Première Vision, Trano? Organizer Rebrands Fashion Division as The Creative Pole
PARIS — Trade fair organizer GL Events is giving its fashion division a makeover under the new name The Creative Pole.
The changes come as Florence Rousson, who came on board as general manager of GL Events’ fashion section last March, seeks to unite all of the group’s 18 fashion events under one cohesive banner.
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It will include Première Vision, Trano? and Fashion Source under the new organizational structure, which seeks to find synergies among the shows and continue to expand into new categories and territories.
Those expansions will see the launch of a beauty offering at Première Vision Paris in September, as well as the launch of Première Vision Montreal, which will hold its first edition in April.
Adding a beauty offering means that Première Vision organizers will bring in white label product developers and suppliers to connect with the brands that attend.
“The idea is not to remain only a fair for the sourcing of textiles, but to understand how the brands are moving in terms of needs,” Rousson told WWD, noting that beauty is currently a booming category for many fashion brands and could provide new growth channels.
“We will have [the section] to help them to understand what could be new opportunities for them as well, just to offer them the opportunity to see that there are other possibilities to reinforce their brands with new ranges of products.”
Having the section in September will be experimental and its long-term incorporation depends on brand reaction, Rousson said, as Première Vision looks to expand its scope to meet the needs of both exhibitors and attendees feeling uncertain in the current fashion climate.
“This first year at the head of the management allowed me to meet and listen to all the players — upstream, downstream, industrial and federations. By bringing together our complementary expertise under the same banner while preserving the singularity of our brands, we are creating a unique international hub capable of supporting all the players in the creative sector in the challenges they face,” Rousson said.
GL Events group operates trade shows across sectors, including agri-food, construction, culture and leisure, among others. The new fashion grouping structure will “support the deployment of a cross-functional strategic vision…in a global market in full change, and where structural and economic issues call for new responses,” the organization said in a statement. It will look for new geographies and sectors to bring into its orbit.
One of the first moves under Rousson’s direction was the launch of Trano? Tokyo’s inaugural edition last September, coinciding with Japan’s fashion week.
The move comes as Premiere Vision and Trano? have been in flux. Première Vision’s flagship Paris show has seen a decrease in attendance and foot traffic over the last few seasons.
Trano?’s traditional Paris edition has focused on expanding its showcase events in recent seasons, scrapping its business-to-business trade show event during men’s fashion week in January altogether in favor of a runway show in an effort to attract the Paris fashion crowd. The next edition planned for women’s fashion week in March is still on the calendar.
Fashion Source is the group’s Asia-focused textile trade show in Shenzhen, which takes place twice a year on the seasonal calendar.
The Creative Pole will also return Première Vision Paris to its September slot as previously announced, after two years of trying a July berth. Reconnecting Première Vision with the fashion calendar will allow a bigger push for its Blossom trade show, also based in Paris and focused on luxury and high-end brands’ pre-collections, scheduled for June.
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