Interfilière Paris, a leading international trade fair for intimates and swimwear, that took place from 5-7 July in Paris, has reported success amongst exhibiting industry veterans as well as newcomers to the fair.

Dominique Heuillard, Sofileta (France), commented: “We were able to give our clients a good amount of time and they need it. We are considerate and attentive to their needs. For us, business is calm with high quality prospective clients. Our clients weren’t limited to intimates. We also saw clients, particularly German ones, who were very focused on sportswear and activewear, and who are interested in the compression aspect of functional knits.”

Jean-Laurent Perrin, Les Tissages Perrin (France), said: “This is without a doubt one of the most useful trade shows that I’ve attended. It’s been quiet but of a much higher standard.”

New exhibitors

The new exhibitors have satisfied their objectives, organisers report. Roberta Drago, TIBA (Italy), commented: “This was our first time at the show and we’ll be back. For us, Saturday was a good day which enabled us to establish contact with new clients from Russia, Poland and the USA.”

Hani Debs, DEBS (Japan), said: “We’d been absent from Interfilière Paris for four years because we had decided to concentrate on ready-to-wear. Now, we’re glad we came back because we had a new technology to present. Our first impressions are good.”

Momenti di Passione

The first edition of ‘Momenti di Passione’ was a success – dedicated to the beachwear and sportswear markets, this new space designed by Jos Berry (Concepts Paris) remained crowded throughout the event.

The performance by the Italian designer, Paola Maltese, with her ‘Live Trend Book’ was a particular highlight. The catwalk shows of prototypes attracted high numbers of visitors who were curious about the interpretation of highly innovative fabrics and accessories.

“The prototypes are extremely creative. After seeing the designs I can find the fabrics, touch them and understand them,” said Natalia Monsalve, Formas Intimas (Colombia). “I discovered a number of new fabrics for swimwear, as well as new technologies,” also commented Elizabeth Edwards, David Nieper (UK).

Star Fibres forum

The ‘Star Fibres’ forum allowed visitors to approach the world of fibres with renewed confidence and a better understanding of how they work and what performance they offer.

They learned about the specific features of the latest technological innovations offered by producers, presented and displayed by the Fédération de la Maille et de Lingerie. “I don’t have any specific training in fibres. It is a complicated area for me and it’s sometimes difficult to understand how a given fibre works. I often find it impossible to find the information I’m looking for, even if I buy fibre dictionaries and look online.”

“The leaflet is very well done. I’m going to learn a lot in just a few pages. The presentation of the fibres on the forum lets me see what they actually look like and touch them, it’s really very interesting”, said Kanako Miyata, GERBE (Japan).

International dimension

With 10,501 visitors, a slight decrease in comparison with a previous year, there was a strong international dimension during this session, with higher attendance from a number of countries, including Spain, China, Mexico and India.

The top visiting countries were France, Italy, UK, Germany, USA and China, followed by Hong Kong, Spain, Russia and Netherlands.

www.interfiliere.com