A fast-evolving leather sector launches new creative and eco-responsible collections at Première Vision Paris

Paris, May 27, 2019 - For 3 days, twice a year, the 6 major activity sectors supplying materials and services to the fashion industry (yarns, fabrics, leathers, designs, accessories and fashion manufacturing) meet with international creative brands at Première Vision Paris to begin work on their collections. The next edition will run from 17 to 19 September 2019 at Paris Nord Villepinte, and will introduce the new materials for the autumn-winter 2020-21 season. It’s a session destined to put a special focus on the leather industry and its unique dynamism, with over 300 hand-selected exhibitors. These leather professionals will be gathered in their own dedicated universe: Première Vision Leather (Hall 3). Additionally, their eco-responsible innovations will be front and center in an area dedicated to CSR: the Smart Area, where they will be joined by other players specialised in creating and producing sustainable materials.

Première Vision Leather, the ideal place to meet the most creative and advanced companies in the industry. Tanners, shredders, manufacturers of materials - textiles, microfibre, stretch, natural fibres, vinyl, lurex etc. - for leather goods and shoes, of technical solutions or chemical products, certification bodies... on average, the show averages over 300 exhibitors from 27 countries each session. All Première Vision Leather exhibitors must meet strict criteria regarding their quality, creativity, technology, performance and reputation as evaluated by a Selection Committee. This requirement guarantees the high quality of the offer exhibited to visitors, for the leather goods, footwear and apparel markets. The goal of Première Vision Paris is to select the best of the market and to provide turnkey solutions catering to all the needs of global buyers - fashion and design professionals, creatives, designers, and more.

Smart Creation: eco-conception, a core concern of the leather industry Première Vision Paris’ leather offer is evolving, as is the leather industry itself, which has been facing head-on the issues related to eco-responsibility, and has clearly identified the various challenges before it:
• Rethinking tanning processes (the treating of skins) to reduce pollution while conserving the specific characteristics of leather (strength, suppleness, etc.);
• Improve the traceability of skins and components;
• Taking care of the animal welfare: the conditions under which an animal is raised and methods used by slaughterhouses;
• Helping sustainable production processes (local sourcing, water reuse, waste treatment and reuse, etc.).

Many parties are working on these issues and developing solutions to meet these challenges. All the latest innovations in this area will be showcased in the Smart Area, so manufacturers and designers can discover new materials and inspiration, to best address both consumer expectations and the environmental emergency.

Première Vision partners with the Sustainable Leather Forum

Première Vision has partnered with the very first Sustainable Leather Forum, organized by the Conseil National du Cuir (CNC). It will be held next 16 September at the FNTP house in Paris, the day before the Première Vision Paris show opens. Its purpose is to showcase best practices in the leather industry in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility from a social, environmental and economic perspective. The event will provide an opportunity to present changes in consumer behaviour, as well as tools and solutions to put into practice. Testimonies and round tables led by companies and organizations that have already worked on this subject will be offered. Chantal Malingrey, Director of Marketing and Development and Smart Creation Program Manager at Première Vision will speak at a roundtable discussion at the Forum. Yves Morin, President of the Organizing Committee of the Sustainable Leather Forum, will speak at a conference held at the Smart Square at Première Vision Paris in September.

Additional key points and leather news for the September 2019 edition Spaces and services to meet visitors’ needs:
• The introduction of new personalised services: fashion speed dating, to meet all the key players on a given subject in a limited time, and guided tours of various themes (sustainable development, leather goods, shoes, etc.).
• Conferences/workshops by Nathalie Elharrar, a designer specialised in footwear and leather goods, focusing on the eco-design of a leather bag or the processes used by tanners, their specific skills and restrictions, in order to understand how to buy leather today.
• The Première Vision Manufacturing Leather space, with about 40 exhibitors so visitors can meet manufacturing professionals (leather clothing specialists and manufacturers of technical components);
• A 60m2 space designed in collaboration with Les Compagnons du Devoir for visitors to gain an understanding of the technical know-hows involved in the construction of bags, shoes and leather clothing. 3 Inspiring fashion information for leather collections:
• The LEATHER SELECTION fashion forum, including a decoding the autumn-winter 2020-21 trends, a presentation of the colour range and a display of the most inspiring new materials;
• Fashion and trend conferences organised by the Première Vision fashion team.

And in preview, a quick overview of the range of exhibitors who will be at the show:
• Tanneries working on vegetable tanning such as Arnal (FR), Fortier Beaulieu (FR), Tempesti (IT) or the Miret Group (ES);
• Chemical companies developing innovative products such as the Italian firms Accoppiature Pisane, Chimont International Spa, Kemas or Kemia Tau;
• Companies pioneering new materials such as Sciarada (IT), which has developed a material that consumes less water and CO2; La Patrie (FR), which produces traceable and chrome-free exotic leather; and Cuirs Marins (FR), which recuperates fish skins from the agro-alimentary industries and uses them to make new products;
• Companies with unique and responsible production methods such as Gruppo Dani (IT) which reinvests its CO2 consumption in reforestation projects or Raynaud Jeune (FR) which has set up a wastewater treatment plant that allows it to reuse all the water it consumes in its own production;
• Certification bodies such as the historic LWG Leather Working Group or the Brazilian CSBR label launched in 2018