Back in Black in Paris
The eyes of the world have been on Paris as the global fashion industry has converged for the annual trade fair, Haute Couture. The runway shows have come to a close, and the city is again back in black. It’s time to take stock of what the European capital’s fashion week has unveiled.
The fashion industry is not beyond the city’s ever-changing face. Fortunately, each fashion capital has its own distinct style. The Parisian sector of the industry is no exception. At the beginning of this week, a city lit up by the lights of the Eiffel Tower sees a myriad of new fashion collections.
The French media goes wild as one after another couture show cements its status as a fashion event to be reckoned with. The recent creations add another chapter to Paris’s already illustrious history in the fashion business, thus reaffirming its status as an undisputed capital of haute couture.
Back in Black in Paris also, the Haute Couture Fashion Week is definitely amongst the most influential fashion events of the year. It has already been joined by New York City and Milan for its fashion week. The Parisian event is held in February each year, and this time around, it marks its seventh edition. It has become a fundamental event in the French industry.
In 2010, it was estimated that some 2,000 people signed up for this prestigious fashion event. It was therefore not surprising that the city welcomed some 300,000 visitors from across the globe to Paris for this year’s fashion week.
Paris continues to be open for business, with a positive balance sheet of €3 billion worth of sales at its doorstep every year, thanks to its strong economy and stable government money supply (France is a pillar of stability in an increasingly unstable world). The fact that France is seen as an attractive destination by international financial institutions may also be attributed to the attraction of France’s creative sectors like film-making and design. Fierce competition at the top end of these industries contributes to France’s leading position in creative industries worldwide and boosts its economy while also helping France retain its status as one hot spot on travel itineraries around the world. Moreover, Paris remains a popular destination thanks to its vibrant cultural life, which includes fine art museum exhibitions, music concerts, and festivals, as well as historical monuments which draw millions each year from across Europe for their cultural heritage and historical value alone.
