by+Flora+Zhao

The 9th Apparel Sourcing Paris trade fair， took place from Monday 14 to Thursday 17 September 2015 at Paris Le Bourget， promised to be out of the ordinary， attracting more than 400 exhibitors from all over the world， among which 100 newcomers represented Bangladesh， China， South Korea， Chinese Hong Kong， India， Pakistan， Turkey and Vietnam.

Michael Scherpe， CEO of Messe Frankfurt France， said： “Registrations for the trade fair have broken a new record， passing the 400-exhibitor level， which represents a 40-percent rise in attendance， compared to the 289 exhibitors in September 2014. The event is consolidating its position as Europes premier world garment sourcing event.”

Visitors to Apparel Sourcing Paris appreciate the added value of quality and originality. Knits are showing the strongest growth， with more than 35 new manufacturers， such as Anjuman Garments （Bangladesh）， BLR Knits （India）， Thai Son S.P （Vietnam）， Sanyang Cashmere Textile （China） and others， who are focusing on highly diverse collections of circular and cut and sewn knits for men， women and children. Unstructured garments continue to develop， with 29 businesses， among which are Kimberley Apparels Ltd. （Bangladesh）， Monarch International （Hong Kong） and Thien Nam JSC （Vietnam）， to name but a few.

As for sleeved pieces， in high demand from winter purchasers， the segment welcomed 25 new manufacturers， among them Apex International （India） and New Zeenat Textile Mills （Pakistan）. Among the newcomers in sportswear， very fashionable collections by Kreateks Tekstil （Turkey） and Alphabeta （South Korea） were discovered.

Accessories always attracted more exhibitors. Newcomers such as Ningbo Kingshi （China） and Rashish （India） aimed to attract buyers with traditional， fashionable pieces in quality finishes.

The dedicated Shawls&Scarves section numbers three newcomers among its 21 exhibitors： Porostar （China）， K.U.M.（India） and Shengzou First Garment & Necktie （China）. The collections on offer were highly market-oriented， displaying particular skills， such as hand embroidery， vegetable dyes and digital printing. The extent of the product ranges， from simple cotton to baby cashmere， was noteworthy.

Made to measure deserves a special mention as a it is still a strong trend in sourcing for customized dresses and unstructured garments at competitive prices， because consumers are becoming more and more demanding， searching for original products worthy of old-fashioned tailoring， without abandoning their existing budget. From bespoke R&D to an industrial scale， this solution provides European brands and designers with an attractive developmental focus.

Made to measure had a modest debut at last years fair and was coming back in force， represented by seven companies： Ai Xin Dao， Dalian Fabric Garment， Ningbo LS Lace， Ningbo EJJ Knitting Garment， Sendi， Shanghai Leads Enterprise and Wujiang Silk Garment.

On the whole， the manufacturers at this event offered collections intended for the entry-level and midrange womens and childrens market. In the case of men and accessories， there were many premium collections on offer alongside more affordable collections - a sign that brands and buyers are now increasingly making up their collection purchases at attractive prices and with more sophisticated， more expensive pieces.

Vietnam has the Kudos of a dedicated national pavilion

A first！ The fair featured a national pavilion for the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association （VITAS）， with ten exhibitors： Babeeni， Diep Duong， Garment 10 Corporation， Hai Phong Xhan， Hoa Tho Textile， International Fashion， Lewave， Resources Garment， Thai Son S.P. and Thien Nam Investment & Development JSC.

They would be offering accessories， casualwear， unstructured garments， bottom pieces， business wear， formal wear， childrens wear and denim for men， women and children， mainly targeting entry-level and mid-range buyers. Hand embroidery aimed at OTC and top-ofthe range brands deserves a special mention. Many brands were being attracted to Vietnam because of the quality and the sourcing solutions which the country and its businesses can offer thanks to free trade agreements with Europe （Eurasian Economic Union - EAEU）.

In other respects， Vietnam has become the worlds fourth-largest exporter of textile products on the basis of its firstquarter figures： US$ 12.18 billion and a year-on-year rise of 8.2% in exports to the EU， according to the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group （Vinatex）. To better appreciate the enthusiasm for Vietnam， a seminar on “the Vietnamese textile and clothing sector： a prosperous， competitive industry” led by JeanFran？ois Limantour ， a specialist in both sourcing and Vietnam， was scheduled for Wednesday 16 September at 10.15 hrs.

Outstanding program of seminars and fashion shows

The trade fair had a full programme， featuring four seminars and numerous fashion shows to reveal the specialities of exhibitors from participating countries.

The seminars on sourcing， apart from the above-mentioned one on Vietnam， featured two other highly interesting topics： “European garment sourcing in 2015： suppliers， products and markets” and “Garment sourcing management and alternative strategies for industrial offers.” They would enlighten visitors， particularly product and supply chain managers， on the decisions taken to optimize sourcing.

The fashion shows， a showcase for skills， would allow visitors to evaluate the exhibitors products， shown off to their best effect by the artistic director responsible for the programme. Seminars concentrating on countries and types of product were scheduled during the four days. For example， on Tuesday， the theme was China， unveiling the flagship products of manufacturers from the Shaoxing region. Vietnam and Pakistan had their turn on Wednesday.

In the case of accessories， two fashion shows were dedicated to the products featured in Shawls & Scarves， on Monday and Thursday. Visitors would discover the latest developments by manufacturers of shawls and scarves.

The couturier Eymeric Fran？ois showed his Black Desire collection on Wednesday at 15.00 hrs to mark fifteen years of his fashion house. As for young designers， the finalists in the 2015 Frankfurt Style Award competition revealed their creations at midday on Monday.