Paris — With Paris Fashion Week in full swing again, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode officials grapple with the logistical challenges involved in organizing a nine-day schedule featuring 105 brands.

These range from short-term concerns such as improving show venue security amid an influx of uninvited guests, to reducing the environmental impact of the 67 shows and 41 presentations on the official Spring 2023 calendar. long-term considerations of

It exacerbates the city’s chronic traffic jams and a shortage of taxis, calling for a nationwide strike on Thursday that could disrupt public transportation.

Bruno Pavlovsky, newly elected president of the federation, and Pascal Morin, executive president of the governing body of French fashion, face the post-pandemic era as brands contend with a new set of threatening issues. working hand in hand to meet the challenges of Rising inflation, energy shortages and ongoing supply chain disruptions could slow the recovery.

Pavlovsky told WWD in a joint interview with Morand: “It’s a good sign. Fashion is playing an important role in the world again, so Paris will be, as always, a unique moment.”

Both executives noted that Chinese industry representatives have begun to resume travel for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak. Pavlovsky, President of Fashion and President of Chanel SAS, said: “In the past two months, I have had more business meetings with Chinese executives than in the last two years.”

Asian brands are also picking up steam, with labels like Mame Kurogouchi and Noir Kei Ninomiya showing their runways in Paris for the first time since 2020.

To ensure that small national and international brands have the resources they need to exhibit in the French capital, the Fédération de la Haute Couture é de la Mode recently installed a tribute to budding designers during the pandemic. Decided to expand the support fund.

Combined with funding provided by DEFI, the organization that promotes the development of the French fashion industry, the Federation allocates a total budget of around €1 million per year, usually in the form of grants ranging from €7,500 to €15,000. , Morand said. .

“These are the catalysts that allow brands to put on shows in Paris.

“There are always good reasons to support. [emerging brands] Because the world is evolving. For a while it was COVID-19 and now it’s the price. The important thing today is that Paris remains attractive,” added Pavlovsky. “In this economic climate, just giving presentations and producing collections has become more expensive and more complex. These obstacles should not prevent brands from being represented here. “

Morand said Paris continues to attract designers from all over the world, with 56 international brands participating in the spring 2023 women’s show, among them from the young guard of Chinese design to the British. Based in Victoria Beckham, Australian brands and even notable newcomers like Zimmerman are included.

One phenomenon that is gaining momentum is that shows are attracting more and more outside audiences, raising security concerns. “There was a big turning point in March that brought a lot of young people together,” Morand said.

Given that this phenomenon is partly due to the brands themselves opening their shows more and more to the public, the federation has been in touch with city authorities and the Paris police to ensure that everyone’s plans go smoothly. “We encourage all homes that are unfamiliar with dealing with security issues to take appropriate safety precautions,” Morand said.

Pavlovsky suggested that the democratization of fashion shows after the pandemic may have gone too far.

“I think Paris will need some adjustments. We have to work with the police and security companies, which is incompatible with opening the show completely to everyone.”

Behind the scenes, fashion organizations are helping brands reduce the environmental footprint of their events and collections, thanks to a measurement system developed at professional services firm PwC.

The event tool calculates approximately 120 key performance indicators covering all stages of an event, from contracting production companies to casting and fitting to digital communications. Unofficially launched last September, the app was used by his 57% of participating brands at the Fall 2022 show.

“Our goal is to get 80% of the participants in September,” says Morand. A collection tool aimed at brands with an annual turnover of €20 million to €30 million is expected to launch by the end of the year.

Pavlovsky estimated that it would probably take five years to make any significant changes, but sustainability is a top priority for the federation, which is working to raise awareness as well as educate and support participating brands. I emphasized that there is

“I hope one day we will be able to publish the carbon footprint and CSR footprint of Paris Fashion Week. pointed out that ecological design requires a complete change of mindset. “It’s more expensive and shouldn’t come at the expense of creativity, so it’s going to take some time for all of this to change.”

The Federation is also active at European level as a voting member of the Technical Secretariat for the Global Apparel and Footwear sector, which is working on the European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint Act. In that role, he lobbied to recognize the special nature of luxury goods, arguing that they should not receive the same environmental label as fast fashion.

One solution to reducing the carbon footprint of Paris Fashion Week might be to shorten the event by a few days. This would also address criticism from some attendees that the budget to attend was too high. However, Pavlovsky rejected the proposal, saying it would be impossible to compress the schedule further without hurting some of the participants.

“It’s important to give everyone a chance. That’s what Paris is all about,” he said. “If you take two days and group all the big houses together, people never stay. It’s the federation’s job to give slots to do. It’s also our job to convince as many journalists as possible to stay as long as possible.”