Paris Stepping Up Pre-Collection Market

It’s becoming even more official. Paris has upped the ante by creating an increasingly large, and large fully sanctioned, ready-to-wear pre-collection calendar, under the auspices of the Chambre Syndicale, French fashion’s governing body.

This “new” season will take place largely in the last two weeks of January 2010, with many big guns, such as Chloe, Yves Saint Laurent, already listed on the Chambre’s rapidly growing calendar

The Chambre has put the calendar on its official website, modeaparis.com, underlining its commitment to the market. The pre-collection calendar is timed largely around the next season of haute couture, which runs from January 25 to 28, 2010.

“We began doing this listing last season. It makes lots of sense since during the couture season there are more and more visitors and buyers coming to Paris for different reasons,” Chambre president Didier Grumbach told FWD.

Six months ago, when first launched the debut pre-collection calendar consisted of some 10 houses, this season’s list is nearly double that. The latest listing varies from established great names like Emanuel Ungaro and Sonia Rykiel, to avant-garde heavyweights such as Martin Margiela and Rick Owens to fledgling maisons including AF Vandevorst, Martin Grant and Andrew Gn.

“It makes increasing sense for international buyers to be in Paris for couture week. There are more and more events, from luxury launches, showrooms presentations and now the new special luxury jewelry day,” continued Grumbach.

In November, the Chambre announced that it had officially invited seven major jewelers - Boucheron, Cartier, Chanel Joaillerie, Chaumet, Christian Dior Joaillerie, Mellerio and Van Cleef & Arpels - to present their latest creations during a special by-appointment-only day on Thursday, January 28, 201O.

But the Chambre’s latest move does set Paris apart from other major fashion cities. In New York, for instance, the pre-collection presentations have been taking place these past few weeks.

“In my view, there’s no exact week for pre-collections. Look at our own calendar. Some houses present for three days, others for as many weeks,” cautioned Grumbach.

The Chambre president noted that some fashion labels would move their pre-collections around various markets, effectively following the buyers.

“In future, there will be a cohabitation between big cities. Some brands will transfer their pre-collection between Milan, Paris, Berlin and London. Others will just show here. It’s a little case by case,” Grumbach opined.

“Last year, when we first explained we were creating this calendar, we called lots of people and few reacted. Now we have more and more requests. It’s fundamentally a good idea, as it means more press will get to go to showrooms, which is no bad thing. If anything, exactly opposite,” he laughed.

Grumbach stressed that pre-collections would look very different that the collections that will appear on Paris catwalk during the next French RTW season in March.

“The pre-coll,” he said, using local Paris slang, “is not really the base of the runways collections, but rather what will be the first delivers to major retailers. While what you see on the catwalk is what’s red hot out of a design studio.”

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