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The Paris shows organised by Messe Frankfurt France from 11 to 14 February welcomed 13,606 visitors, in other words a very steady result compared with February 2017, which demonstrates their appeal and draw as business platforms.

The shows remain extremely international with 81% of visitors coming from abroad.

TOP 5: 1 - France, 2 - United Kingdom, 3 – Turkey, 4 – Spain, 5 - Italy

New visitors came from North America (+7%) and the African continent (+26%), led by the countries who are major suppliers for Europe such as Morocco (+25%) and Tunisia (+15%), which came to Le Bourget to carry out their sourcing. In addition there were the emerging markets such as South Africa and Ethiopia, which was the guest of honour this season.

Nonetheless, the trade show noted a 6% drop in attendance from Asian countries, obviously due to the Chinese New Year, an all-important family celebration. On the other hand, Turkey has been very active with a 20% increase.

As regards Europe, visitor numbers from Eastern European countries have kept growing compared with February 2017, especially from Russia (+38%), Poland (+15%) and Hungary (+8%), and the organizers see favorable results for the Ukraine, Cyprus, Finland and Bulgaria. When it comes to France, numbers remained steady.

Apparel Sourcing was a session where casual wear was under the spotlight, accounting for 80% of the show, with a marked tendency towards relaxed urban looks and a substantial range of children’s wear. There was a slight breakthrough in exhibitors’ skills when it came to underwear.

The wider choice of countries for sourcing clothing, something that is organizers’ constant aim, continues to convince prime contractors. Apart from the dependable pavilions of Bangladesh and Pakistan, which always attract a lot of visitors, the trade fair was host to four countries in particular.

Jordanian companies were associated with a World Bank integration program for Syrian refugees. They achieved their goals in meeting not only fashion labels but also independent designers, who were mainly from Europe. For regular attendees at Apparel Sourcing Paris, like China and Hong Kong, India, Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the first choice of prime contractors was clothing manufacturers who are already very familiar with the customs and practices of Western fashion labels. This did nothing to prevent discoveries of new products, although visitors were looking first and foremost for convenience and flexibility to improve results.

The next Apparel Sourcing and Shawls & Scarves Paris shows 17-18-19-20 September 2018, Paris Le Bourget.