News Coverage:

Paris: Where Fashion Is Always Fashionable
By: Mari Davis

Principal French exports to the United States are aircraft and engines, beverages, electrical equipment, chemicals, cosmetics, and luxury products.

With ‘fashion items’ falling under the general classification of ‘luxury products,’ the importance of French luxury brands in France’s trade with the U.S. cannot be denied and the significance of the Paris Prêt-a-porter season is corollary.

According to ‘Womenswear: Global Industry Guide’ a report released by MarketResearch.com last Nov 7, 2005, ‘Brand name garments are popular; female consumers have developed a taste for fast fashion and foreign apparel, which should maintain healthy growth in the global market.’

With French fashion houses as some of the most recognizable brands in the planet, the economic forecast for the fashion industry is a lot better than the previous years. Economic recovery in the U.S. is now within sight, and consumer spending is up once again after a short-term decrease due to hurricanes and high gas prices.

So, during the last week of February 2006, when the press and retail buyers gather in Paris to attend the ready-to-wear season, expect it to be lively and optimistic as fashion becomes fashionable once again.