Who's Next-Première Classe: details for September show

By

Jean-Paul Leroy

Published
Apr 7, 2015

Two significant changes will affect the Parisian fashion and accessories trade show this fall. First, and most obviously, there will be the change in dates. Instead of in July, Who's Next-Première Classe will be held from September 4-7. The second change concerns the distribution of areas among the available halls at Porte de Versailles. "Available", since the Parisian Exhibition Center is undergoing major renovations that began this month, meaning that certain halls, including hall 7, which is usually occupied by the fashion show, will remain closed.

Finally, for some visitors and exhibitors, it will actually be a kind of déjà vu with the more cutting-edge fashion area Fame and the accessories area Première Classe both in hall 1. Before acquiring Prêt-à-Porter Paris in 2011, this is where WSN organized these two flagship areas - in general, quite successfully. It remains to be seen if the organizer will be able to successfully put together several areas in halls 2.2 and 3, which share a different location (see map).

Private will be located in hall 2.2, while Studio, Urban and Trendy will be in hall 3. Finally, From, which includes sourcing exhibitors, will be located in 2.1, now with a greater degree of independence.

To facilitate the arrival of visitors, there will be two receptions, one between hall 2 and hall 3, and the other in hall 1 between Fame and Première Classe.

Obviously, WSN is working to provide a more dynamic customer experience so as not to lose and bore certain visitors! 

As for exhibitors, how to fill the halls? WSN insists that the majority of exhibitors and visitors who were interviewed were in favor of the new dates. Neither Sophie Guyot for Fame, Sylvie Pourrat for Première Classe nor Camille Descollonges for Trendy, Urban and Private seem worried despite, in the case of certain areas, the fact that the shows’ second session will follow soon after. "If you look closely, it's not much different than in January and the last edition was encouraging," said Boris Provost, director of brand strategy and international development. 

Among WSN’s list of participating exhibitors at Première Classe: Atelier Voisin, Tatoosh, Mellow Yellow, Buffalo, Faguo, United Nude, Nart & Nin, Serafini, etc. 

At Fame, meanwhile, there will be American Vintage, Bella Jones, Gat Rimon, Street White, Orla Kiely, Essential, etc.

As for the other areas, one will be able to count on the participation of Derhy, Lauren Vidal, Coffee Break, Tricot Chic, The little French, Sarah Pacini, etc. 

The lists that have been released indicate dozens of exhibitors registered for each area. 

In any case, the surface area for each sector should be equal to that at the January edition. Consider, for example, the nearly 100,000 ft² set aside for Première Classe and more than 43,000 ft² for Fame. The other ready-to-wear areas will total around 140,000 ft². The goal is to keep the number of exhibitors steady! Teams are hard at work.