PARIS — It’s not about the journey, it’s about the destination, said buyers and talent scouts at the latest session of women’s wear trade shows Tranoï and Woman in Paris.
On Saturday, despite continued “gilets jaunes” protests, business went on unimpeded. “Some buyers opted out of Saturday appointments,” said Jennifer Behr, who has been presenting her hair accessory range (of “Gossip Girl” headband craze fame) at Tranoï’s Carrousel du Louvre location for over six years. “But despite expecting it to be low, foot traffic was steady.”
Likewise, the Sunday closure of the city’s first to fourth arrondissements for the “Paris Respire” (“Paris Breathes,” in French) operation to alleviate traffic-generation pollution seemed to have little impact.
Authorities and organizers had taken steps to ensure awareness. “Ahead of the season, the Paris mayor’s office and I have sent out a letter to buyers, via the trade shows, to wish them a warm welcome in Paris,” said Pierre-François Le Louët, president of the Fédération Française du Prêt à Porter Féminin, the body representing the business interests of French ready-to-wear brands, as he took a tour of Woman on Saturday.
Visitors had been forewarned and taken precautions. Buyers heading underground to the Carrousel du Louvre location of Tranoï
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