BLOSSOM PREMIÈRE VISION had much to offer, though attendance hamperd by national strikes

It was a bit like organising the Christmas lunch.  A lot of hard work went into the preparation and all the ingredients were in place to ensure the success of the event, hoping that people would show up to enjoy all the fruits of lovelies laid out for all.  But somehow there were some unwelcome spoilers that made the occasion  challenging.

Organisers of the Blossom Premiere Vision show in Paris, which was held December 11 and 12 at the Carreau du Temple, had put all their strengths into showcasing the spring-summer 21 pre-collections of luxury materials from 120 luxury and high-end brands, 3.5% more than last year’s, but attendance dropped by some 20% compared to the December 2018 show, due to nationwide strikes in France.  Transport strikes and disrupted road, rail and air traffic prompted some of the show's pre-registered French and international visitors to postpone or curtail their visits.  

Nevertheless this December edition had followed several previous highly-successful editions marked by notably strong growth (+20% between December 2017 and 2018; +3.5% between July 2018 and 2019).

In total exhibiting this December were 82 weavers, 28 tanners and 8 makers of accessories and components.  A new Smart Creation conference dedicated to responsible fashion was reportedly successful, as it focused on consumer expectations in terms of sustainable fashion, and for the first time, a concrete decoding of the latest eco-responsible materials and highlights for each market were presented.

Visitorship was of extremely high-quality, despite a decline from the 1,100 attendees at the December 2018 event, said the organisers of Blossom Première Vision which welcomed 827 visitors, primarily from France (84% of visitors), Italy (9%), UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, on the hunt for exclusivities and high-end creativity to design and develop their spring-summer 21 pre-collections.

The lightness of summer gives weavers and tanners the opportunity to explore new combinations: added fluidity, fine knits, yarn blends, plays on transparency. Leathers are simpler and finer. Airy fabrics reveal subtle densities and handles.

Highlighted materials included vibrant light surfaces along with subtle radiance embellishment. From textile accessories to silkies, compositions create shines that are sometimes discreet, sometimes as palpable as plastic. Metallics are slipped into leathers. There were plays on transparency and cut-yarn motifs enlivening powdery, pearly fabrics.

The next Blossom Premiere Vision will feature the Autumn Winter 2022 season, and will take place July 1 & 2 2020 CARREAU DU TEMPLE, Paris.

Photos @Alex Gallosi / Blossom Premiere Vision

Premiere Vision Paris Feb 2018 show reported 54,500 international trade visitors

Reporting an attendance of 54,500 from 120 countries to its February edition of trade fairs, organisers of the prestigious Première Vision Paris say the strong visitor figures confirms its role as the leading influential event for the entire international creative fashion industry.

Held over three days (February 13th – 15th 2018) at Parc des Expositions in Villepinte, Première Vision Paris organisers reveal 71% of the total visitors had come
 from outside of France. 

Among the European countries, the French market was strongly present, with trade and professional visitors up by 4%.  In second place was Italy with 6,125 visitors  - 11% of attendance), followed by the United Kingdom with 5,291 visitors (10% of attendance), then Spain with 3,475 visitors, Germany with 1,844 visitors 3% of visitors, the Netherlands and Belgium. Portugal sent a healthy figure of 1,180 visitors while countries from Northern Europe were led by Sweden (508 visitors) and Denmark (473 visitors).

Some 9% of the professional visitors came from Asia, led by which sent 1,544 visitors, following by South Korea with 990 visitors, and China with 780 visitors.

Turkey saw an almost 20% increase with 2,859 visitors, ranking it as 5th among visitor countries.
However the organisers say the total visitor figures of the February 2018 edition also show a slight decline of 3% compared to the February 2017 shows, following growth experienced in two previous successive editions.

The slight pullback in visitors has been attributed this season’s show dates with the Chinese New Year, a situation that on its own accounted for 50% of the decline in visitors - with visitors from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong falling by 42%.

Attendance at the show also reflected current challenges related to the transformation of the retail landscape, which is particularly affecting the US market, with US attendance recording some 1,900 visitors, a decline of nearly 5%.

The next edition of Première Vision Paris will take place September 19-21, 2018.

Photos © Lucia Carpio 2018.