Le Cuir à Paris aims at fashion buyers
The first spring edition of Le Cuir à Paris, held last week in Hall 3 of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, brought together 165 European leather and textile producers – all of them looking to showcase their spring/summer 2003 collections to Paris-based fashion buyers.
As with the first edition, held in October 2001, there was a Trends Gallery - a large open area arranged with product samples provided by the exhibitors.
The samples were categorised into four different collections, termed ‘Body Art’, ‘Pop Art’, ‘Minimal Art’ and ‘Land Art’ - with each conveying its own distinct mood for the summer season. ‘Minimal Art’ for example was characterised by washed out lighter tones evocative of the minimalist movement, with fine and mini grains and plenty of worked matte surfaces. Described by the organisers Socêité Internationale du Cuir (SIC) as an event in itself, the gallery provided a useful entrée to the main show, allowing visitors to cross reference samples in a meaningful way before going on to the main exhibition area.
Looking around the exhibition, the busiest stands were those with the most exuberant colour combinations on display. Dark hues were most definitely out as acid pinks, sunny oranges and flashy yellows competed for the limelight. As one would expect at a summer fashion event, it was the finer substances that held sway, as nappas and calf skins vied with exotics such as snakeskins for the attention of the casual browser and determined buyer alike.
A key feature of the exhibition was its ‘Young Designers’ area. Aimed at providing a springboard for the talents of up-and-coming design professionals, this showcased an intriguing range of products and accessories that might well have gone unnoticed at a larger event. On show on the furniture manufacturer Quart de Poil’s stand for instance was a selection of strikingly styled lampshades, magazine holders and other home accessories – all fashioned from buffalo hides.
The Italians formed the largest national grouping with 79 exhibitors. French exhibitors numbered 62. In terms of company type, 61% were finished leather producers, 15% textiles, 8% components and 15% other organisations, with 80% of the just over 2,100 visitors coming from France. Buyers from Louis Vuitton, Kenzo, John Galliano, Christian Dior, Christain LaCroix, Prada and Rolex were all present. The next edition will take place September 19-21, 2002.
