Curve Paris Debuts as WSN Fine-tunes Intimates Offer
PARIS — The intimate-apparel industry’s recent summer gathering in Paris underwent a makeover as WSN, which took over the event last year, continued to work to find the right model, shifting to an expanded resort offer and away from lingerie with the launch of Curve Paris, replacing the Mode City banner, alongside fabric event Interfilière.
“It’s a relaunch, the beginning of something new,” said Frédéric Maus, chief executive officer of WSN. “The three brands — the Salon International de la Lingerie, Interfilière and Curve Paris — all now have a clear identity and positioning. That has allowed us to open up to new categories.”
More from WWD
To the surprise of many attendees entering Curve Paris at Porte de Versailles, which ran from July 2 to 4, the corsetry majors were all but absent; among them, only Groupe Chantelle and Huit8, both launching new swim collections, maintained a presence.
“We took a gamble on coming, but we wanted to support them,” said Groupe Chantelle chief creative and brand officer Renaud Cambuzat. “The challenge is to create an offer that is relevant for the sector.”
In total at Curve Paris, there were 138 exhibitors, more than half of which were newcomers. Alongside swimwear, resortwear, accessories and beauty all had a stronger presence.
“Customers are mixing their product categories and buying from a lifestyle aesthetic standpoint instead of compartmentalizing each element,” observed Kimmay Caldwell, undergarment educator and founder of HurrayKimmay. “In the past, brands have dipped a toe into this but I suspect we’ll see more and more from companies that cross over,” she told WWD.
In total, the events attracted 5,150 visitors, which was stable compared with a year ago. This was seen as particularly positive given a number of cancellations due to the riots, triggered by the police killing of a teenager, that erupted around Paris just days before the events opened.
“It’s important to remember that the June 2022 show was the Salon International de la Lingerie that had been postponed from January,” WSN also highlighted. “The last Unique by Mode City took place in July 2019.”
While the show’s timing — designed to work in tandem with fabric events Première Vision and Texworld, the latter opening July 3 in a neighboring hall at Porte de Versailles and with a shared visitor badge — was a good fit for suppliers at Interfilière, it was less convenient for those shopping at Curve for finished products, many of whom had already been in town the previous weekend for resortwear show Splash.
“I was here last weekend for Splash, it’s a pity they weren’t the same weekend,” said Liv Möller, senior lingerie and hosiery buyer for KaDeWe in Germany.
“It should have been at the same time,” said Liz Brighton, owner of Odette Lingerie in Buckhinghamshire, U.K. “All the big brands are missing, it’s not great for the buyers. It has become very fragmented and time consuming.”
“A trade show is perpetually evolving to respond to changes and the expectations of buyers and exhibitors,” said WSN director of lingerie shows Matthieu Pinet. “Curve Paris still needs to find its ideal format, but it remains an indispensable moment on the international lingerie and beach/resortwear calendar. We will take the time to exchange with all market stakeholders and seriously think about the dates for the next edition.”
With more than half of the exhibitors newcomers, there was a distinct focus on emerging labels and not just within the Exposed space, previously centered largely on creative labels.
“It seems like so many brands emerged during the pandemic years and are now getting ready to wholesale,” Caldwell observed. “Typically the Exposed area was reserved for the smaller, more fashion-forward companies and this time several of the brands included were actually more well-known or established players compared to several of the newer companies throughout the floor.”
Among young brands, Revivre, based in Scotland, was showing its reversible swimwear, with classic, easy-to-wear shapes — including underwired designs — created to last and made from Econyl fabric, which is created using ocean waste. The brand has also initiated a takeback service where consumers get a discount on a new piece when they send one back for recycling.
France-based Chamade is tapping into the DIY trend, with knit-your-own swimsuit kits that use a patented extensible yarn. For advanced knitters, certain designs feature specific stitches that replace the need for underwiring or boning.
Martial, meanwhile, is a young French brand offering genderless swimwear pieces created by 2019 Hyères accessories prize finalist Martial Charasse.
There was also Swimétis, which offers visually striking velvet swimwear pieces made with a special fabric that dries just as fast as a regular elastane swimsuit.
Among brands from outside the beachwear space, accessories label Domestique was showcasing a line of leather goods designed to look like paper shopping bags — complete with a leather “receipt” listing each step in the sourcing process — and quirky baskets and vegetable crates also crafted from leather.
Lastelier, launched in 2016 by Bottega Veneta alum Bérangère de Lassée, offers high-end summer accessories with timeless designs and innovative, often patented features. Her straw hats, for example, are guaranteed to offer SPF protection thanks to a special weave, while bags feature clever side straps for carrying a hat when not needed.
While lingerie was not a core focus, there were some innovations from younger brands showing, like Sensée Paris, a seamless line made from organic linen that was among brands exhibiting thanks to WSN’s partnership with crowdfunding platform Ulule. Sensée founder Léa Magnani was inspired to create the line when her grandmother got cancer and she wanted to create a pesticide-free solution that was healthy for the breasts, she said.
Love & Swans, based between Turkey and the U.S., showcased its quirky embroidered lingerie with comic strip-like motifs, with each set inspired by a story or character.
Also in the Ulule section was Flowher, a Paris-based brand offering colorful menstrual swimwear, and Mouiller le Maillot, a young label offering swimming shorts with patented design integrating a fully waterproof inner pocket, made with Seaqual fabric.
Among the more established brands, Chantelle Pulp, inspired by the brand’s bestselling Soft Stretch underwear, is a one-size-fits-all swimwear concept, with a seven-piece collection in muted, dip-dyed colors.
Huit8 debuted a collection full of colorful vintage-inspired prints as the brand continued its restaging under new ownership. Swiss hosiery specialist Fogal, meanwhile, debuted its first swim collection, building on its recent launch of athleisure products.
High-end lingerie designer Paloma Casile explored the terrain between corsetry and ready-to-wear, introducing her first casualwear pieces.
Upstairs at fabric and components event Interfilière, there were 162 exhibitors, up 12 percent compared with last year’s edition. “Interfilière had the upper hand and the feedback I got was that it was an especially exciting show for fabrics and sourcing,” Caldwell said.
There was a strong focus on craftsmanship, with an immersive space showcasing machinery and manufacturing processes as French mills seek to highlight their expertise and benefit from renewed traction for localized manufacturing since the pandemic.
Lacemaker Sophie Hallette, for example, is investing in automated lace production alongside its high-end offer for the first time since the ’80s, as brands seek to reshore production. “Producing in France is a real added value,” Sophie Hallette president Romain Lescroart told WWD.
“We are lucky to be French,” said embroidery specialist Maison Lévêque manager Frédéric Bodenheimer during a roundtable on French manufacturing. “We have customers that are still prepared to pay the premium for products that are manufactured in France.”
The wave of emerging brands that made up much of the exhibitor base at Curve Paris, meanwhile, is pushing suppliers to innovate. “Young brands are providing a stimulus to think outside the box, because they are looking at avenues that established labels would be slower to go down,” observed circular knitting specialist Bugis CEO Bruno Nahan.
The company, based near Troyes, is looking to re-introduce natural fibers like linen to its catalog in line with growing demand, notably in the innerwear space. “It’s a big opportunity,” he said.
Launch Gallery: Inside Curve Paris and Interfilière Trade Shows
Best of WWD
