With a notable track record in the fashion sector in France, Boris Provost is currently CEO of Tranoï , a show that bets on new names in fashion. A virtual edition has recently been developed on its Tranoï Link platform, with a satisfactory result. Provost reflects on the present and, above all, the future of salons , in France and internationally.
What is your assessment of the recent edition of Tranoï Link, both artistically and commercially?
A positive result: buyers and brands have been present at this first event on our Tranoï Link digital platform , which is accessible 365 days a year to introduce buyers to new brands and designers. It is a discovery platform that counted 200 brands on March 1 with a target of 500 by the end of 2021. The number of buyers was around 800 on March 1 as well, including highly rated department stores, concept stores and online stores. .
Tranoï Link Presentations is an event that we created during Paris Fashion Week from March 5-7, 2021. As international buyers were unable to travel to Paris and Milan, we went to the workshops of the Parisian and Milanese brands to film their autumn / winter collections 21/22 . These videos were released on the same dates as our physical edition but will remain online until next season. So unlike a salon that has a limited duration, digital allows the continued experience: about thirty videos featuring the fall / winter 21-22 collections are actualmen t and ready to be discovered in our platform, and about 7,000 products from 200 brands.
During our event, more than 300 international buyers were present , including Kittie Kyle, Le Bon Marché, Lane Crawford, Sugar, Galeries Lafayette, Lodenfrey, Beams, Merci, The Look, Comptoir 102, A cool breeze … and almost 14,975 visits were generated on the platform. Concept stores and department stores around the world have browsed through Tranoï Link to discover the new collections.
What has been the Spanish presence in this edition?
Among the visitors , Coquette, Bassal Store, Mariona, La Folie Santander and Fragment. And among the fashion brands , Lidia Muro, Naguisa, D-due, Now_Then, Habey Club, Oteyza, Leandro Cano, Jcpajares, Moisés Nieto, Duarte, Jorge Morales and Guanabana Handmade
Do you think that the next edition of Tranoi could take place in person and what are the planned dates?
We hope to be able to organize an event as soon as sanitary conditions allow it and that our foreign exhibitors and visitors (75%) can return to Paris : at the end of June during the men’s and women’s pre-collections. And at the end of September to present the autumn / winter of women’s collections and in Shanghai in October.
Will Tranoï take place at the same time as other fashion events in Paris?
Yes, always during fashion weeks. Our positioning is of high-level designers to attract French and international buyers.
After the pandemic, do you think exhibitors and visitors will want face-to-face formats or is it the digital format that will prevail?
Both exhibitors and visitors aspire to meet again and exchange opinions in person, but in good condition… for the moment, digital is still the best answer to ensure brand visibility and allow buyers to discover new collections.
He has a very important career and knows French fashion salons well. What, according to you, is the current situation, in general, and the forecasts for the future? Is a salon still an essential tool for fashion?
The complex economic situation will take time to improve. There will be a before and after the pandemic: I do not think we will return to the world as we knew it before the pandemic. The consumer will consume less but better, more responsible. You will be more and more informed and will invest in a product that lasts and respects the environment and people.
At the wholesale level , the industry is changing rapidly and online retailers that succeed in maintaining their position will face the challenges of the consistency of their offering and the relevance of their customer service.
The consumer will consume less but better, more responsible. You will be increasingly informed and invest in a product that lasts and respects the environment and people
From the side of the fairs , the phygital format will be the new standard where we will go to the fairs with digital tools that will facilitate the commercial relationship, improve product knowledge and strengthen the continuity of the brand-buyer relationship.
In my opinion, the physical encounter cannot be replaced . Meeting, exchanging and sharing, especially in a sector like ours, is essential. But what I also see for sure is that the program will offer new agile formats to guarantee an audience to our clients, whatever the circumstances: for example live streaming for an audience that will not have been able to travel, that is, live broadcasting of our show.
In conclusion, this crisis will have raised the level of awareness, coherence, solidarity, business experience and emotion of the market as a whole.
(Courtesy: Noticiero Textil)