Who’s Next – Première Classe: back to September

By

Anne-Sophie Savenier

Published
Sep 2, 2015

Demonstrate its ability to mobilise brands and buyers: this is the objective of the Who’s Next-Première Classe duo's latest edition.

It will be held from 4th to 7th September, marking its return as the first post-summer show after three July editions. It will reportedly bring together nearly 1,700 brands - 67% of them from outside of France - 800 of which will be at Who’s Next (ready-to-wear apparel), 800 at Première Classe (accessories) and 100 at From by Première Classe (a selection of accessories hailing from France and elsewhere). 

With this date variation, show organiser WSN thus hopes to win back French visitors, who shrank in numbers when the show shifted to a July date (an 18% decline in French visitors in July 2014). It plans of course to attract again all the major export buyers who attended the previous summer editions.
 
The return to the original schedule seems to have been well received by brands. The vast majority of the usual exhibitors has, as always, responded positively, and this year the show again welcomes a host of newcomers (30% of exhibitors): 220 new brands at Who’s Next and 259 at Première Classe, three quarters of which are from outside of France. 

In terms of segmentation, Who's Next continues along a route that offers the opportunity of a new dynamic. Great efforts were made by the organiser in the past - to a good reception by visitors last January - chiefly by featuring targeted brand clusters in response to buyers' proximity requirements, as well as with transparent, complementary offers.  

The result of all this? While the show will still be arranged in five sections, i.e. Private (a selection of creative, internationally-renowned womenswear brands, with major commercial potential), Trendy (contemporary women's collections with affordable prices), Urban (mixed denim and streetwear brands), Studio (ready-to-wear collections, from the casual to the highly feminine) and Fame (brands with more than 10 years' recognition, and a selection of young designers, the more 'couture' among them under the Atelier label), this latter section will stand out from the rest.
 
Due to working arrangements, Fame will in fact share Hall 1 with the Premiere Classe show, while the other sections will be set up within Halls 2 and 3, which are interconnected.