The Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center witnessed the successful conclusion of the three-day 4th Première Vision Shenzhen AW23/24. Even with the ongoing epidemic and the strict restrictions of the whitelist screening mechanism, it was encouraging that buyers exclusively invited by PV came from all over the country. The world's greatest suppliers were still represented at this exhibition, featuring top material suppliers from France, Italy, Turkey, Switzerland, Portugal, Japan, and others throughout the six main areas of textiles, leather, accessories, pattern design, and garment manufacturing. Despite the restrictions imposed by epidemic control measures, overseas exhibitors accounted for more than 22% of all exhibitors this season.
Rebuild industry confidence
in the post-epidemic era
If the orders from exhibitors are any indication, the expansion of new channels has surprised everyone and strengthened the confidence of the industry in the midst of the epidemic. Almost all of the exhibitors were able to strike up fruitful business relationships with prospective clients. Despite the fact that many brands received early online orders from strategic customers, they still came into contact with many new customer resources at this physical exhibition.
"This year’s event has been postponed. We are fully prepared for epidemic prevention measures in various locations. Our expectations were exceeded when we discovered that 70% of those who attended the exhibition were first timers", according to the head of research and development at IDOLE.
IDOLE has participated in PV Shenzhen for four years in a row. This time, they collaborated with STAFFONLY to create the STAFFONLY x PVSZ x IDOLE uniform, which embodies the vitality of sustainable fashion through the power of creativity. "We specially provided a hemp-like triacetate fabric for this collaboration," said Mr. Huang, the person in charge of fabric research and development. The fabric is wrinkle resistant and stable. It gives off a shine and has a fabric texture that combines the advantages of natural and synthetic fibers."
Taiwan exhibitor KCC, who participated in the PV Shenzhen for the first time, said, "The reason why we came to the PV Shenzhen exhibition is based on the trust in the industry status of the PV Paris on the one hand. On the other hand, it is because of the Shenzhen market. We wish to present the products of KCC to designers and marketing consultants in Shenzhen, and we hope to open up the South China market, so that more people know about KCC, use KCC, and enhance the added value of each other.” The first time to participate in the exhibition is also a joyful surprise to them. "Because of the epidemic and the restrictions on the opening of the borders, our expectations for this exhibition were not high, but the on-site situation is better than we expected. The event drew the right kind of customers, and we had pleasant conversations with several brands."
"Those who attended are true fans of the event, despite being affected by the epidemic. There were both brands and agents. We communicated with one another about industry trends and popular market products." Winsun Textile's person in charge stated. "Instead of reinventing the wheel behind closed doors, we can use brand's market research as a roadmap to create items that are well-suited for the market." This year, Winsun Textile's microfiber sports towel was given out as a limited-edition souvenir to the VIPs during the AW23–24 event.
Presented and attended the events were representatives and buyers from major corporations (KARL LAGERFELD, Marisfrolg, ELLASSAY Group, EEKA Group, EITIE, EACHWAY, LILY, CHLOSIO, odbo, OU., OMNIALUO, LUOZHENG, JESSIE, YIFINI, BBLLUUEE, Erdos, AM, CC Universe), professional sports brands (Bosideng, Li-Ning, K-BOXING, Xtep, lafuma), and independent designers (RODERIC WONG, selfFab, Grace DENG, CHICCO MAO, THEFASHIONDOOR, BMF, SUPIN, PurCotton, Xiaosha666, etc.). Buyers flocked the scene to network, validate inspiration, explore new materials, and place orders. This is support and affirmation for the PV Shenzhen team's commitment to hold the exhibition at the end of 2022!
Latest fashion trends
as useful internal reference
At the event, the PV fashion team presented a summary of latest trends prepared in collaboration with international textile professionals. Also, the PV AW23/24 Color Range, was flown from Paris to the Shenzhen. Giant LED screens were used to present the PV trend film and the PV Paris 3D Trend Area was introduced for the first time. Visitors interacted with vendors directly through the Première Vision Marketplace and placed orders online. They were also able to interpret the innovative samples and classic series from PV Shenzhen exhibitors on the spot.
The expert visitors were able to readily connect with the most recent international fashion trends. Designers sampled trend highlights straight from the source and verified their inspiration. Meanwhile, working with well-known names in the material and fashion industries allowed them to gain valuable insights into the substantial progress of trends, materials, and markets. The event was a fantastic chance to gather domestic and international perspectives for use as an important internal reference for future brand development.
"Because of the epidemic, this is the first exhibition in 2022 in which we participated, and we were looking forward to it. Our main goal was to learn about the current state of the market and how it has evolved recently due to factors like the epidemic's effect on consumers' mindsets and the innovations made by fabric manufacturers. There were many matching resources on-site. The release of the latest fashion trends continued to impress us, which is conducive to the corresponding derivatives of the brand design in the future," said the brand buyer.
Wen Dao mi, the manager of Wen Dao Mi and fashion brand consultant, said, "I came with an open mind, eager to learn about international cutting-edge fashion and domestic brand innovations. Using a combination of hand folding and printing, OMNIAPIEGA was able to create a wonderful texture; the fabric sells itself. RECYCTEX, a company focusing on environmental protection, began by collecting marine debris, then devoted a significant amount of time, energy, and resources in turning the marine debris into fiber, which was then spun and weaved into fabrics. In most cases, buyers can easily relate to and appreciate such products.”
As one of the limited-edition souvenirs for VIP buyers, RECYCTEX and PVSZ collaborated to create a multifunctional foldable eco tote bag. The bag is made from four recycled mineral water bottles. It uses one of the key colors of PV this season, "Hi-tech Lime", as the background color, and with the word "ECO" in an artistic handwritten pattern printed on it. The wide shoulder straps are designed to withstand weight, and it integrated fashion design throughout the buyer's experience at the exhibition.
Sustainability and fashion are inextricably linked
The most popular exhibition area is the "PV Shenzhen Sustainable Fashion Focus Area". It is the world's first sustainability-themed exhibition area by PV in the destination market following PV Paris. The PV Paris fashion team collaborated with SCENOGRAPHY DESIGN to create a private and lavish cocoon-shaped space.
Representatives who source for brands have praised the Focus Area, saying, "Here you can get to know the latest subjects of sustainable fashion, which can provide directions for the brand's sustainable fashion transformation in the future." Visitors can take a break from the bustling show to reflect on sustainable issues and learn about cutting-edge trends in durability, sustainable manufacturing, social challenges, and traceability. They can also experience the outstanding and forward-thinking products of PV exhibitors as well as understand how exhibitors with environmental commitments stand up to the challenges of social and environmental responsibility in terms of raw materials, know-how, industrial processes, and certifications.
PV Shenzhen hosted the first Sustainable Fashion Seminar in China, with the theme "Greener Fashion, Greener Future", delving into sustainability topics in four areas: #design trend, innovative material, market communication, and Web 3#. The Seminar featured 5 fantastic sessions, 15 keynote speeches, 3 panel discussions, and nearly 6,000 online viewers over the course of three days.
The PV fashion team collaborated with 19 leaders in the textile, fashion, digital, and creative industries, including GL Events, Deloitte, GDC Technology, Sorona, Lenzing, ELLASSAY, Eastman, SAKO, 0086Studios, CIQI CHINA, WEN DAO MI, R.I.S.E., SelfFab., RECYCTEX, and others. Among the topics discussed were "Fashion trends in the future", "MetaFashion to break new grounds in the metaverse", "Breakthroughs in new materials for sustainable fashion", "The design aesthetics and business potential behind China chic", "Sustainability and its place in the market". These forward-looking concept and constructive thoughts have enlightened us on how to localize the international trends to the context of Chinese fashion.
Internal circulation currently drives the domestic economy. We continue to believe that sustainable fashion is the key solution to this. As PVSZ director Josephine Zhang stated, "With a clear and specific positioning, Première Vision pursues long-term growth in China. PV Shenzhen embodies the essential ethos of ultimate creativity and focuses on R&D-driven high-end fashion and the sustainable fashion market. PV's review and vetting mechanism chooses the best European and Asian material suppliers with excellent craftsmanship, gives the market a global perspective on trends and trustworthy sourcing guidelines, and helps fashion brands develop product series with social morality and competitive advantages, so that they can confidently compete in China's rising and increasingly mature high-end consumer market in the coming three years and promote the ecologic transformation in the fashion industry.”
Première Vision Shenzhen SS24 is under intensive preparations and will continue to be held at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center on April 26-28, 2023. Looking forward to our next encounter then. Stay tuned to find out the upcoming ground-breaking ideas and market forecasts to be presented at the next exhibition!
