Interview with Mr Philippe Pasquet

35 years ago, 15 Lyons weavers dared to launch a completely unheard of promotional and marketing venture. Their approach was confirmed and expanded by a succession of ever bolder improvements. Première Vision has never rested on its achievements, choosing instead to call itself continually into question in order to mark even greater progress.

It all began in November 1973, with a joint promotion undertaken by the 15 Lyons weavers, who step out ahead of the market by presenting their fabric collections at the International Centre in Paris. Then, the Lyons weavers were joined by other sectors of the French weaving industry and later by European weavers, while reaffirming their basic principle of exhibitor selectivity.

1997 witnesses the birth of the Première Vision International Observatory, a socio-cultural surveillance unit, instituted on a global scale, whose aim is to identify the emerging trends likely to influence the textile and fashion industries.

In September 2002, an important step was taken. Faithful to its desire to propose the best apparel textile offer to its buyers, Première Vision for the first time welcomes weavers from countries outside Europe.

At the same time, Première Vision, in addition to attracting in Paris visitors from more than 100 countries from all over the world, decided to help its exhibitors to develop or set up their business on the most important markets of the world, be they mature or developing.

It resulted in the successful launching of Première Vision Preview New York. This event provides an opening to the season. It addresses the needs of American decision makers who, in general, wish to see the new collections earlier than their European counterparts.

March 2004, saw the first edition of Première Vision Shanghai, an original exhibition conceived as a highly selective « club » addressed to mid- and top-level Chinese buyers. From 2009, the show will be held in turn in Shanghai and in Beijing.

In October 2006, Première Vision turned to Eastern Europe with the creation of Première Vision Moscow. This exhibition is aimed at an emerging fashion market, one avid for information and quality fabrics, inexistent locally.

Since 2000, Première Vision also participates in Jitac European Textile Fair, a textile-agents’ trade fair held in Tokyo, that participates to the promotion of the Paris event in Japan.

Another significant initiative was the creation of the Première Vision Pluriel brand in May 2005 : it brought together, Expofil, Première Vision, Le Cuir à Paris, Indigo and ModAmont that are all leaders in their sectors (fibres, yarns, fabrics, leathers, textile design, trimmings) and that are held concurrently at the Parc d’Expositions de Paris Nord Villepinte / France. A sixth event, Zoom by Fatex, dedicated to contract fashion manufacturing in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North African countries, Madagascar and Mauritius will join Première Vision Pluriel in September 2008.

Through this strong and coherent group of complementary shows, the rendez-vous at Villepinte is further asserted as an event of unparalleled richness and efficacy in the fashion world.

In December 2007, always anxious to answer the market’s requirements, Première Vision launched Denim by Première Vision. This new and original event, entirely dedicated to the denim universe, takes place in Paris / Saint Denis at the Docks.

Today the Première Vision SA group manages directly Première Vision, Expofil, Indigo and ModAmont in partnership with Tarsus. Altogether, 18 events throughout the world, around 3100 exhibitors and more than 120 000 professional visitors!

Most latest: Première Vision has just bought Direction, the textile design event leader on the North American market.

Due to the specificity of the products they present, fashion trade events have a different calendar from other sectors. What really sets it apart is the question of dates that turns up regularly according to various factors. Textile and fashion shows have to adapt to the seasonal rhythm of their exhibitors and visitors and they need to be precisely timed to answer their specific needs. And these needs are changing! Today we can note that the rhythm of fashion collections is rapidly changing. From two traditional collections per year, i.e one per season, we passed to several collections. And now, we are witnessing the “fast fashion” phenomenon, i.e the permanent updating of the fashion offer. This move has reached the whole fashion chain and all the operators had to adapt themselves to this new approach.

Textile industry is probably one of the industries most concerned by the current move of globalization. Great volumes of manufacturing are still being transferred from OECD countries to Asia mainly. Taking advantage, among others, of the almost complete suppression of any quotas, giants like China or India are comforting their positions and some new ambitious operators, like Vietnam, are emerging. Investments in these countries are huge, quality and know-how are progressing. For all that, countries with a great textile culture as Europe or Japan are still at the forefront for what regards the fashion offer. This explains the extremely strong, essential, position that these zones are keeping within Première Vision. One should not mistake indeed the ability to manufacture products and the ability to offer original and specific collections, totally in step with a sophisticated, permanently updated, demand. Creative companies are gradually appearing in all the main textile countries, but the skills, the investments and the organization that it requires, take time.

From the beginning Première Vision has been guided by an idea of excellence and quality at all levels, from the quality of the exhibitors to the quality of the setting (stands and forums designed by famous designers) or corporate communication. Everything is taken into account with the greatest care, always keeping in mind the interest of the exhibitors and of the weaving profession as a whole. The final issue is not developing the exhibition for the sake of developing its surface or number of exhibitors but to put everything into action so that it benefits to a whole profession. Première Vision has particularly set its mark on the fashion world by the excellence of its fashion service, especially with its colour range regarded as particularly accurate and its unique fashion information areas that offer a complete view of the season in a spectacular setting. For its exhibitors as well it offers a complete service with ‘concertation meetings’, colour information and audiovisual presentations to help them prepare their collections. Those elements are inseparable from Première Vision and truly representative of its spirit.

Première Vision also offers its visitors a unique service through the Performance Codes, a total of now 24 registered pictograms and their key. Each of them identifies particular functions of today's textiles: waterproofing, breathability, thermo-regulation, anti-UV and anti bacterial protection... They allow buyers to identify the performances of a fabric, that cannot be detected at first view but that represent an essential asset.

Challenges can be of many kinds when organizing a trade fair. I wouldn’t speak of those obvious challenges regularly faced by the organizers of an international event but rather those induced by a number of factors, such as the economic situation or the evolution of a profession. All innovations and recent moves that we initiated have been in response to challenges surging from such factors as the concentration of clients and textile suppliers or structural changes in the weaving sector, Première Vision traditional market. Recently to cater the specific needs of a market in terms of dates or collections (USA) or to accompany emerging markets (Russia, China) Première Vision launched its events in New York, Shanghai and Moscow. For the denim world, with its specific operators and needs, Première Vision created Denim by Première Vision.

Throughout the season Première Vision organizes so called ‘concertation meetings’, gathering the best experts from the fashion chain and Première Vision’s partner exhibitors. At those meetings, everyone can express one’s convictions and intuitions; put forward queries and exchange information on markets. Première Vision Fashion team sets up a synthesis of these encounters as a basis for the colour and material range of the season. This targeted and comprehensive information is passed in due time to the exhibitors to help them prepare their collections, and then proposed to the buyers at the time of the fair. It is conceived to cater all fashion markets, from top of the range to medium range, from luxury outlets to multiple retailers, from men’s and womenswear to sportswear.

Denim is a fabric that is special, unique. It’s a mythical, even rebel, fabric, and it also sets itself off by the very specific timing of its manufacturing processes. The washing and treatment operations that enter into its creative process impose fabric selections extremely early on in the season. It also gathers a very specific community.

Taking these imperatives into consideration, Première Vision created in 2007 Denim by Première Vision, an event entirely dedicated to the world of jeans fabrics. The exhibitors of this show, which addresses a very concentrated sector, come from throughout the world. They are weavers, treatment specialists and accessories manufacturers among the leading names in the sector, selected for their quality and creativity. The visitors, mostly international, include representatives of the biggest names in international jeanswear. The first edition in December 2007 took off like a shot and the success was confirmed by the second session last June. So in mere two editions, Denim by Première Vision has established itself as a reference for jeanswear players.

Première Vision and Tarsus joined in an operational and financial partnership in the ModAmont accessories trade fair. On 1 January 2008, Première Vision SA bought 49% of the capital in Sepic SAS, owner and organiser of ModAmont. This operation was done in the framework of a global project of partnership for the activities and development of this accessories trade fair.

The leading international trade fair of trimmings and supplies for fashion and design, ModAmont was created in 1996, and is held twice a year, in February and September, at the Parc d’Expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte, in the framework of Première Vision Pluriel. It brings together some 300 exhibitors presenting a diversified offer of buttons, buckles, zippers, labels, ribbons, badges...as well as feathers and rhinestones intended for all fashion sectors (apparel, leather goods, footwear), and packaging products. It welcomes nearly 19,000 visitors.

The partnership created between Tarsus and Première Vision allowed ModAmont to strengthen its efficiency within Première Vision Pluriel, as well as accelerating its development, especially abroad, in the wake in particular of shows organised by Première Vision in fashion’s major markets.

India is recognized as an important player in the textile/fashion industry. Indian companies are now represented at Première Vision events that select their exhibitors on criteria including the quality and creativity of the collections as well as reliability. February 2008 saw the arrival of Raymond, a weaver renowned for its creative collections mainly dedicated to the men’s market, at Première Vision. Expofil, the yarn and fibre event, welcomed Birla, one of the world leaders in cellulosic fibres, and at Indigo Karigar Embroideries, a trendy Indian designer, presented traditional Indian designs adapted to Western fashion requirements. All of them were satisfied with their participation and are returning in September 2008.

Regarding a venue in India, for the time being, we prefer to concentrate on our existing events, in France and abroad, and to strengthen their attraction, before considering moving ahead in other parts of the world.