-out and clear space design as well as the very sharp
brand selection. With 58 % buyers from France and 42 % from the rest of the world,
PRET A PORTER PARIS registers a slight raise in the number of visitors. The 5 most
represented foreign countries: Italy, Spain, U.K., Japan and Germany. Also worth
noticing: countries from the Middle East and Northern Europe.
MESS AROUND
Although the number of visitors showed a slight drop (4%), the September 2011
MESS AROUND was a success business-wise. "Our sales on MESS AROUND are in constant
progress", says OXYGENE's Julien HUMEAU, "For a first time, the result is very
promising" confirms SNIPE's Thomas KRESS. With more than 70 new brands, the
consistency and relevance of the MESS AROUND areas have drawn the attention of
buyers such as Jean Pierre TURRI from Paray-le-Monial: "The MESS AROUND areas
are a lot clearer". The fashion lounge, LABOCUIR, Playground, Step by Step and
Coming Soon were a real a success. The session was also punctuated with fun parties in a good mood.
SIXTY DAYS
Pre-registration figures spoke for a strong attendance, and indeed more than 3,000
visitors entered hall 3.1. Most exhibitors made the most of this first edition of
SIXTY DAYS, the new meeting point initiated by EUROVET and WSN DEVELOPPEMENT.
Department stores, boutiques and independent groups showed they still had a budget
to place restocking orders for the current season. With an educational approach,
the trade show gathering 78 "fast fashion" collections took advantage of a very
clear and spaced out selection, featured a trend forum presenting the season's
hit products as well as debates organized by the National Federation for
Clothing and Boutique de Mode. The organizing team will draw a lesson from
this first session so the event matches the changes announced for 2012.
The five trade shows were featuring their last September session before they
are all brought together next January, with a unique and common event:
WHO'S NEXT Prêt-à-Porter Paris. The very clearly conveyed objective of this
first session is to create an international center of attraction to reach 50%
international buyers within two years, with the rescheduling of the September
trade shows in June starting in 2012. All the professionals seem to look forward to this change!
Upcoming events:
1st session:
Fall-Winter collections: 21-24 January 2012
Spring-Summer collections: 30 June-3 July 2012
2nd session:
Fall-Winter collections: 2-5 March 2012
Spring-Summer collections: 28 September-1st October 2012
WHO'S NEXT Show
Preview 2012 : THE NEW FACE OF PARIS FASHION SHOWS
LAST MAY, WSN DEVELOPPEMENT TOOK OVER THE OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT OF ALL THE
TRADE SHOWS ORGANIZED BY THE SODES*AND ANNOUNCED THEY HAD TAKEN A 50% SHARE
IN THE MESS AROUND SHOW.
THIS NEW SHUFFLING OF THE CARDS WILL BRING GREAT CHANGES TO THE WORLD OF PARISIAN
FASHION SHOWS AS SOON AS JANUARY 2012.
ONE GOAL: MAKING OF THE 1ST SESSION AN INTERNATIONAL POLE OF ATTRACTION
A FEW WEEKS AGO, PARIS CONFIRMED IT WAS THE MOST VISITED CITY IN THE WORLD.
For the 1st session ( WHO’S NEXT, PREMIERE CLASSE, PRÊT-A-PORTER PARIS & MESS AROUND )
trade shows, WSN DEVELOPPEMENT wants to obtain the same
result as the French capital has achieved for tourism. The goal of the major
operator of French fashion shows is to welcome 50% of international buyers
within 2 years. Clarity, readability, global approach, unity, coherence,
services… From now on, these guiding lines will prevail in all the tasks
that will be performed to reach the fixed goal.
THE PILLARS OF A NEW EVENT: WHO’S NEXT PRÊT-A-PORTER PARIS
IN ORDER TO MARK THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA WSN DEVELOPPEMENT HAS DECIDED TO
THINK "!GLOBAL!" AND TO FOCUS ON A SINGLE EVENT, A SINGLE NAME, THE SAME TEAM AND
A COMMON VISION.
Even if it was essential to keep in the name the energy and spirit which have
helped build WHO’S NEXT’s reputation since the beginning, it was also essential
to capitalize on the international strength and recognition of the name
PRÊT-A-PORTER PARIS which is a reference in the world of fashion shows today.
From January 2012, WHO’S NEXT PRÊT-A-PORTER speaking now with one voice will offer
a unique global fashion selection on 120 000 sqm of exhibition surface, with 2
500 ready-to-wear and accessories brands, including 60% of foreign brands.
A CLEAR SEGMENTATION ENHANCING EACH MARKET
THE NEW ORGANIZATION WILL PROPOSE 6 LARGE FASHION ATMOSPHERES!:
FAME – PRIVATE – MISTER BROWN - PREMIERE CLASSE – LE CUBE – MESS AROUND.
Among them, WHO’S NEXT PRÊT-A-PORTER PARIS will devote a large and unifying space to
its core market: women ready-to-wear. Around this pillar, some complementary and
attractive sectors such as urban fashion, men, fashion accessories, shoes
and leather will aggregate. To enhance this entire offer, WSN DEVELOPPEMENT
counts on the development of specific services, adapted to the needs of brands,
according to their typology and atmosphere. Thus, catwalk shows, trend forums,
styling exercises, theme exhibitions, conferences and evenings, will give a
rhythm to each atmosphere. This will have a double goal: inform the professionals
and put forward the creativity and added value of each exhibiting brand.
FAME – HALLS 2 & 3
FAME brings the most creative international brands of ready-to-wear women’s
clothing together.This exclusive selection is deliberately limited to 200
exhibitors each season and aims to be the compulsory path for retailers and large
stores in search of exclusive, top of the range products. The decor is meticulous
and elegant and is designed to show the collections in their best light.
Renewed selection of the participants enables the event to maintain its leading
role in detecting new trends.
PRIVATE – HALLS 2 & 3
PRIVATE welcomes all the international brands of ready-to-wear women’s clothing.
Designed as a path of successive stages, buyers discover contemporary and
commercial collections grouped together in different areas. The offer is broken
down according to essential market segments such as Timeless, Creative, Fantasy
and Evening wear. The plurality and the complementarity of the lines are designed
to meet the needs of a global market, in search of quality and distinctive
products. Fashion focuses, novel exhibitions and information areas are all part
of the public’s visit, whilst at the same time informing them of new trends
in the future.
MISTER BROWN – HALL 4
More than 300 textile, shoes and accessories brands illustrate two complementary
markets!: Men and Urban Fashion.
Men targets a distribution for the 25-35 years old and puts together Sportswear,
Urban and Authentic collections. The variety of the offer aims at proposing to
the visitors a contemporary vision of men’s urban look.
Urban Fashion targets a distribution for the 15-25 years old, proposing unisex
collections of international leaders and young brands in the sectors of Denim,
Sport Lifestyle and Streetwear. The buyers will be able to find "THE" product of
the season.
PREMIERE CLASSE – HALL 7.1
The international meeting place for creators of fashion accessories at Porte de
Versailles is the reference platform for the market and targets ready-to-wear
clothing distributors. 600 brands take part each season. 3 large segments make up
the trade show’s offer: shoes, jewellery and bags. Collections of hats, scarves,
belts, umbrellas and gloves are also included in this offer. The continuous
necessity, every 6 months, of proposing a carefully considered selection of
creative products with strong sales potential is the key to the success of
PREMIERE CLASSE. Event areas, Nomad Lounge or Pop Up, reveal new talents and
illustrate the major trends of the future.
LE CUBE – HALL 7.2
The Cube presents the leather goods offer of Porte de Versailles. The repartition
of products according to activity sector targets a specialized distribution.
This atmosphere promotes leather and luggage by regrouping all the actors of the
sector: creators of small leather goods, manufacturers of luggage and travel
accessories, and bag brands.
MESS AROUND – HALL 7.2
MESS AROUND is the core of the information and the business of professionals in
the footwear market. By bringing together more than 300 brands for women, men
and children, MESS AROUND, as a real expert, targets all consumers and meets
the needs of the all shoe distributors. The wealth, diversity and qualitative
upgrading of the offer, as well as the capacity of the trade fair to promote the
know-how and bring together the different players in the profession, contributes
to its importance. MESS AROUND also includes MINI MESS, which positions itself
as the largest children’s shoe trade fair in Europe.
COMMUNICATION AND MULTIPLICATION OF SERVICES TO STRENGTHEN PARIS ATTRACTIVITY
IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL VISITORS, THE NETWORK OF SALES
AND INSTITUTIONAL AGENTS OF PRET-A-PORTER PARIS, COMPLETED AND REINFORCED BY THE
TEAM OF FOREIGN COLLABORATORS OF WHO’S NEXT, WILL SET UP A PLANNING OF TARGETED
SALES DRIVES, ADAPTED TO EVERY COUNTRY, ALL LONG THE YEAR.
At Porte de Versailles, everything has been thought through to reinforce and
improve the quality of welcome and messages!: a single entrance and entrance
fee, a single access badge and common information documents, permanent shuttle
services and concierge, a welcome pack from the station or the airport ...
THE NEW CALENDAR IN 1ST SESSION
WINTER COLLECTIONS : 21-24 JANUARY 2012 / SUMMER COLLECTIONS : 30 JUNE – 3 JULY 2012
FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS, THE QUESTION OF CALENDAR HAS BEEN REGULARLY BROUGHT
FORWARD. AND NOT WITHOUT REASON!: FASHION SEASONS ARE MOVING FORWARD!!
From the raw materials trade shows to the fashion weeks, the events are organized
earlier and earlier. Rejected several times for lack of consensus, the date of the
end of June / beginning of July will finally take all its meaning as soon as 2012
and allow the trade shows at Porte de Versailles to position themselves as the 1st
buying event for the spring-summer collections. As it is a good time for foreign
buyers, this new date will also aim at expanding the international recognition of
WHO’S NEXT PRÊT-A-PORTER, and be complementary with the men fashion showrooms being
held in the capital at the same time. Even if WSN DEVELOPPEMENT teams are aware
the changes may be inconvenient at the beginning, they must however anchor WHO’S
WHO’S NEXT PRÊT-A-PORTER in a long term vision and accompany the brands during more
favorable periods for their business expansion.
2 BIG EVENTS DURING THE 2ND SESSION
WINTER COLLECTIONS : 2-5 MARCH 2012 / SUMMER COLLECTIONS : 28 SEPTEMBER – 1ST OCTOBER 2012
AS SOON AS MARCH 2012, THE 2 ND SESSION OF THE PARISIAN TRADE SHOWS WILL REVOLVE
AROUND 2 EVENTS WITH EVOCATIVE NAMES: FAME ET PREMIERE CLASSE.
FAME will be an Event in itself during the 2nd session, as it will become the
indispensable showroom of women high-range creative ready-to-wear. As it benefits
from a good image abroad, it seemed obvious to offer FAME a platform that was
worthy of its reputation, during the Fashion Week, in the heart of Jardin des
Tuileries. Beside it, the 2nd session of PREMIERE CLASSE, the undisputed leader
on the market of fashion accessories for more than 20 years, will continue
to count on a sharp selection of the 350 most creative designers of fashion
accessories worldwide. The goal of WSN DEVELOPPEMENT is to maintain a high level
of selection during the 2nd session and to bring the brands with a high potential
to work on their image during that period to meet a public of highly qualified
and experienced buyers. On the other hand, the business aspect will be privileged
during the 1st session, at Porte de Versailles.
NEW TEAMS, NEW ORGANIZATION CHART
BRINGING TOGETHER THE TWO STRUCTURES HAS LED 10 EMPLOYEES OF THE SODES TO JOIN
THE WSN DEVELOPPEMENT TEAMS, ESPECIALLY IN THE SALES FORCE. THUS, THE TOTAL STAFF
NOW AMOUNTS TO ALMOST 50.
Like in the former business organization of WSN DEVELOPPEMENT, the teams are
divided in three poles!: women/ men-urban / accessories, respectively managed by
Sophie Guyot, Luc Biermé et Sylvie Pourrat, under the supervision of two general
commissioners of the trade shows, associated in WSN DEVELOPPEMENT, Bertrand
Foäche and Xavier Clergerie.
Communication and international development will stay in the hands of Boris Provost.
It is important to precise that even if the Federation of Women Ready-To-Wear
(Fédération du prêt-à-porter féminin) disappears completely from the organization
of the trade shows, WSN DEVELOPPEMENT will use its expertise when international
issues are at stake.
The Federation will thus find again its primary function, which is to promote the
sector, accompany and help French brands in their expansion.
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