Translated by
Nicola Mira
Published
May 1, 2020
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Première Vision rejigs 2020 trade show calendar with focus on digital tools

Translated by
Nicola Mira
Published
May 1, 2020

A major textile sourcing event is on the cards in Paris next September. It is the brainchild of show organiser Première Vision, which was forced by the Covid-19 crisis to change its plans for the next editions of Denim Première Vision and Blossom, the show dedicated to pre-collections initially scheduled in Paris on July 1-2.


Denim Première Vision will have its own section at the Première Vision show next September - Denim Premiere Vision


Denim PV’s next edition was scheduled in Milan on June 10-11. It has now been cancelled and will be held instead in Berlin on November 24-25. But before then, denim manufacturers will still be able to showcase their products in Paris. “We are setting up a section reserved to Denim PV's exhibitors at the Première Vision [show] scheduled on September 15-17 at the Villepinte exhibition centre [in Paris]. It will be an unusual environment for them, because they don’t normally exhibit at this show. We will return to Milan next year, on May 26-27 2021. We don’t want to cancel the event altogether, because there is very strong demand for it by companies in the region and we want to be present,” said Gilles Lasbordes, general manager of Première Vision. As for Blossom exhibitors, they are mostly present at the Première Vision show too, and they will be able to showcase their pre-collection products together with those for the main collections.

The situation remains very complex. The textile industry, like the world at large, has been disrupted by the lockdown measures, and there is still a high degree of uncertainty regarding the global outlook and the possibility of travelling in September. However, Première Vision is optimistic about the show's next edition.

“Activity levels currently vary by country, and even by region within countries,” said Lasbordes, adding that “some manufacturing sectors have slowed down significantly, the whole production mechanism is jammed. This is very harsh for companies that have to follow up on products they delivered, deal with the orders they have in the pipeline and with forecasts for future orders. By September, exhibitors will have had less time to develop their collections for the Fall/Winter 2021, and the product range on show will surely be slimmer. Producers, like labels, will have to combine their pre-collections with the main collection. I don’t think this means they’ll be less creative. In 2008, we thought standards would drop, and instead we were all surprised by the richness of the range.”


Gilles Lasbordes - Première Vision Paris



The Première Vision show will be an opportunity to assess how reactive the industry is. The organisers, aware the current circumstances are exceptional, are giving the chance to visitors who register on the site by the end of August to access the show for free. The terms and conditions for exhibitors have also been relaxed, notably with regards to those applicable in the event the show is cancelled due to force majeure. It is a way for Première Vision to convey its optimism, and encourage the industry to get back to business as usual.

Première Vision has also decided to deploy a series of digital tools in order to stimulate the industry during the lockdown period, as well as boost the potential connection between suppliers and designers. All the services of Première Vision’s e-marketplace are available free of charge to exhibitors. Prevented from staging the customary worldwide tour to present seasonal data, Première Vision’s fashion design team has also developed a series of webinars, available in eight languages, analysing future trends.

Finally, the organiser is enhancing its capacity for service and content digitalisation, enabling product selection for the forums, seasonal fashion information, trend seminars and conferences to be accessible online. All of these tools will complement the year's main event, the Première Vision Paris show.

In parallel, Première Vision has rescheduled its other events. Made in France Première Vision, originally planned in April, is set to take place on September 1-2 at the Carreau du Temple venue in central Paris. In the USA, Première Vision Sport, the newly created show based in Portland, Oregon, has been postponed from July 29-30 to August 19-20, together with sport shoe event The Material Show. Finally, the New York edition of Première Vision is set to be staged at the Center 415 venue on September 30-October 1.

Of course, the calendar remains subject to the evolution of the health emergency in each country, and on the protection measures introduced to fight the pandemic locally.

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