No shortage of creativity at Le Cuir à Paris
International leather fairs are notoriously difficult entities to establish, but one relative newcomer that continues to make serious headway is the twice-yearly presentation of Le Cuir à
Aimed at bringing leather producers and fashion buyers together in the heart of the European fashion capital, the three-year old series has always projected itself as a upmarket shop window for the industry and, judging from the latest session held September 17-19, that message would appear to be getting thorough to an increasingly large number of people.
Previewing styles and colours for autumn/winter 2004, this autumn’s show managed to attract 53 first-time exhibitors, no mean feat in the current economic climate. Overall exhibitor levels were up too, to 231 compared with 214 in September 2002, with 3% more visitors being seen than in September 2002, bringing the total to 3,500. There was a noticeably stronger international flavour to the show too as pavilions from
In terms of colours and styles, translucent effects were well to the fore, as were strong metallics including some achingly beautiful aqua blues showcased as part of the SIC Group’s ‘Trend Gallery’. As one would expect at a fashion-orientated event, exotics were much in evidence, with some vibrant presentations of frogskins, alligator skins and fishskins all being noted. For a leather fair, there also seemed to be an awful lot of fur on display.
But no matter. By the end of the session, the consensus was that here was a show that meant business, and at which meaningful business could be transacted, with the visitor mix of manufacturers, stylists, haute couture designers and fashion house representatives being especially well received. The next show in the series, previewing styles for spring/summer 2005, will be held April 15 -16, 2004.
