What we see in the thousands of runway collections and show images that flood our social media, especially during these fashion months, is just the very last step of the design process. In fifteen minutes more or less, months of work are summed up for us to quickly typecast to our liking or dislike, but this final moment, the showcase of a collection, is the culmination of a process that probably started on a place like this, like Première Vision. The international event for creative fashion professionals returned to the usual Parc des Expositions in Paris, where we had the chance to not only witness the impressive textile and material offer but also to see how the nominees of the 39th edition of the Hyères Festival got involved with the very important step of material and fabric sourcing on a professional and wide scale.
It is safe to say that the fashion calendar on a large extent could be divided into two parts. One is the showing of the final collections during the numerous fashion weeks we see around the world, where the proposals for the upcoming seasons are shared with the world and the trends are established either by repetition, impact, or accuracy in the context the industry and world are going through. The second part, sometimes overlooked by the general public but extremely valuable and significant for the professionals and creatives behind the names and the brands, is the trade shows where the fashion business thrives, ideas and inspiration are shared, and deals are made.
Première Vision is the leading event when it comes to this, and for more than forty-five years, it has offered a space where professionals from all over the world gather with a common passion and goal. In this edition, forty-two countries were present, including Italy, France, Spain, Korea, Japan, the UK, and more, bringing an approximation of 1,200 exhibitors offering their best proposals focused on the markets around yarns, fabrics, textile designs, accessories, manufacturing, smart creation, and leather, aside from exclusive rare artisanal pieces classified under the name of Maison d’Exceptions. The development of sustainable and intelligent materials is a great focus of the last editions of the event, highlighting the presence of exhibitors that not only showcase the newest and most innovative proposals on this aspect but also ones that offer deadstock with the hope of extending the lifespan of the textiles.
Aside from business, Première Vision is the perfect place to announce the trends for the upcoming seasons, and every edition does so following the cyclic nature of fashion, where the offer and demand between the client and the industry creates the needed synergy to keep it moving forward. Working two years in advance, the key word for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2025 is mutation. Desolina Suter, Fashion Director of Première Vision, says about it: “We all agree about the fact that it’s really a period where things are moving, where we have a lot of hybridation, changes, transformation, and permeability between the different sectors, and mutation as a word is evidence for everybody of how you can crystallise all these concepts in a unique word, in a unique theme.” This concept is fed to the exhibitors and will translate to fabric manipulation, techniques, colour palettes, and more in the following season.
As much as big companies and designers are a main target for this event, there is awareness about the importance of caring for and nurturing young talent. As partners of the Hyères International Festival of Fashion, Photography, and Accessories, there’s a space for winners and nominees. Igor Dieryck, winner of the Grand Prix of last year’s edition, showcased his laureate collection Yessir! in a special display right at the entrance of the fair, teasing the upcoming collection every winner has to present in the following year at Hyères.
Meanwhile, the ten finalists for the fashion award this year had the opportunity to source materials from a selection of volunteer exhibitors to create the collections they will present at the festival. “It’s also very important to invest in the young generation, young designers, and to give them the possibility to have nice sourcing, but in a different way. Because not everyone can buy expensive fabrics. They will go around to try to find partnerships with exhibitors. But they can also play with dead stock. That's an added solution on top of everything,” says Suter. There’s no doubt Première Vision gets the fashion game and the needs of its players.
