Première Classe celebrates emerging talent including Victor Weinsanto

By

Emma RUFFENACH

Published
Feb 20, 2023

Première Classe, the show dedicated to fashion accessories, will be held at the Tuileries Gardens in Paris from March 3 to 6, in parallel with Paris Fashion Week for women. Orchestrated by the Who's Next teams, this show, which this season is focusing on emerging designers, is one of the French capital's must-see fashion events.

On the programme for the March edition: 400 brands, including more than 50 young labels (less than three years old), for a total of 26% of new labels. In total, the salon is expecting 68% international exhibitors.

Since 1989, the creative world has been meeting at Première Classe, bringing together the entire accessories and ready-to-wear sector," says Frédéric Maus, the managing director of the WSN Développement group. "The great strength of this show is that here, the established brands attract a large audience of buyers from all over the world, which benefits the young creative brands, which do not remain in an exclusive environment. This synergy has a virtuous effect on all the players."

Among the new brands highlighted by the show, Weinsanto, the eponymous label of designer Victor Weinsanto from Souffelweyersheim (Bas-Rhin in France), who received the "Emerging Talent" fashion award from the City of Paris last September for his festive and burlesque creations, inspired by the world of nightlife and the outfits of drag queens such as Paloma and "La Grande Dame".

Highlighting emerging creation

Jewellery, leather goods, shoes... Première Classe offers a showcase for established accessory designers and newcomers such as the high jewellery designer Ann Ong, the French company Aszpak Paris and its customisable bags and the Brazilian label Room and its oversized quilted sandals.

On the ready-to-wear side, contemporary designers such as Florent Coltesse and his Paris-made essentials, and brands such as Cherry Massia, a style mixing sportswear influences and undressed silhouettes founded in Seville in 2018 by Irene R. Massia, or By Tati are making their debut at the show.

The latter brand, a neo-punk knitwear fanatic, was founded in April 2022 by Tatjana Haupt. Winner of the "Eyes on Talents X Première Classe" prize created two years ago to honour "creativity, innovation and fashion", she will be able to exhibit her latest collection on a 6 square metre stand at the show.

In addition, the Première Classe event welcomes the accessory and fashion winners of the 37th and 36th editions of the Hyères Festival, such as Lola Mossino, Indra Eudaric, Sini Saavala, Joshua Cannone, Capucine Huguet and the Finnish designer Jenny Hytönen, who exhibited her hybrid creations juggling BDSM codes with the softness of knitwear at the Première Vision show in early February. 

A showcase of young designers with a strong offer made possible thanks to the partnership between Première Classe and the Hyères International Fashion, Photography and Accessories Festival, a competition founded in 1986 and piloted by Jean-Pierre Blanc and chaired by Pascale Mussard.


Première Classe Salon 
Dates: March 3 to 6, 2023
Place: Jardin des Tuileries (Paris, 1st arrondissement)