Tranoï, Première Classe, Paris sur Mode, Woman: mixed results for Paris' second-session shows
The second 2017 session of the three main fashion trade shows in Paris featured a staggered start, with a day between each of them, from Thursday 28th September to Monday 2nd October. Whether scheduled over three or four days, the challenge for Tranoï, Première Classe-Paris sur Mode and Woman was nevertheless the same: to ensure they attracted plenty of visitors, and especially buyers from all top international retailers.
As for the latter point, Paris undoubtedly made a good showing this season, attracting representatives from the planet's leading concept stores and department stores, while the Fashion Week's catwalk calendar is clearly very appealing again. However, the trade shows held in parallel with the fashion week haven't always benefited from the latter's positive impact.
It must be said that the range of shows on offer is large, even for the number of buyers who usually flock to Paris. Between the three of them, the Tranoï, Première Classe-Paris sur Mode and Woman events showcased over one thousand brands. Though visitor quality is always the most important element for the three high-end second-session shows, some exhibitors actually complained about lack of numbers. Notably, Saturday was a weak day across all three shows, apparently due to an external factor, the Yom Kippur religious celebration.
This was especially the case for the shows held at the Tuileries Gardens, where Première Classe and Paris sur Mode reported flat visitor numbers, when some exhibitors were hoping for renewed growth. There was indeed some slack, as well as the chance to make useful contacts with international visitors, which accounted for 60% of the show's total this season. The organisers emphasised a series of positives, such as the presence of new retailers, both from France and abroad.
The visual impression was better at Tranoï, though the transition from three to two venues this year, the Palais de la Bourse and the Carrousel du Louvre, helped to make the show look busier. Because of the change, the organisers did not provide a comparison with the previous year's results, and only reported a rise in visitors over this year's earlier session. They did claim to be satisfied with what looked like a recovery, and with the new-found buzz in the week-end's busier days.
As for the Woman show held in place Vendôme, there was satisfaction for the results. This show is more selective - it featured 90 labels where the others had several hundreds - and this approach was well-suited to a session that focused on quality rather than quantity. In particular, the number of visitors grew significantly compared to September 2016, the show having relocated in order to be closer to its competitors.
During the Fashion Week, small-format events proved to be extremely popular. Both Woman and Tranoï held showroom session in parallel with the main show this season. And both the Man/Woman Showroom, already well-established, or the newly created Tranoï Week, were very happy with the number of visitors and the constant activity their exhibitors enjoyed throughout the week.
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