If you've not heard of Premiere Vision it's a huge trade fair that takes place in Paris twice a year at the start of fashion month. Focused on textile sourcing, it's the event of the fashion calendar for designers to get inspired by new season trends and source fabrics for the seasons ahead.
Of course with that in mind, it's the major fabric mills that attend, many of them with unreachable minimum order quantities for small brands (at least 1000m!). But over the last few years, the manufacturing section has grown in size, so I decided it was time to check it out.
I summed up my thoughts on TikTok, but in short the trip was a huge success and definitely recommended for supplier sourcing.
Read on for a summary of my takeaways..
Key Takeaways:
PV was great for sourcing manufacturers as you get to see a range of their products and meet them face to face, saving so much time compared to emailing and setting up video calls.
The manufacturers were of a decent calibre, making collections for contemporary, premium and luxury brands and all could provide audits.
Follow ups were so fast. I sent email introductions and tech packs the morning after the show and had some replies with costings before I'd even left France!
Despite the high MOQs on the fabric side. I did find a few suppliers with stock ranges or low MOQs. Plus some suppliers I already knew from London Textile Fair were there with bigger ranges.
The trend section is fantastic - head there for a steer for fabric, colour and trims a year ahead (this show was for SS26).
You can do it in a day - whilst I wouldn't normally advocate for flying such a short distance, PV is right next to Charles de Gaulle airport and there are shuttle buses to and from.
If you get the Eurostar, take the RER train to the show. The shuttle buses take too long in Parisian traffic and the train is less than 3 euros.
I stayed a night in the 11th so I could enjoy an evening and morning in Paris, plus a second half day at the show. La Marine is a buzzy modern bistro that serves the best French onion soup.
The food at the fair is average and expensive. If you do pass through central Paris, pick up a takeaway sandwich and a treat from The French Bastards and thank me later.
Have you been to PV, what did you think?
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A selection of fabrics & trims for SS26 inspiration
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