Textiles From Portugal return to Paris for Fashion Rendez-Vous, a unique event
In a one-shot format, Fashion Rendez-Vous marks the long awaited return to face-to-face fairs in Europe. Between June 30th and July 1st, the stage for this fabric, accessories, leather and design trade show, which has the Première Vision seal, will be the Grand Palais Éphémère, installed on the Champ-de-Mars, right in the heart of Paris. The Portuguese delegation will present its AW22-23 collections, and show its ability to mix technology with sustainability.
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Portugal returns to the fashion capital once more, this time for a unique event that marks the return of the international fashion industry. Fashion Rendez-Vous will open its doors at the Grand Palais Éphémère, a new venue for temporary events, right in front of the Eiffel Tower, on June 30th and July 1st. Companies are eager to present their novelties, and raise new customers, at a trade show that attracts mainly European and French buyers and agents.
From the more than 100 exhibitors schedule, the Portuguese industry will be represented by Fitecom, La Estampa / Le Europe and Lurdes Sampaio, who make up the From Portugal delegation, and are accompanied by Adalberto Estampados and Riopele.
After months of virtual events, Maria Sá, Lurdes Sampaio CEO, waits for this return to face-to-face fairs with “a lot of expectations and some anxiety”. The goal of LS is “essentially return to face-to-face contact with customers in the French market, a very important market for Lurdes Sampaio”, she stresses. Therefore, the fair’s small format, combined with the fact that it is mainly aimed at the French and European public, is a plus for the CEO. In this long-awaited reunion, the brand will “present part of the new autumn-winter 2023 collection, essentially made with natural, recycled and biodegradable fibres”. The company will also make “the international debut of the company’s circular economy project, RFIVEPROJECT”, she completes. As for the location, Maria Sá thinks it’s “beautiful” and the fact that it is in the centre of Paris “will help a lot for the return of customers”.
La Estampa / Le Europe also missed “in-person events” and is optimistic, “even though we still don't have the ideal customer circulation, due to the pandemic. We decided to partake in this event because we are expanding, and we consider Premiere Vision our main showcase in Europe”, states the company’s general director, Marcelo Castelão. A new digital platform is one of the novelties that the company will present, followed by plain knits and fabrics, and exclusive prints. La Estampa / Le Europe already has some meetings scheduled, but the general director admits he wants more. As for the location, Marcelo Castelão would like for this “incredible” spot to become a definitive spot.
Destined to a medium/high fashion market, Fitecom has seen its task difficulted for the past months due to the pandemic and digital meetings, since its products depend on the touch and the draping of the clothes to differentiate themselves. “The return to the presential format is thus fundamental for the success of the spring/summer 2022 and autumn/winter 2022/23 collections”, reiterates João Carvalho. Contacts have already been made, and the company hopes to “have a small stand working full time during the two days of the fair”, adds the administrator. Despite seeing the presence at the Fashion Rendez-Vous as positive, the management does point out that “the expectations are moderate” since a significant part of the clients will not yet be present.
After two seasons without being able to partake in the sector’s most renowned trade shows, Adalberto, represented by Cristina Lima, says that “expectations are obviously high”, especially regarding the fair’s attendance. The company’s senior customer manager for the international market adds that "in the face-to-face format, the customer can get to know the product better: they can touch the item, feel its finish, notice, for example, the intensity of the colours and its brightness. Details that are not possible to obtain through virtual events”.
Cristina Lima also emphasized that “through direct contact we are able to create empathy, and have a more refined perception of the impact that the product is having”. Since the pandemic is not overcome, the senior customer manager also stated that the company will be “attentive to all security measures, in order to verify whether they will are enough”. At this event, Adalberto will present its autumn/winter collection, “made up mostly of prints (mesh/canvas), but also plain fabrics, especially the mercerized”. With a strict sustainability policy and committed to circular economy, Cristina Lima also highlights the sustainable products and finishes that the company will take to Paris. Contacts have already been made, meetings are scheduled, invitations sent, and confirmations are awaited over the course of this week.
The participation of Portuguese SME companies in Fashion Rendez-Vous is framed by the From Portugal project, an initiative of Selectiva Moda and ATP - Textile and Clothing Association of Portugal, which aims to promote the internationalization of Portuguese companies in the fashion area. The “From Portugal” project is co-financed by Portugal 2020, within the scope of Compete 2020 - Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization, with an eligible support amount of € 11,042,311.82, of which € 6,065,501.91 comes from the European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund.
