On May 10, like a new vista finally appearing on the
horizon, Parisian trade show Tranoï announced a partnership with the French Fashion and Haute Couture Federation (FHCM) to jointly stage a physical show at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris on June 25-27, in parallel with Paris Fashion Week, as public gatherings will again be permitted in France in summer.
Fashion trade shows, in France and elsewhere, have virtually ground to a halt since the start of the pandemic, but after redoubling their efforts on the digital front, they are now finalising preparations to hold physical sessions again. According to the lockdown-easing timetable announced by French President Emmanuel Macron to local media, it will be possible to stage trade shows and exhibitions from June 9, with an attendance of up to 5,000 people and provided the events comply with the health protection measures in place. Attendance restrictions should be lifted from June 30, depending on the pandemic’s status in France’s various regions.
Parisian trade show Tranoï, which was bought in August 2020 by GL Events, will be held in the heart of the French capital in June, showcasing the latest men’s collections and women’s pre-collections. The session dedicated to the women’s collections will instead be held from September 30 to October 3 2021 at the Palais de Tokyo and Palais de la Bourse venues in Paris. As soon as the French government released the new timetable, Tranoï announced its partnership with FHCM. An alliance that will notably boost the programme of Paris Fashion Week with a new event, scheduled four times a year at the Palais de Tokyo. Featured also on Tranoï’s digital channels, the event will showcase a selection of emerging labels hand-picked by Tranoï and FHCM. The first session will be held in parallel with Tranoï, on June 25-27.
“I’m delighted that Tranoï is now part of the collaboration initiated between Première Vision and [FHCM] three years ago. Ever since we acquired this wonderful event in summer 2020, we have believed that it was possible to establish a new relationship, more settled and beneficial for the market, between fashion trade shows and the fashion weeks they are an essential element of. This is a cornerstone that will bolster Paris’s appeal as a home to major fashion events,” said Philippe Pasquet, CEO of GL Events Exhibitions.
Première Vision will instead stage a reunion event in Paris on June 30-July 1, bringing the show’s exhibitors and visitors physically together at the Grand Palais Éphémère, a temporary venue currently getting ready to open on the Champs de Mars esplanade, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
The Who’s Next show too is taking advantage of the Paris fashion week’s return to launch Who’s Next Limited. The new event will be staged at a showroom in the French capital’s Saint-Germain-des-Prés district on June 25-28, and is set to showcase its exhibitors’ pre-collections during Paris Fashion Week. Fashion and accessories show Who’s Next will then make its come-back at Paris’s Porte de Versailles exhibition centre on September 3-6 2021, alongside Impact, its sustainable fashion counterpart, and Traffic, which focuses on innovative solutions for retailers and brands.
Playtime Paris has indicated it will stage physical sessions again. Ahead of the French government’s announcements, the childrenswear show owned by organiser Picaflor had recently carried out a survey with its visitors, in order to decide whether to stage in-person events again. After a one-year hiatus, Playtime Paris will be making a come-back at the Parc Floral venue in Paris on July 3-5. The dates for the Playtime New York and Playtime Shanghai shows had already been made official: they will be held on August 1-3 and July 12-13 respectively.
One of the first trade events to announce officially its next dates was Maison & Objet, the show dedicated to interior design, fashion and the art of living, which is scheduled from Thursday September 9 to Monday September 13 at the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition centre. “To give final confirmation of the September 2021 edition, we were eagerly awaiting the green light by the French government (...) We are therefore able to announce that industry professionals will finally have the chance to get together again from Thursday September 9 in Paris, in full compliance with the health protection measures imposed by the authorities. We believe that the introduction of a health passport, as required by the government, will provide the necessary reassurance to all participants,” said Philippe Brocart, general manager of Maison & Objet, in a press release.
Maison & Objet also underlined that, as of now, 1,500 exhibitors have confirmed their presence and that 93% of regular visitors said they intend to attend the show’s next edition, according to a survey carried out by Maison & Objet from April 30 to May 3.
Finally, the situation remains uncertain for jewellery show Bijorhca, usually held at Porte de Versailles. After the termination of the agreement between the event’s owner, French jewellery industry association BOCI, and show organiser Reed Expositions France, BOCI is reportedly still negotiating with various event organisers, with a view to staging the show’s 150th session before the end of the year.