A Paris Match

Each season, trade fair Fashion Exposed invites one country to exhibit its textile, clothing and footwear offerings. Assia Benmedjdoub gets the verdict on its latest International Designer Showcase. 

The French Trade Commission (FTC) is of the belief that, much like a serving of freshly shucked oysters, business is best washed down with a glass of bubbly.

"The [designer] stands had great interviews with both TV and newspapers and they all enjoyed the French Pavilion, especially with champagne," FTC trade consultant David Clement says. "We are already planning to organise the next event in a year, inviting more brands and new designers to come and celebrate fashion in Sydney."

Clement, in collaboration with Fashion Exposed organisers Australian Exhibitions & Conferences, played an integral role in luring eight French labels to exhibit at the recent International Designer Showcase. Cannisse, Chantal Thomass, Lejaby, Syryzya, Virginie Castaway, E Com Elegance, IKKS and One Step displayed their seasonal offerings in a series of catwalk shows and via a specially branded exhibition area. By all accounts the showcase was a success, Clement says.

"The event was a test and we are now thinking of bringing more French products to Australia. We got really nice feedback from the stands and from the guests invited to the catwalk shows."

Kam Otto Import co-founder Caroline Millias, who is responsible for distributing the hugely successful IKKS and One Step womenswear brands in Australia, is not so convinced. The former label reportedly has 60 franchise businesses dotted throughout Europe and more than 1000 wholesale accounts globally. These numbers are at odds with the level of interest received at the event, Millias says.

"In Europe, we field 90 new potential prospects a day for the brands we represent while here [at Fashion Exposed] we mainly spoke with existing clients," she says. "I was extremely surprised by the low passage numbers at Fashion Exposed - in Paris, it's so crowded it looks like people are queuing to meet with designers."

Although Millias admits the Australian market is much smaller than its European counterpart, she feels more could be done to encourage greater attendance numbers.

"I think they should approach it a little differently by showing really new designers with a really new point of view," she says. "I spoke to a client at the fair who said there was nothing exciting or very different to see there."

Local distributors of lingerie brands Chantal Thomass and Lejaby, on the other hand, seemed to fare much better. Australian representative Pamela Mascart says the event played an important role in garnering additional exposure for the two labels.

"Chantal Thomass has been in Australia for two years while Lejaby has been around for four so they're both relatively new labels," she says. "As a result of Fashion Exposed, we will be further represented throughout Australian stores and states and we've attracted some great media attention."

Mascart, who has a combined total of 31 Australian clients for Chantal Thomass and Lejaby, says she's aiming for a 20 per cent increase in turnover within the next 12 months. The trade fair attracts a large number of independent boutique buyers and makes it the perfect avenue to achieve this, she explains.

"While department stores offer additional exposure for brands such as ours, I want to avoid the discounting of products at all costs," she says. "High-end boutiques will never compromise our positioning because they don't mark down prices the way department stores do."

Paris-based designer Virginie Castaway, whose high-end collections are stocked in 120 international boutiques and department stores, says she too is in a strong position to crack the Australian market. During her recent visit to Sydney and subsequent showing at the trade fair, the womenswear designer has secured a distributor and three prominent stockists including Melbourne's Cactus Jam. Her collections, also stocked in New York's Saks and Henri Bendel department stores, are manufactured in France and retail from $250 to $500.

"We didn't really have any clients in Australia before this," she says. "We got in touch with a few in Sydney at one stage but because we were so far away, we didn't have enough time to do everything."

Castaway's new distributor has already organised additional showings in Melbourne and Brisbane, with more planned for other Australian states and territories. The designer says she plans to return to Sydney in as little as five to six months.

"I had such a good time here," she adds. "I had the opportunity to have my first catwalk show and found my distributor very quickly. I can't wait to come back."

By Assia Benmedjdoub