Chic will bring together 1,200 exhibitors from 16th to 18th March

By

Bruno Joly

Published
Mar 10, 2016

March is definitely a successful month for Chic. The Chinese trade show attracted only 700 exhibitors in October for its first autumn edition, but it is now back to full strength on its customary dates.

Chic relocated from Beijing to Shanghai exactly a year ago, and has reported a presence of 1,200 exhibitors for this edition, which will start on Wednesday 16th March, in parallel with Intertextile Shanghai.

Chic will have at its exclusive disposal an area of 100,000 m² split into four halls. It will welcome 700 Chinese exhibitors and 500 from abroad, and its purpose is always to better segment the offering by sector. Thus the organisers have added a GOLF area (Global Overview Footwear and Leather) for footwear and accessories. The other segments are Prestige (men's fashion), New Look (women's fashion), Impulses (designers), Heritage (fur and leather), Secrets Stars (accessories), Kid’s Paradise (childrenswear), Urban View (casual wear) and Denim World.

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As before, international brands will chiefly be allocated by country pavilion, of which Paris for Ever will be one of the largest, extending over 1,500 m², although French exhibitors will be slightly fewer, about thirty of them.

"The first October session was actually rather flat, and may have misled some regulars (there were 57,000 visitors in October, compared to 120,000 last March)," commented a frequent participant to Chinese events. Bleu Forêt, Derhy, Giorgio & Mario, Paul & Joe, Redskins, etc. will be among those making the journey.

Italian exhibitors will celebrate the second edition of La Moda Italiana, grouping together footwear and apparel. It is worth reminding that The Micam show only held one session within Chic. The two other major pavilions will be those representing Germany and Turkey, while the big debut will be that of the Dutch contingent. As for Pure Shanghai, which joined up with Chic in October, it will only have 300 m² at its disposal. 

In March 2015, the organisers reported 125,000 visitors, of whom 44% were agents and potential franchisees, and nearly 15% were buyers from department stores and shopping malls. Independent multi-brand stores only accounted for 1% of visitors.

However, by establishing a rhythm of two editions per year, as opposed to only one, as in its more than 20 years' history, Chic is betting on the development of distribution in China.