Première Vision Paris : February 2022

In the current health situation, Première Vision is mobilising to maintain its shows in the best conditions. The players in the creative fashion sector need to meet to continue to develop their activity.

Première Vision Paris is thus committed to support themselves through a hybrid event with two simultaneous and complementary meetings that will bring the sector’s professionals physically and in an online platform, together, allowing them to meet and continue to exchange, while inspiring and guiding them through the designing of their collections.

An exclusive interview with

Yvan DACQUAY, Head of International Business Development

Jade Wang, Business Development Manager and Head of Première Vision Shenzhen

during the February 2022 show…

WAS ASIA IMPACTED BY THE HEALTH SITUATION?

For us, Première Vision Paris has historically had a main European offer. The main countries exhibiting at the show are Italy and France, followed by Turkey in the top 3. It’s true that we are lucky to have an exceptional offer in terms of quality and diversity of products.

There were more than 1,000 exhibitors at the show and we are proud to have been one of the few organisers to be able to maintain an event of this size. It is true that some of the offer is missing, especially from China, because of the total closure of the borders. These constraints also affect other Asian countries. The Japanese are under severe restrictions, with a strict return quarantine.

But we still had about twenty Japanese exhibitors and about forty Korean exhibitors who were able to come, notably thanks to their European agents. In the end, this year, there were Japanese, Koreans, and a few Chinese who either found a way to come, or who were represented by agents, and overall, the Première Vision Paris offer remains one of the richest and most important in the sector.

You should also know that I’m talking about the physical edition, but in parallel to the show in Villepinte, we have an online Digital Week on our site and on our marketplace. This digital show is accessible by registration from anywhere in the world.

And among the 1080 exhibitors, 1000 are present at both the physical show and the digital event, while 80, mainly Chinese, were able to present their collections of materials online, on the Première Vision marketplace. This ability to organise a complete hybrid event is also a strength for Première Vision.

WHY DID THE DATE CHANGED TO JULY?

It was planned a few years ago following a survey conducted by Première Vision with the IFM (Institut Français de la Mode).

In this survey conducted among brands and buyers, notably visitors to our shows, the choice to move the calendar forward was adopted.

The conclusion of the survey showed that it best corresponded to the evolutions of the sector in terms of development of creations and collections, as well as the rhythm of purchase of the brands.

The decision was already taken and the show was to be brought forward to July 2020. But everything was stopped and delayed because of the health situation.

We are happy to have been able to implement this for 2022. We must explain and remind all the exhibitors that the dates are now 5, 6 and 7 July 2022.

This is a profound change for Première Vision. It will accelerate the pace within our organisation, but also for our exhibiting partners, who will have less time to prepare the collections, but who must also adapt to the new needs of the market.

All the teams must therefore be mobilised, but overall, this change is rather well perceived.

WERE THE CHINESE EXHIBITORS ABLE TO COME?

I have had some feedback on this question. I was able to interview some Chinese exhibitors, and the problem for them is not to come here and have 3 weeks of confinement when they return to China. The most difficult problem is getting a visa, because the visa application is very complicated at the moment.These are purely practical considerations. It’s the logistics of travel that are complicated. I think that with a smart solution, Première Vision Paris has managed to remain the leading show in the sector.

At the physical show, the offer is renewed every season and we work to put the exhibitors collections forward as best we can, notably through the trend information forum, and still at the physical show, there is the possibility of being represented by agents and representatives.

In addition, as I said, there is the Première Vision marketplace, which allows you to stay in the Première Vision ecosystem digitally. We started well before the pandemic , but we will obviously continue to strengthen our offer and our digital solutions because, if they don’t replace the physical offer, they are a good complement to it.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE QUALITY OF MADE IN CHINA?

The improvement in manufacturing quality is accompanied by the development of better tools and also the technique of the staff in the workshops. Obviously the Chinese, with their experience, have improved their quality. The cost of labour and energy in China has increased. This has led to an increase in the range of Chinese products. This is obvious. However, China’s competitiveness has been questioned by buyers.

When they are able to return to international trade fairs, the Chinese will have to show a great deal of quality to be able to recover the international markets that had to move forward without them during this pandemic period. In several sectors, moreover, it is the Chinese companies that are the most qualitative and the most efficient, even if it depends on the sector. There are some sectors where they are leaders and have a lot of experience, others less. Chinese companies are like the French and Italians, everyone is evaluated by the same commission and according to the same criteria.