Première Vision, a show with a thousand weavers and manufacturers of raw materials for fashion and design, closed the doors of its last edition with markedly improved results. Rough and soft, technical but natural, light and dense at the same time, spring-summer 2023 seen by the leader of raw materials trade shows for textiles-clothing and the home has played on the contradictions born during the crisis.
Driven by eco-responsible innovations, the search for products that meet the new needs of consumers, but above all by the need for players in the sector to come together, the leading upstream show in the sector was held on 8, 9 and February 10, 2022. The latter will be able to continue their research, purchases and sourcing online… after having savored, caressed, tried on the skin, judged the fall of some 65,000 fabrics and qualities “in real life”.
Because sensual, sensory and tactile, fashion will never be able to be completely digitized and “it did a world of good” , as was often heard in the aisles of halls 4. 5 and 6 of the Parc des Expositions in Villepinte, to be able to touch fabrics again. In “to appreciate the relief” , the accidents, “small surface effects under the fingertips” have been rediscovered pleasures for creators. “See how they take the light” , “measuring the different heights of shades, testing the harmonies” has even been a lifesaver for product managers, struggling in front of their screens to select the right colors. But above all, the designers were able to reconnect with one of the essences of their profession: “to see how fabrics behave when you wrinkle them, when you take them in your hands or drape them over yourself”.
Première Vision, a show of contradictions?
Especially since the major trend is contradiction. Desolina Suter, Fashion Director of Première Vision, talks about the non-binarity of fabrics. “Fabrics like to disturb the senses, to say the opposite of what they show” . Real and tangible or virtual? Frivolous or rational? Sport or couture? There is indeed ambiguity in the linens woven in a satin weave, smooth and slippery on one side, dry and a little rough on the other. What about sports jerseys, whose natural elasticity has always been very popular, in which we would like to cut evening dresses? Wools and linens laminated with a highly technical waterproof and breathable membrane (Lineaessa Group) that would make chic coats as effective as ski parkas?
Environmentally friendly
Durability is a prerequisite for any selection and the exhibitors have had confirmation of this. The wadding of down jackets, whose very tech image accentuates the synthetic side and the dependence on petrochemicals, can only be considered in organic versions. In flower petals, in agricultural waste or recycled fabrics, the green revolution reaches all layers of clothing and infiltrates pillows, cushions and comforters. Undyed, with shades that come exclusively from nature, is a rising trend. But natural colors are also on the rise and blue will be the color of next summer.
“Where we used to use chemicals, coatings or pre-weave conditioning, today weavers are developing mechanical techniques to achieve the desired effects,” remarks Desolina Suter. “This is clearly an effect of the crisis” . It had started before the pandemic. “Our weavers had already taken the eco-responsible turn, but it’s even more true today that everything we do – buying fashion clothes, including decoration – must be meaningful” . Hemp (Libeco) and nettles from Nepal (Filasa) which imitate “so British” draperies or designer taffetas are proof of this. “We have the biomimicry that consumers demand, but the very high technicality makes it possible to meet their need for comfort, fluidity, flexibility and also elegance” . Because we must not forget that “fashion is desire” , concludes Desolina Suter.
Isabelle Manzoni
