Première Vision New York and Indigo New York:growing and moving full steam ahead for S/S 2016

by+Flora

With 297 exhibitors， the Spring/ Summer 2016 edition of Première Vision at Pier 92 in Manhattan boasted an optimistic and strong ambiance and included large selections in both fabrics and accessories， as well as in textile & surface designs.

The sub-zero temperatures did not keep the over 4，000 buyers from attending the show， which included colorful， trend right and informative fashion forums and seminars.

Some of the worlds finest textile mills highlighted their collections with trends such as bright and linear prints， graphic guipures and other laces， piquéand honeycomb structures， compact and techy plains and laminated and shiny fl uid fabrics. Tonal jacquards and simple geometric structures were also key.

At Lanificio Subalpino， co-owner Nicolò Zumaglini commented on the first day that he had a “very strong beginning”. The Biella-based mills selection featured a gorgeous selection of linen blends in plain， washed and decorative looks that included tartans and other checks. “These have all been very well received，” said Zumaglini，“especially the wool/linen and cotton/ linen blends.”

At Paris-based Preview， designer Laurent Sferra concocted a dreamy array of novelties that included sequins， embroideries， 3D-looking layered prints， feathers， burn outs with print and jacquards layered in and meshes with chintz patterns on top. “I dont sleep，” he joked.“We are here to grow our business in the U.S.，” added Simy Kline， who follows the production.

At German print mill KBC， Fred Rottman， the U.S. representative， said that for them， the key to moving forward was pumping up their base selection.“We are working hard to expand our print bases to include more crepes， burnouts and jacquards，” he said. “You have to be different.” Rottman noted that prints with clarity as well as “neat little prints” were doing well， as were huge multicolored prints with large repeats.

New developments at Italian mill Carvico， traditionally a swim fabric mill， included a new selection of fabrics for the ready-to-wear market. “We are here to introduce this new line we have created especially for the ready-to-wear market，”said Giulia Villa， sales manager. Lorena Pisoni， the creator of the new offering said she took the trends happening in active-wear and turned them into fabrics that could work for ready-to-wear. “I wanted to create things that really brought out the characteristics of the fabric，” she said.

Finally， Turkish mill BTD had a wonderfully edited collection of cotton/ nylon double cloths and textured fabrics， some with piqué structures and seersucker effects. “The sweet novelties are doing very well，” said Francesca DeVito， the U.S. rep for the mill.

The accessory manufacturers， meanwhile， offered a selection of playful and candy-colored trims， ornaments， jewelry components， buttons and zippers.

Paris-based Les Ateliers Tamalet was a fi rst time exhibitor， showing off an array of beautifully created costume jewelry. The fi rm works closely with brands to develop exclusive costume jewelry lines. Owner Natalie Tamalet explained that she wanted a piece of the American market since the fi rm has done well with clients in Europe. “The American market is big，”she said， “and we are interested in capturing a piece of that customer.” Some of the newest selections included water-transfer printed silk bangles covered in enamel and plated metal pieces in peacock colors.

At French trim supplier JRC Refl ex， their refl ective materials were causing a buzz with the newest offering， a black refl ective tape that refl ects on the level of a silver one， garnering the most attention.

The textile & surface designs exhibitors were showcasing bright and bold prints， many which were fl oral and quite clean and linear.

Adam Read， co-owner of The Colorfi eld said he felt a very positive atmosphere at the show and that business was strong. Trends， he continued， included a move away from last springs “blurred and ikat-like motifs” to something more clean and graphic. “Our customers are looking at happier prints， prints with color and fl orals that are large and linear，” he said. “Its all very optimistic.”

At Camilla Frances， sales director Alex Miller added that it was a good show for them and since they were known for fl orals， they were doing quite well. “Theres a move towards more hand-drawn florals， things with texture and layers，” he said.

At Liz Casella Studio， sales and design director Kelley Ryan talked about their abstract florals and non-print textures doing well. “There is defi nitely an element of fun this season and our customers have been responding to that.”

The show was attended by an elite group of buyers including： Tess Giberson， Jackie Holiman from Michael Kors， Tina Robinson from Oscar de la Renta， Stephane Cremieux from Daniel Cremieux， Emily Samit from J. Crew and representatives from Opening Ceremony， Trina Turk， Alexander Wang and Elie Tahari， among many more.

Designer Zaid Affas commented that the show was a great way to start off the season in a strong way. “Première Vision has the best selection of the fi nest fabric and accessory makers in the world. I love coming to the show in New York and getting a first look at what the season will have to offer.”

The shows seminars and panel discussions， meanwhile， were a hit. Deputy Fashion Director Sabine Le Chateliers Trend Vision / SS16 Season Highlights spoke of trends in womenswear， menswear， accessories and silhouette. She spoke of raw sophistication， simplicity， the importance of transparent fabrics and ones with a sporty feel for women， while for men， rustic and invisible performance were among the key trends. In accessories， fun and futuristic looks were highlighted， as were pieces with natural elements. For silhouettes， the athletic trend continued and the use of ultra lightweight fabrics were discussed in wide and loose shapes.

In addition， a special roundtable was organized that focused on technology and how it will serve the fashion world in the future. Moderated by textile specialist Daniela Gilbert， the panel included industry heavy weights like Under Armours Leigh Baird， Polartecs Allison Spahr and technologist Amanda Parkes to designers Bjorn Bengtsson and Zaid Affas and CityZen Sciences Stanislas Vandier and Sibilla Vanderlinden of Concordia Fabrics. The discussion emphasized how to make technology more fashionable and some of the obstacles companies face as they try to continue to merge the two worlds. A comparison of wearable technology versus smart clothing was discussed， as was 3D printed textiles. The 90 minutes allocated to the roundtable was not enough and all were left excited to continue the conversation.

The first taste of Spring/Summer 2016 is sweet indeed as Première Vision New York continues to bring top industry leaders together with the worlds most elite fashion suppliers in what is truly a networking dream.