Last month I had an amazing opportunity to attend Premiere Vision in Paris for the first time thanks to a studio I’m freelancing with. I have experience of going to the London Print Fair for a couple of years now but nothing could prepare me for the vastness of a show like PV which is probably the most important calendar event for the textiles industry.
It takes place twice a year over three days to showcase two seasons in the calendar that every textile related business works on: Spring/Summer & Autumn/Winter.
The number and range of businesses attending was impressive, from fabric manufacturers to print studios, accessories, leather, denim, shirting, new textiles tech and everything in between serving the global fashion industry.
If planning a visit for research, I’d recommend walking the show for at least two days. Most of the fabric manufacturers have their own in-house design team but some are open to working with freelancers so it’s a matter of approaching them, introducing yourself and having something to show them, such a trade book (get one done on blurb.com for not much money) and of course a business card (moon.com offers great quality).
In regards, to print studios, the foothall wasn’t great this year, is what I was, so for a new studio starting out, this is quite a big financial commitment as the minimum cost of securing a booth starts at 4,000 Euros. However, the buyers attending are from the best stores/brands and many do come with the intention to buy. So even if the end result doesn’t translate into sales you do expect to come back with a handful of contacts to follow up after the show and this makes it arguably worth the fee.
The Print studio part of the show is growing by the year so the competition is increasing whilst attendance has been steadily declining from what I’ve been told. So I’d say PV probably isn’t ideal for a new print studio start-up. However, I’ve loved the experience of being part of it and hope to return in the future.