Who's Next to expand into sourcing and design reflecting strong French fashion industry

The atmosphere at the Who's Next trade show at Paris’ Porte de Versailles, which ran from 18 to 20 January 2025, was one of solidarity across all generations of the French fashion industry. This unity allows its organiser, WSN Développement, to envision expanding its scope into material sourcing and design.

For its January 2025 edition, dedicated to fashion’s autumn/winter 2025/2026 collections and spring/summer 2025 for jewellery, the question posed by WSN Développement is no longer who is next, but what is next? This was reflected in the title for this season’s event: ‘What’s next for Who’s Next?’

To gauge the impact of this drive, it’s worth remembering that the combined Who's Next and International Lingerie Show, both run by WSN Développement, form the largest fashion event in the world, with over 1,200 brands, 45 percent of which are French, and 60,000 international visitors expected (attendance figures for January 2025 are not yet available at the time of publication).

Unlike Men's and Couture Fashion Weeks, which follow on directly and where media impact prevails, Who's Next's motto could be that "exhibiting offers exposure to multi-brand retailers and combines style with business volume". While the financial value of this event is never disclosed, the show's longevity (31 years and counting) clearly demonstrates its relevance. This is particularly true at a time when the French fashion industry seems to be embracing solidarity.

Emerging brands converse with established figures of French ready-to-wear

The mix of genres at Who's Next fosters contact and exchange between players from different generations. At Porte de Versailles, leading brands capable of driving the market rub shoulders with digital natives who understand the advantages of traditional ready-to-wear.

This is the case for Trama, a brand of baby alpaca jumpers, hand-knitted and brushed in Cuzco, Peru. The two founders of this Digital Native Vertical Brand (DNVB), Cinthya Guerrero and Adriana Seminario, immediately grasped that an exclusively digital, made-to-order sales policy wouldn't be enough to sustain their cash flow (buyers' orders finance the production of a collection).

Hence their presence in the Brut Icon space, the fair’s editorial selection, with jumpers and cardigans retailing between 200 and 500 pounds. In just one season, Trama has already secured two multi-brand retailers in France, in Rennes and Caen, and eight other boutiques abroad (Tokyo, Osaka, etc.).

Meanwhile, French lifestyle brand Bensimon returned to the show after a 12-year absence. The reason for this long hiatus? "The proximity of brands from abroad, who copy the designs and offer them cheaper the following season," Nathalie Verot, sales director, explained to FashionUnited. The organisers deny having encouraged this and express surprise. Nevertheless, Bensimon is back, modestly but surely.

The brand is showcasing a collection of bags (bum bags, totes, satchels, pouches, etc.) and its iconic trainers, tennis shoes that have become synonymous with Bensimon. Ironically, they have their counterpart in the SS25 collection of luxury brand Valentino.

Another example of a sleeping beauty returning to the French scene is Cacharel, boosted by the energy of its 93-year-old founder, Jean Bousquet. This ready-to-wear brand, entirely independent since its creation in 1958 (the fragrance licence is held by L'Oréal), enjoyed its heyday with crêpe and Liberty print (floral) shirts. Due to the Covid crisis, Cacharel had turned its back on the French market. Now, without its own stores or a multi-brand network in France, the brand is relaunching with a large stand at the entrance to Who’s Next.

The iconic typography of the name has not changed with the arrival of the new artistic director, Thomas Derrien. However, the style is resolutely modern, in tune with that of a preppy Parisian: velvet pieces (crushed velvet, jersey, and panne velvet), knitted boxy jackets, and printed shirts (inspired by Liberty).

Solidarity within the fashion industry allows Who's Next to expand its expertise

These brands, which could be described as institutional given their contribution to French heritage, also need to adapt to new market realities. Selling a collection from a private showroom or through retail, as is the case for brands that have gained notoriety and are independent of retailers, risks depriving them of a stimulating zeitgeist.

Music to the ears of Frédéric Maus, CEO of WSN Développement, who sees this as proof of the reinforced legitimacy of his trade show. Building on this observation and driven by his mission of "conceptualising the in-store offer", he announced to FashionUnited that Who's Next will expand into design, in a more commercial iteration than Parisian design salon Matter & Shape, and into material sourcing.

This announcement is sure to provoke a reaction from the competition but has already proven successful with Elements, the jewellery sourcing area within Bijorhca, which is always busy, season after season.

However, without multi-brand retailers, there is no trade show. And this is undoubtedly the reason for the welcoming stand of the Fédération Nationale de l’Habillement (FNH - French Federation of Apparel). Some might say it resembled a love hotel, which is apt since it’s precisely about (re)kindling the relationship between French multi-brand retailers and contemporary fashion, marketed or not. Let's not beat around the bush, the profession is ageing, businesses are struggling to find successors, and we need to reignite the desire in the next generation.

To achieve this, Pierre Talamon, president of the FNH, is fighting on several fronts, as he explained to FashionUnited after his welcome cocktail. His battles? The sales dates: "Collections need to regain a sales rhythm in line with the season." He is in favour of banning Black Friday, supports France’s anti-ultra fast fashion law, and has filed an appeal with the administrative court against the limited traffic zone in the city centre implemented by the city of Paris. "Pedestrianised streets attract low-end shops because passers-by aren't strolling with the intention of making considered purchases," he points out.

Aware that business succession is proving difficult, he criticises the fact that public aid granted for apprentices has decreased from 6,000 to 5,000 euros annually, welcomes the monthly payment of rents (compared to three months in advance previously), and hopes that the index used to calculate rent increases will be renegotiated.

In short, as you will have gathered, these are technical but fundamental issues that clearly consolidate the relatively new solidarity demonstrated by the French fashion industry. From fashion schools to retailers, there is one (almost) obligatory passage to unite forces: the Who's Next trade show.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.FR. It was translated to English using AI and edited by Rachel Douglass.

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