Color, Craftsmanship and Folk Accents Stand Out at Who’s Next 30th Anniversary Edition
PARIS — For its 30th anniversary edition, trade show Who’s Next showcased a broader offer than ever, fully integrating swimwear event Curve Paris to tie in with its resortwear selection and showcasing a range of lifestyle brands thanks to its recent partnership with business-to-business online marketplace Ankorstore, as well as jewelry under Bijorhca, and fabrics and components event Interfilière.
“Who’s Next has evolved; it’s a lot more lifestyle, with a stronger category mix and a stronger fashion focus,” summed up organizer WSN’s chief executive officer Frédéric Maus.
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In a retail market in flux, the wider category mix at the show is seen as key to helping independent retailers navigate challenges and encourage purchasing across multiple categories. “Brands need cross-visits today; that strategy is paying off, it’s encouraging,” said Maus.
The combined events, held at Porte de Versailles from Sept. 8-10, hosted a total of 1,250 exhibitors, roughly stable year-on-year, with a third of the offer represented by first-time exhibitors. Footfall gained 16 percent, with a notable uptick in international visitors, accounting for a little over half of traffic. More than half of visitors represented independent or concept stores.
Staged over two floors, footfall was stronger on the lower level, housing mainly accessories, jewelry event Bijorhca, as well as Interfilière. “The dynamism of the accessories segment is incredible,” Maus commented, a sentiment mirrored by buyers in attendance. “Our business is very weather-dependent, but on the whole it’s on the up, especially for men,” said Mya Green, from Mad Hatters in Brighton, U.K., who praised the strength and quality of the offer.
Upstairs, centered on ready-to-wear, resortwear and swimwear, was quieter, tying in with category trends, Maus said. “Ready-to-wear has been suffering more than accessories. The market is complicated, with politics, geopolitics and weather patterns impacting business.” Maus said he recognized that more work was needed on the apparel offer going forward. “I want to rework the segmentation of the ready-to-wear to make it more legible,” he commented.
Observers nevertheless said the bridge between Who’s Next and Curve Paris was a good fit. “We already had a big resort offer, and we integrated swimwear into that, and people are responding positively,” said Maus. “The osmosis between the ready-to-wear and lingerie offer works really well, and corresponds with a real societal trend, innerwear as outerwear,” said Michaël Bonzom, creative director at trend agency Nelly Rodi.
Across the board, color, craftsmanship and folk accents were major selling points, observers said, and versatility and sustainability were key. “Versatility is a strong trend that ties in with sustainability, with items made to last and transcend seasons,” Bonzom commented. “The hippie style is coming back, which ties in with a sense of community, with lots of psychedelic and handmade touches,” he continued. “There’s a return of crochet, weaving, things that are made by hand.”
The ready-to-wear proposition was brimming with color, with an overwhelming array of bright maxidresses and a focus on handcrafted effects. “It’s very colorful, with joyful acid colors,” said Anne-Marie Courtade, owner of the Ann’C womenswear store in Tarbes, southwest France. “This works well with our customers,” she said. “The image is very resort, very South of France,” noted Mie Kanai, a buyer and designer for Japanese retailer Grace Continental.
Newcomers included a selection of brands from Nigeria thanks to Lagos X Paris, an incubator set up by the French embassy in Nigeria and France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Designers participating included crochet specialist Elexiay; artist Eki Kere, who uses native raffia and plantain fiber in her designs; print specialist Obida; Aga Culture, with easy-to-wear silhouettes and outsized colorful prints inspired by nature, and skatewear specialist WAF. There was also a selection of 12 brands from China thanks to a collaboration with the China National Garment Association. The Impact and Neonyt Paris section, focused on sustainable brands, featured a ramped-up content program with a forum, talks and workshops.
While times are difficult for independent retailers, observers also noted newcomers to the retail scene, both concept stores and multibrand retailers. One French boutique owner, a former franchisee for Esprit, which entered liquidation in Europe earlier this year, was shopping for new labels to re-open with a multibrand offer. “We have our customer base and there is demand, so we are rebranding and looking for new labels at reasonable price points,” she said on condition of anonymity.
For the intimate apparel industry, the shake-up was significant. Before it was acquired by WSN in July 2022, summer event Mode City had been struggling, with many major brands preferring to focus their resources on the massive Salon International de la Lingerie in January. “The model of the summer edition had been a question for a number of years. We decided to integrate the swimwear offer into resort, and that seems to be a successful strategy,” said Maus.
Three of lingerie’s biggies — Simone Pérèle, Chantelle and Aubade — returned with smaller stands within the Exposed section for creative brands in a drive to showcase their offer to Who’s Next’s broader buyer base. “It allows us to attract a different type of clientele and showcase our expertise in a wider universe,” explained Simone Pérèle brand and product director Stéphanie Bujard Pérèle. “We are showing swimwear, loungewear and shapewear, with products that require less stock thanks to simplified sizing,” she said.
Trends at Interfilière, showcasing fabrics and trims for winter 2025, mirrored the colorful universe seen throughout the venue. Highlights included handmade touches, whimsical florals and folk accents, with lots of texture.
Around 150 exhibitors were present, and while the show’s later date was challenging to some, the hybrid offer also represented opportunities, exhibitors said. “For lingerie and swimwear buyers, clearly the dates are too late,” said Laurence Bernard, who is in charge of sales at silk and jacquard specialist Les Tissages Perrin. “Nevertheless, it’s been better than expected; we’ve seen designers and ready-to-wear buyers we would not normally see.”
Among newcomers at Interfilière, cotton specialist Petit Bateau showcased its supply capabilities as the historic childrenswear label seeks new opportunities for its Troyes-based factory among high-end labels seeking to nearshore their production. “We opened our factory to external customers in 2019, and we are now looking to scale up the activity,” explained Petit Bateau Fabricant director Sophie Escario. “We control the whole value chain, including printing, embroidery and logistics, and we have the capabilities to ship worldwide,” she said. “We have a growing number of customers in the luxury and ready-to-wear space.”
WSN’s next event, the Première Classe show during Paris Fashion Week, will be held at the Carrousel du Louvre from Sept. 28-30, the change in venue from the Tuileries gardens necessitated by continued disruption at Concorde due to the Paris Olympics.
Highlights at Who’s Next, Curve Paris and Bijorhca
Sissel Edelbo
Category: Ready-to-wear
Story: Denmark’s Sissel Edelbo was a standout in the colorful, folk-influenced ready-to-wear selection on show. The brand, founded by couple Jeanne Sissel Thomsen and Chris Elmengaard in 2004, has more than 300 stockists worldwide and specializes in sourcing vintage fabrics in India and bringing them back to life in contemporary silhouettes. Its spring 2025 collection brimmed with vivid blouses, padded jackets and dresses with unique, quirky embroideries.
Average retail price: 200 euros
Elexiay
Category: Ready-to-wear
Story: Part of the Lagos X Paris initiative, Elexiay’s Elyon Adede works with female artisans in Nigeria to update ancestral crochet techniques for a contemporary audience. Her designs have already been picked up by Nordstrom and Shopbop, and this was her first time presenting in France.
Wholesale price range: $70-395
The Koozy
Category: Activewear
Story: Based in Spain and launched in 2021, The Koozy’s mission is to offer“skin-friendly activewear.” Founder Irina Kuznetsova spent two years researching how to create her athleisure collection with natural fabrics to avoid the release of harmful chemicals into sweating skin. Using organic cotton, Tencel and lyocell combined with 5 percent of “the most sustainable elastane possible,” Kuznetsova said, the brand has created a series of minimal sporty silhouettes, with its cap-sleeved Amory bodysuit its bestseller.
Average retail price: 85 euros
Peulh Fulani
Category: Swimwear
Story: Former model Awa Sagna takes her inspiration from her Senegalese roots and her late aunt Katoucha, a model, activist and muse to Yves Saint Laurent in the ‘80s. Nicknamed “The Peul princess” after her Fulani origins, Katoucha is the inspiration behind the brand’s name. Its visual identity is taken from African tattoo art and transformed into vivid graphic prints on swimwear silhouettes with cutout details digitally printed onto fabric made entirely from recycled plastic bottles.
Retail price range: 99-249 euros
Delysia
Category: Swimwear
Story: Delysia offers swimwear with interchangeable, removable straps that double up as necklaces and bracelets. Based in Aix-en-Provence, it was founded by former marketing executive Delphine Marcy. More than 100 jewelry options are available, featuring cultured pearls, semiprecious stones, crystals and chains, all chosen for their resistance to corrosion. Customers buy a starter bikini or swimsuit made from Lurex and polyester, than add on their chosen jewelry, which is held in place by a custom gold-plated clasp system.
Retail price range: 190 euros for a bikini, jewelry from 15 to 170 euros
Ovale Paris
Category: Lingerie
Story: French-Japanese label Ovale Paris, created just a year ago, offers minimalistic contemporary corsetry pieces inspired by traditional techniques like origami. Designer Ayumi Yoshida uses largely natural materials like cotton and linen made in Japan, giving the fabrics an unusual crisp hand, along with French tulle, to create distinctive silhouettes like eye-shaped bras or square-necked bodysuits.
Average retail price: 300 euros for a set
Signes Hats
Category: Hats
Story: This Spanish company has been crafting the finest straw and felt headwear since 1968, and is now managed by the son of its founder, Jose Signes. Made in Spain with materials from the Americas, around 70 percent of the firm’s business is supplying luxury brands, and it is now looking to expand its branded activity. Its most expensive model, made from the world’s finest straw, is sold complete with its own custom leather suitcase.
Wholesale price range: 15-6,000 euros
Maison Dressage
Category: Leather goods
Story: Italian friends Rossella Mancini and Matteo Dazzo initially started their leather goods brand with fetish accessories, but have since expanded their scope, resulting in a high-end line of accessories inspired by geometric forms. Highlights included a rectangular black leather purse built onto a welded brass frame plated in 22-karat gold and the Synopsis range of pouches designed to be combined on a belt-like strap in multiple ways.
Retail price range: 350-500 euros
Coussac
Category: Accessories
Story: Entrepreneur Benjamin Nacache, the founder of branding agency L’Artyrie, has turned his love of travel — and tendency to overpack — into a business venture. His Coussac start-up involves a range of cushions that double up as bags so users can carry extra luggage, even on low-cost airlines that allow travelers to carry a cushion on board despite strict limitations on luggage. Available in a wide variety of styles, each piece has removable straps that can be hidden inside.
Retail price range: 70-80 euros
Sapias
Category: Jewelry
Story: Paris-based Sarah Santos freelanced with jewelry houses for a decade before taking the plunge and creating her genderless jewelry label Sapias last year, with silver and gold-plated pieces inspired by the work of painter and sculptor Jean Arp. Designed using 3D modeling, the organic shape of each minimal design is subtly reprised on its section.
Retail price range: 75-190 euros
No-Clip Paris
Category: Jewelry
Story: Victoria Négré saw a gap in the market for a stylish yet simple solution to allow anyone to wear earrings — people who cannot pierce their ears, haven’t decided to take the plunge, or those allergic to certain metals, for instance. Her patented hook-like design, offered in 24-carat pale gold or palladium plate, hooks over the ear, with two loops for attaching earrings. Négré said she saw strong demand from retailers as well as jewelry designers who saw the unique product as a useful potential addition to their offer.
Retail price: 52-58 euros
KanakoJewel
Category: Jewelry
Story: After a career at a Japanese beauty major in marketing and planning roles and as a stylist, Kanako Orihara has put her talent with color to use in the creation of her eponymous jewelry line, combining 18-karat gold with sculpted and cut stones in vivid hues. Since she created the brand in 2018, she has collaborated on pop-ups with retailer Isetan in her homeland, and is opening up her business to export.
Average wholesale price: 1,300 euros
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