Paris Fashion Week is back in full throttle – WWD

Paris — With Paris Fashion Week back in full throttle, officials at the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode are grappling with the logistical challenges of organizing the nine-day program featuring 105 brands.

These range from short-term concerns, such as improving security at venues where uninvited guests flock, to long-term issues such as reducing the environmental impact of the 67 shows and 41 presentations on the official spring 2023 calendar.

A national strike has been called for Thursday, worsening the city’s chronic traffic jams and taxi shortages, which could disrupt public transport.

Newly elected president of the federation, Bruno Pavlowski, and Pascal Morand, CEO of the French fashion governing body, are working hand-in-hand to tackle the post-pandemic challenges that brands face with new challenges. including rising inflation, energy shortages and ongoing supply chain disruptions to hamper recovery.

“We’re seeing the strongest comeback of all fashion weeks,” Pawlowski told WWD in a joint interview with Moran. “This is a good sign. Fashion is back to playing a key role in the world, so Paris will be a special time as always.

Both executives noted that Chinese industry representatives have begun traveling again for the first time since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. “It’s a timid and controlled opening, but it’s happening,” said Pavlovsky, president of fashion and Chanel SAS. “I’ve had a lot of business meetings with Chinese executives over the past two months.”

Asian brands are also back in action, with labels like Mame Kurogouchi and Noir Kei Ninomiya showing their first runway shows in Paris from 2020.

To ensure that small local and international brands have the necessary resources to show in the French capital, the Fédération de la Haute et de la Mode has decided to extend support funds to designers set up during the pandemic.

Along with the financing provided by DEFI, the body that promotes the development of the French fashion industry, the federation allocates a total budget of around one million euros per year, typically with grants ranging from 7,500 euros to 15,000 euros, Morand said. .

“These are incentives that allow brands to be seen in Paris,” he said, adding that the designers will also have a reduced exhibition space and a spare showroom, both of which will be hosted in the Palais de Tokyo Museum of Modern Art.

“There is always a good reason to support [emerging brands] Because the world is changing a lot. One moment it’s Covid-19, now it’s the price. What is important today is that Paris remains attractive,” added Pavlovsky. “In this economic context, developing a presentation and producing a collection is becoming more expensive and complex. These barriers should not prevent brands from showing up here.”

Morand Paris continues to draw designers, with 56 international brands taking part in the Spring 2023 women’s shows, from the young guard of Chinese design to high-profile newcomers such as UK-based Victoria Beckham and Australian label Zimmerman. “We’re actually, by far, the most international fashion week,” he said.

One phenomenon is gathering momentum as shows are attracting more and more foreign audiences to the point of generating security concerns. “We saw a tipping point in March where there were a lot of young people,” Morand said.

The event is fueled in part by the fact that the brands themselves are stepping up and opening their shows to the public, with the federation liaising with the city administration and Paris police to ensure everyone’s plans run smoothly. “We urge all households that are less experienced in security matters to take adequate security measures,” Morand said.

Pavlovsky suggested that the democratization of fashion shows may be a long way off in the wake of the pandemic.

I think we have to make a few adjustments in Paris. In July, we saw a lot of people trying to get into shows without invitations or fake invitations,” he said. We still have to work with the police and security organizations, so it’s not compatible with opening the shows to everyone.

Behind the scenes, the fashion firm is helping brands reduce the environmental footprint of their events and collections, thanks to measurement systems developed by professional services firm PwC.

The events tool calculates 120 key performance indicators covering all stages of an event, from production house to casting and fitting, and including digital communications. Informally launched last September, it was used by 57 percent of brands at the Fall 2022 shows.

“The goal is to have 80 percent participation for September,” Morand said. The collection tool, aimed at brands with an annual revenue of 20 to 30 million euros, will be launched before the end of the year.

Pawlowski estimated that making a significant change would probably take five years, but emphasized that sustainability is a top priority for the federation, and is committed to raising awareness, as well as educating and supporting participating brands.

“I hope one day we can print a carbon and CSR footprint for Paris Fashion Week. Today we are in the construction phase. This is what everyone participates in.” “It’s very expensive and it doesn’t have to come at the expense of creativity, so it’s going to take a while to change.”

As a voting member of the Technical Secretariat for the International Apparel and Footwear Sector, the Federation is working at the European level on the European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint methodology. In that role, he is lobbying for recognition of the unique character of luxury goods, arguing that they should not be accepted as local labels like fast fashion.

One solution to curbing Paris Fashion Week’s carbon footprint could be to shorten the event by several days, which would respond to criticism from some attendees who say the budget is too high to attend. However, Pavlovsky rejected the idea, saying that it would not be possible to overcrowd the schedule without harming some of the participants.

“It’s important to give everyone a chance. It is what makes Paris so attractive,” he said. “If you group all the big houses into two days, people will never stay. It’s already hard today. Fashion week is an opportunity for all these designers, all these brands to express themselves, and it is the job of the federation to make them do that. It’s our job to convince as many journalists as possible to stay for as long as possible.