PARIS – Parc d’Exhibitions was the place to be this week as fashion cognoscenti showed up to attend a host of shows. Premiere Vision, the biggest and best textile show internationally, proved to be upbeat and buoyant as visitors crowded the halls to see the textile collections for Fall/Winter 11/12. 

The mood at the show was energetic, confident and had a feeling of the good old days, pre the global financial crisis. This wasn’t feigned optimism to keep the cogs turning, this was real and was evident by the constant hum of chatter heard throughout the three enormous halls that house the fair. Not exuberance…but the sense that business was being done.  The feeling was that things are moving forward...back to business…at last. 

Well the big news was that buyers were looking for something new, instead of usual rant about price, price, price.  Many finally realized that price – or at least price alone – isn’t going to move merchandise.  It looks like buyers are, reluctantly, becoming slightly less risk averse.   We feel that this will carry forward to the consumer market, with consumers also looking for newness at retail.

One common denominator from buyers in all sectors is that they weren’t just looking for new fabrics; they were also looking for unique aspects. “People are tired of the mono culture of fashion that you see globally,” a buyer told Inside Fashion with reference to global uniformity of brands including Zara and H&M. There is a general feeling emerging that fast fashion has lost its initial appeal.   We sense that quality, combined with luxury elements, is gaining market share.   People will pay a little more for something that’s a little better, a little unique. 

From mainstream retailers like Target and Marks and Spencer through to international designers, including John Rocha, who personally attended the show.  Marks and Spencer, regarded as a leader in new directions for the mainstream market, invited selected mills to present chosen new qualities to their decision making buying team at an arranged innovation meeting during the fair.    READ MORE...