Première Vision to stage show in Montreal in April 2025

The fashion division of trade show organiser GL Events has announced that, on April 22-23, it will hold the first Canadian edition of its textile supply chain event Première Vision, at the Grand Quai in Montreal. More broadly, GL Events is reflecting on ways of bringing closer together its trade shows serving the industry’s entire supply chain, from producers to brands.

This future annual event will take place on the Grand Quai, a vast pier overlooking the Saint Lawrence River, close to the Canadian city’s historic heart. For the time being, GL Events is aiming for around 100 exhibitors, mostly local manufacturers. The show has been set up following a conversation with the city of Montreal, Quebecois designers, and Mmode, an organisation promoting local fashion design.

PV Montreal will expand the trade show’s presence in North America, adding to the two editions of Première Vision scheduled in New York in January and July. The show’s Canadian edition is expected to address the specific needs of brands targeting the Canadian market, particularly with regards to weather-related challenges, with products such as knitwear, down jackets, and similar.

“We are indeed striving to adapt our exhibitors’ range to address these issues,” said Florence Rousson, head of Première Vision, talking to FashionNetwork.com. “As a complement to our New York editions, the plan is to develop a new value proposition for our exhibitors and visitors,” she added.

This announcement comes just days after Première Vision Paris announced it is returning to a September slot in 2025, three years after attempting to move its dates to early July. The date shift also means that the Blossom Première Vision show, dedicated to pre-collections, will again hold two annual sessions. These changes follow the acquisition of a 100% stake in Première Vision SA by GL Events, which intends to give new impetus to its fashion events.
 

Bridging the gap between producers and brands

“Our idea is to genuinely work on consolidating an international fashion ecosystem, with events in Europe and also in new destinations,” Rousson told FashionNetwork.com. “This also involves developing synergies between our events held outside Europe, based on local market dynamics. In future, within GL Events’ fashion division, we might partly combine Denim Première Vision with Tranoï in Tokyo, for example,” she added.

Building bridges between events catering to producers and brands does not mean compromising the unique identities of the organiser’s various shows, according to Rousson. She said this “bridging the gap” approach is not about “mixing everything together,” but rather about fostering complementarity between shows operating within shared verticals.

For its flagship show, Première Vision Paris, the organiser is planning to focus on distinct themes for the February and September editions. There are also plans to strengthen its ties with fashion academies and educational programmes, to enhance the events’ role in training and skills development.
 

B2B marketplace discontinued

The Première Vision marketplace, launched in 2018, will be discontinued, at least with regards to its B2B activity. The data gathered through the marketplace will now feed into three aspects of the PV range: the mobile app, through a matchmaking and networking tool; the website, for company information; and the Première Vision magazine.

“These three tools will help us strengthen our position and enhance the support we offer the market, beyond the physical shows,” said Rousson. “We’re aiming to provide services, visibility, and partnership opportunities before, during, and after the shows, with a view to optimising business connections,” she concluded.

Première Vision will stage its denim industry show in Milan on December 4-5. It will be followed by the Blossom show in Paris on December 11-12, by PV New York on January 14-15 2025, and PV Paris on February 11-13 2025. Before these, Tranoï, GL Events’s designer show, will take place in Paris on September 26-29 2024.