Phl joins Paris fashion fair as gateway to EU market
The Department of Trade and Industry’s Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is out to make Fashion Philippines break ground in Paris, France for a share of European Union’s growing luxury fashion market.
CITEM executive director Rosvi Gaetos said France alone posted some 48 billion euros in sales in 2014, or 12.9 percent of the total EU fashion market and up to 21 percent of its luxury segment, which had been projected to grow at 2.3 to 4.1 percent annually up to 2018.
“So, for the first time, we are joining Maison & Objet Paris to launch Fashion Philippines in the heart of EU’s fashion capital,” Gaetos said.
Held biannually, in January and September, Maison & Object Paris is the premier French trade fair for interior design and among the three most important EU events in this field.
“Maison & Object Paris attracts over 75,000 professional visitors from France and the rest of the world, representing buyers ( concept/lifestyle stores, fashion retailers, high-end boutiques, department stores, museums, art galleries, and importers/ manufacturers) and specifiers ( interior designers/ decorators, architects, hotel directors, art directors, stylists, and trendsetters), among others,” Gaetos explained.
The event also attracts almost 3,000 journalists from all over the world, enabling Fashion Philippines to gain part of the global attention, specifically for the full-blown launching of 10 Filipino brands during the event’s staging at the Parc des Expositions, Paris Nord Villepinte on Sept. 2 to 6.
The 10 Philippine brands are Ann Ong, Larone Crafts, ZAI Design Hive, Megabijoux, Beatriz, Michelline Syjuco, Crystal Seas, Mia Arcenas, Floreia, and Kit Silver, all beneficiaries of the Fashion Philippines Life Plan, a CITEM program for the sustained development and growth of the fashion export industry.
Their products will be showcased in a 108-sqm Fashion Philippines Pavilion at Hall 7 — Scenes d’ Intérieur — a luxury section for exceptional exhibits.
Fashion Philippines is the umbrella brand for the country’s design- driven fashion products targeted at the export market and promoted globally through various mediums and promotional efforts, including participation in international trade fairs like the Maison & Objet Paris.
This year’s Philippine participation in Maizon & Objet Paris features fashion brands from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, combining traditional values and modern technologies to produce a globally saleable collection.
The products, including fashion accessories of diverse materials, are targeted to generate export sales of $2.5 million during the five- day exhibit alone.