Fashion & Culture: Chanel show in London ending soon; Paris Fashion Week runs February 26 to March 5

From February 26 to March 5, 2024, Paris is once again the epicenter of an exciting array of runway events and presentations for its Fashion Week, showcasing the latest women's ready-to-wear collections for the upcoming Autumn-Winter 2024-2025 season.

In spite of the rain, Paris remains an enchanting destination for both tourists
and the worldwide fashion community. Photo by Lucia  Carpio.

Despite the forecasted rain showers during these few days, the unpredictable weather won't dampen Paris' allure as it captivates the attention of the global fashion community. The city is set to attract celebrities, international buyers, journalists, and influencers, reinforcing its status as a beacon of style.

A shop in the Carousel de Louvre, Paris, selling Paris 2024 Summer Olympics momentos and keepsakes.
Photo by Lucia Carpio

Beyond its prominent role in the fashion world, Paris is renowned as the city of love, gastronomy, and culture. It is also the host of the 2024 Summer Olympics.  This week, the City of Lights is poised to come alive with the dynamic energy of fashion shows presented by esteemed fashion houses, beloved designers, and emerging fashion stars. While attending these shows in person may pose a challenge, some brands are embracing virtual accessibility through their websites or social networks, ensuring that fashion enthusiasts worldwide can experience the event in real-time.

Speaking of Parisian fashion, Chanel, one of France's most revered design houses, will stage its fashion show on March 5th 2024 as one of the main events to close Paris Fashion Week. 

The sell-out exhibition "Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto," at London's Victoria & Albert Museum
is closing on March 10th, 2024.
The V&A museum shop is stocked with souvenirs of the exhibition.
Photo by Lucia Carpio

Chanel's illustrious founder, Gabrielle Chanel (1883 – 1971), affectionately known as Coco, is hailed as one of the most successful "couturière" of the 20th century. Currently showcased at London's prestigious Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) is the sell-out exhibition "Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto," running since September 2023, and now concluding on March 10th, 2024 (after an extension from the original closing date of February 24th). 

Chanel's brand and personal style became synonymous with sophistication and luxury, making her a prominent figure among the fashionable elite.  The legacy of the House of CHANEL is intricately tied to the evolution of Chanel's iconic design style, a lasting influence that continues to shape the way women dress today.
Replicating the Chanel apartment on 31 rue Cambon, Paris, is a spiral staircase lined with mirrors at
the "Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto" exhibition in the London's Victoria & Albert Museum.
Photo by Lucia Carpio

Although tickets have been sold out for months, gaining entrance is still possible by becoming a member of the V&A, ensuring immediate admission.  So hurry up if you still haven't seen this showcase on the life and works of Coco Chanel, who has taught the world how to dress tastefully, elegantly and with superb class.

Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel, photographed by Roger Schall for Vogue, May 1938.
Photograph: Condé Nast/ Shutterstock, courtesy of Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK

Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel, was a pioneering fashion designer whose innovative concepts revolutionized the fashion industry in the early 20th century. Her design philosophy was grounded in simplicity, comfort, and functionality, deviating from the elaborate and restrictive fashion trends of her time.

Chanel's tweed suits are iconic, featuring boxy jackets with contrasting trim and slim skirts, providing a chic and modern alternative to traditional women's attire. 
Photo by Lucia Carpio

The key concepts of her designs are timeless elegance (she believed in creating pieces that could withstand changing trends and remain relevant over time), comfort and functionality (she challenged the prevailing corseted and constrictive styles by promoting garments that allowed freedom of movement), and innovative use of fabrics (especially jersey, which was unconventional in high fashion at the time; she transformed this humble material into luxurious and comfortable garments.)

Chanel's focus on comfort, functionality, and timeless elegance resonated with women of the upper echelons of society. Her designs offered a sense of freedom and modernity that appealed to those seeking a break from the elaborate and impractical fashions of the early 20th century.
Photo by Lucia Carpio

Her strengths also lay in her keen business sense, establishing herself as a successful entrepreneur. She launched the iconic Chanel No. 5 perfume and expanded her brand into various product lines, contributing to her lasting legacy.

The Chanel quilted handbag design with chain strap, and signature double-C logo.
Photo by Lucia Carpio

She pioneered the art of branding.  The interlocking C's of the Chanel logo became synonymous with luxury and sophistication. Chanel's branding was influential in creating a distinctive identity for her fashion house.  The Chanel 2.55 handbag, introduced in 1955, became a classic with its quilted design, chain strap, and signature double-C logo.

Chanel popularized the concept of the Little Black Dress, a versatile and timeless garment that became a wardrobe staple for women.

The V&A acquired this notably austere black worsted suit and hat from 1969 during a Christie's auction of Chanel's personal collection in 1978, a purchase made seven years following her passing. Gabrielle's challenging childhood unfolded in a convent, where the nuns taught her to sew. This early influence may elucidate why, as a designer, her colour palette consistently leaned towards the beige, black, and white reminiscent of the nuns' habits.
Photo by Lucia Carpio

Her tweed suits were revolutionary.  These iconic suits featured boxy jackets with contrasting trim and slim skirts, providing a chic and modern alternative to traditional women's attire.  Look closely and you see the intricate details of hand-craftsmanship, the epitome of haute couture.

During the 1920s, Chanel's presence was widely recognized in Britain. She frequently graced the society pages of British newspapers and magazines, often seen in the company of notable figures such as the Duke of Westminster, Winston Churchill and his son Randolph.

While Chanel was a French designer, Chanel's close relationship with London and Great Britain is well documented. She opened a boutique in London in 1927, marking her first venture outside of France. The London store helped expand her brand's international presence.

Additionally, Chanel drew inspiration from British menswear, incorporating elements such as tweed fabrics and collarless jackets into her designs. Her connections with the British aristocracy, including the Duke of Westminster, also influenced her work.

Chanel had said, no outfit is complete without jewellery, and hers carry her signature for timeless elegance, innovation, and incorporation of distinctive design elements. 
Photo by Lucia Carpio

In summary, Gabrielle Chanel's fashion design concept emphasized timeless elegance, comfort, and functionality. Her strengths included business acumen and iconic branding, and her signature looks, such as the Little Black Dress and tweed suits, continue to influence fashion today. Despite being a French designer, her close relationship with London and association with Great Britain played a role in expanding her brand globally.  

Photos by Lucia Carpio at the "Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto," closing on March 10th, 2024 at London's Victoria & Albert Museum.

Fashion, Art & Culture: Designer Iris Van Herpen's Sculpted Designs wow visitors at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris

Anyone fortunate enough to experience the unconventional designs of Dutch fashion maven Iris van Herpen would undoubtedly be captivated by her distinctive vision. Particularly noteworthy is her talent for pushing the limits of fashion, seamlessly blending technology and craftsmanship to produce garments that are not just visually stunning but also conceptually profound.

Her unique contributions to haute couture have sparked conversations about the trajectory of the fashion industry. The ongoing retrospective exhibition of her extensive portfolio presented at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, situated adjacent to the Louvre, provides visitors with the opportunity to closely admire her profound creativity. It showcases her exceptional ability to manipulate materials and innovate, offering surprises at every turn.

Titled "Sculpting the Senses," this visually striking exhibition, running until April 28th, 2024, showcases intricate patterns, complex structures, and a fluidity challenging traditional garment construction.

Curated by Chloe Pitiot and Louise Curtis, the exhibition serves as a dialogue between artistic and scientific inspiration. It offers an immersive experience constructed around nine themes that blend fashion, contemporary art, design, and science, examining the body in space and celebrating Iris van Herpen's forward-thinking and multi-disciplinary approach.

What adds to the show's allure is the strategic juxtaposition of Iris's creations with those of collaborating artists, such as Rogan Brown and David Spriggs. This not only highlights the role of technology in design but also explores the intersection of art and apparel, providing visitors with a compelling perspective on creativity.

Iris van Herpen is known for pushing the boundaries of traditional fashion
with her unique and experimental designs.  At times her designs seem to come alive, mimicking sea  life. 

Born in 1984, in Wamel, Netherlands, Iris van Herpen founded her eponymous fashion label in 2007, and has rapidly gained international recognition as a "Cutting Edge designer" in the world of haute couture. She became particularly well-known for her ability to combine traditional craftsmanship with modern technologies, such as 3D printing and laser cutting.

Ceres - Paper cut by hand and laser, cardboard, foam board.
Artist: Rogan Brown - UK - circa 2023.

Iris van Herpen's is accompanied by Good Vibrations Cabinet in walnut with oak finishes, sculpted, chiseled and engraved using digital processes, by Ferruccio Laviani of Italy
for Fratelli Boffi, circa 2013 

Trained initially as a dancer before venturing into fashion, her creations reveal a natural comprehension of body movement. Regarded as an inventive force, she frequently collaborates with artists, architects, engineers, and scientists, seamlessly integrating innovative materials and techniques into her designs. Drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as the laboratories of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research and NASA, she crafts "wildly original experimental collections."

Notable themes of the exhibition include water, sensory sea life, forces behind forms and skeletal embodiment, as well as nature and the cosmic universe.  

Through a spiral staircase where the wall is adorned with depictions of some of her most devoted admirers, including celebrities like Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez, visitors ascend to three rooms where the intricate processes behind her creations are unveiled.

Accessories are presented in a cabinet-of-curiosities style, complemented by videos showcasing her fashion shows and captivating videos from various artists, creating an enriched and immersive experience.

Enhanced by a bespoke sound composition crafted by Salvador Breed, visitors are deeply immersed in an extraordinary exhibition spotlighting the designer's creativity shaped by two early-life passions: the living world and classical dance. These two influences stand as pivotal elements in Iris van Herpen's work, transcending conventional fashion norms by seamlessly merging traditional and innovative techniques.

All photos by Lucia Carpio

Textile & Garment Trade Fair: Texworld and Apparel Sourcing combined under new name come July 2024

Texworld Evolution Paris and Apparel Sourcing which took place February 5 - 7 2024 received close to 8,000 international visitors to meet the 1,200 exhibitors, mainly weavers, mills and clothing companies from 25 countries.

Organisers said this season the offer was broader, more diversified and more accessible; and despite increasing demands facing the global fashion and textiles industry, visitor numbers remained stable. 

Organisers at Messe Frankfurt France also announced that the two complimentary fairs will be combined into one entity, to be named jointly as 'Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris" to reflect evolving developments in fashion sourcing and the expansion of brand universes. A growing number of buyers now want to be able to select materials, while also sourcing finished products directly to complement collections or expand their range, they said.

The new name is accompanied by a new dual baseline - Weaving the future; sourcing/business/solutions - to underline these developments and reinforce the fairs' service-led positioning.  This new signature will be adopted at the next edition of Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris, encompassing Avantex and Leatherworld, slated for July 1 to 3 2024.

This February, Texworld and Apparel Sourcing were set up across the two levels of Hall 7 (7.2 and 7.3) at Parc Expo in Porte de Versaille in the south of Paris.  The bright and airy atmosphere of the exhibition venue gave Texworld a fresh look to showcase the international event.  

The top 5 group of visitors from Europe were buyers from international companies in Europe, representing France (20% of the total, up sharply on 2023), the UK (8.3%), Italy (7.9%), Turkey (7.2%) and Spain (6.8%). 

The alignment of textiles on show in Texworld and complimented with garment makers in the Apparel Sourcing Paris was a key benefit for many designers and buyers visiting the fairs.

A designer for the George Rech brand, Agathe Coudert who travels to Paris every year with her team to design the collections that will be on show in Spain in 2025 in the Corte Ingles corners said she was at Texworld to select fabrics from France or eastern Europe, and then supplemented with finished products at Apparel Sourcing, be they knitwear, which requires special know-how, silk blouses and double-sided cashmere coats.

For exhibitors, the show was also an opportunity to showcase their newest products to their customers. Chinese performance fabrics manufacturer, Oracle Textile Technology, was able to highlight the new colour and appearance ranges of its nylon spandex or seamless fabrics used for down jackets and outdoor clothing collections. The same goes for Pakistani weaver Liberty Mills, which presented its new cotton ranges to its British, French and Canadian retail customers. 

Womenswear manufacturer BP Impex from India whose main markets from in Europe, said  the show was an opportunity to meet the French, English, Dutch and Spanish brands and distributors.  Buyers would come to their stand with drawings and design ideas, and worked with the company on their collections expecting delivery to be made in 120 days, said a company manager, who reported that they made some twenty new contacts during the three-day show. 

“Despite the slowdown in the clothing market, Europe remains a major market for textile and finished goods manufacturers," explains Frédéric Bougeard, President of Messe Frankfurt France. 

“For some players, it is becoming a strategic market to offset the uncertainties weighing on the Russian and American markets" he continued. Our mission is to fulfill our role as a market place, to adapt to these changes and to make the international offer more and more accessible." 

The February's event also highlighted near sourcing from countries in proximity to major European markets.

From Ukraine, for example were nine companies that joined under the banner of the Ukrainian Association of Textile and Leather Industry Companies (Ukrlegprom).

Also participating were companies from Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands who, organisers said, were able to take advantage of the show's visibility to include their expertise in the sourcing plans of French and European buyers.

"We want to build on these initiatives and we'll be putting forward proposals at our next shows, but also, why not, in different formats" continues Frédéric Bougeard. 

In addition to the diversity of exhibitors and new products, this edition focused in particular on sustainable products with the Texpertise Econogy initiative, which is presently promoted among the 50 textile fairs of the Messe Frankfurt group in 12 countries worldwide.

This new format will serve as a beacon in the sourcing industry for exhibitors displaying sustainability and will play a decisive role in the upcoming editions of Texworld and Apparel Sourcing.

The next show, under the new name Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris will take place from July 1 to 3 2024 in the same Hall 7 (7.2 and 7.3) of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.  It will be held three weeks prior to the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which are due to open on 26 July.

The show, which will remain the same size as that of this February, will offer a selective range of products, and will reflect the convergence between textiles and finished products. 

Photos by Lucia Carpio

Textiles & Fashion Trade Fair: Première Vision Paris reports a "Solid edition" this February

Première Vision Paris concluded its three-day show on February 8th 2024 at the Parc des Expositions at Paris Nord Villepinte reporting "a solid edition fueled by a dynamic fashion industry undergoing a total transformation".  The organisers also announced that the next edition will take place July 2 - 4, 2024.

This February, the show welcomed 30,340 visitors from 125 countries to discover the Spring-Summer 25 collections of the 1,200 international exhibitors, including 73 newcomers (spinners, weavers, tanners, textile designers, makers of accessories and components, garment manufacturers), from 42 countries including Italy, France, Spain, Korea, Japan, the UK and more.

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Organisers pride themselves on their ability to provide trade visitors inspiration, ideas and networking opportunities to build future collections of ready-to-wear, accessories (fashion jewellery and leather goods) and footwear.   The diversity of exhibitors on offer also created a dynamic setting focusing on new ideas, trends, business and the future, underlining the show’s reputation as the global hub for the creative fashion industry.

The exhibitor selection committee brought together experts from Première Vision with industry manufacturers and buyers, thus playing a crucial role in maintaining a cohesive, high-quality offer that reflects the diversity of the market, from broad distribution to luxury, and assures brands that only the most relevant and innovative exhibitors are part of the event.  Each year, the selection committee approves around 30% of new applications.

There were five Fashion Forums where the latest developments were highlighted and showcased  strategically in spaces for both networking and sharing ideas, Industry professionals were treated to discoveries and the latest breakthroughs and innovations chosen by the Première Vision fashion team. 

These areas offered visitors a cutting-edge experience set amidst the latest new products, allowing buyers to immerse themselves in a rich season, find solutions for their collections and explore sustainable and technical innovations. 

Launched at this year’s show were multilingual audio guides (in French, English, Italian, Korean, Japanese and Chinese) to help enhance the visitors' experience.

Utilising four main exhibition halls, there were eight Universes servicing the various creative fashion markets, under the following categories Yarns (yarns and fibers), Fabrics (textiles), Designs (textile designs and motifs), Accessories (accessories and components), Manufacturing (fashion manufacturing), Smart Creation (technical and technological innovations, sustainable materials) and Leather (materials and accessories), as well as the Maison d’Exceptions (exclusive technical and crafted know-how).

In Maison d’Exceptions, an exclusive part of the fair for technical and crafted know-how showcasing exceptional creations that bridge tradition and innovation, visitors have the opportunity to meet artisans and skillful crafts professionals.  

This section was particularly interesting for those seeking a new level of luxury for their collections.  As the luxury segment is expected to generate the biggest share of economic profit for fashion companies in 2024, according to a recent report The State of Fashion in 2024 by management consultancy McKinsey. 

While companies have been challenged by the tough economic environment, the segment is forecast to grow globally by 3 to 5 percent, compared with 5 to 7 percent in 2023, as consumers rein in spending after a post-pandemic surge. 

Another highlight this season was a new "leather hub" for trade visitors to explore the future of the leather industry.      

A new section, "360° Leather: From Farm to Tech", was designated to complement the tanners, to provide professionals in leather industry to meet and exchange views on the new challenges facing the industry

The Deadstock area and the latest developments in the "A Better Way" programme gave focus to responsible sourcing and unused materials.  Participants included industry experts Adapta and Nona Source and, for the first time, L’Atelier des Matières. In addition, a special area dedicated to deadstock from PV Paris exhibitors were featured in the show.  

The aim of the programme - ‘a better way’ - was to decode and showcase exhibitors’ efforts and investments designed to promote a more responsible fashion industry.  This segment has been expanded to include two new show universes.  Manufacturing and Smart Materials will thus be joining Fabrics, Yarns and Leather, which are already integrated into the program.

Also on the schedule were seminars to understand and decipher SS25 trends and more than 30 conferences featuring expert speakers on the challenges facing the industry and its future were scheduled. Themes included:- 

• How to combine profitability and eco-responsibility by reusing materials?

• How are sourcing strategies adapting to the new fashion landscape?

• How to tailor climate action in the EU fashion industry?

• Toxic dyes: consequences for human health and ways to protect against them

• Lingerie: coming trends & innovations

• Accessories for Summer 2025, the comeback of the 90s!

Meanwhile, Première Vision as a long-standing partner of the Hyères International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Accessories, set aside in this February 24 edition a dedicated space for Igor Dieryck, winner of the Grand Prix du Jury Mode 2023. 

Igor Dieryck's winning collection at the 
2023 Hyères International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Accessories
Photo: Premiere Vision Paris

The space showcased the young designer’s winning collection Yessir! - collection, an inspiring reflection on the role played by hotel staff, which challenges uniform norms to create a new, more contemporary interpretation.

Also visiting Première Vision Paris this February were the 10 finalists of the current year’s competition to the show, who took the opportunity to source materials from a selection of volunteer exhibitors - whom Première Vision will once again support and commit - to create the collections they will present at the next 39th edition of the Hyères Festival that will take place from October 10 to 13 October 2024.  In line with its ongoing support for young designers, Première Vision, for the first time, offered a programme specially targeted to enthusiastic fashion students wishing to learn more about the world of creative fashion. 

The next edition of Première Vision Paris will take place July 2 - 4, 2024.

Photos taken at Première Vision Paris, February 2024 edition by Lucia Carpio.