UK brands to watch in Paris
15/01/2019
16th – 22nd January: Paris Men’s Fashion Week and Women’s Pre-collections
Man/Woman | Tranoï Homme | Tranoï Week | London showROOMS | Fashion East | Showrooms
All eyes are on Paris for Men’s Fashion Week and the Women’s Pre-Collections, as well as the trade fairs (Man/Woman, Tranoï Homme and Tranoï Week) held at the same time as the catwalk shows.
Located in the centre of Paris, the events are positioned in smaller venues, creating a more intimate atmosphere making them feel more like a large showroom than a trade show.
In addition, there are a number of established showrooms in town, many of them featuring British brands, including The Alphabet Showroom, Polly King, Welcome Edition, Concrete Showroom, You Concept, Touba, D/Ark Concept, Fourmarketing, Rainbowwave, Nana Suzuki and AwayKin.
There are also a variety of UK designers showing independently in Paris including Charlotte Olympia, Barbaraalan, Chinti and Parker, Mahirishi, Mulberry and Self-Portrait, as well as designers with catwalk/runway shows: Dunhill, JW Anderson and Paul Smith.
For the full British exhibitor list, please see the attachment above.
UKFT has assembled a group of newer brand to this market, with support from the Department for International Trade’s TAP fund.
Exhibitors include:
Man/Woman
- King & Tuckfield
History is woven throughout the King & Tuckfield collection, which is heavily influenced by the two family members who gave the brand its name, founder Stacey’s Grandmother; Joan Marion King, and Father; Graham Aubrey Tuckfield. The brand mixes inspiration from the 1950’s with a modern elegance and meticulous workmanship.
- Lou Dalton
One of the few female designers on the British menswear scene, Lou Dalton prides herself on an innate and all-encompassing understanding of what men want from their clothes. The collection combines practicality, a dash of adventure and, above all else, something that makes the wearer look damn good.
- MC Overalls
M.C.Overalls is a range of daily staples. A workwear brand dating back to 1908, M.C.Overalls was re-established 2017 – reviving its original ethos of making a uniform for contemporary workers. “We worked hard.”
- Pantherella and St Nichol
The Pantherella factory first opened its doors in 1937. Over 80 years later the firm is still designing and making all its socks in its family owned factory, situated in the same street in Leicester, England, as it was in 1937. Making the world’s finest socks from the world’s most luxurious fibres is the core of what the brand does. Our expertise and world renowned craftsmanship have been passed down from generation to generation to ensure that Pantherella socks remain the world’s finest.
Pantherella socks have fine-linked toes for seamless comfort and reinforced heels and toes for durability.
Other brands to look out for at Man/Woman include:
- & Daughter
&Daughter is a partnership that combines over 30 years’ experience. Columba grew up in Ireland and spent his career working in Scottish and Irish knitwear manufacturing. Buffy studied a Masters in Fashion at Central St Martins before working in fashion in London for over 10 years. Passed from father to daughter, their enduring fascination with knitwear derives from the belief that stitches tell stories. The creative journey of each season begins by taking the timeless detail of a stitch, a yarn or silhouette and re-imagining it with a modern point of view.
- 7L System
7L is a forward-thinking outerwear brand with meticulous attention to detail which successfully manages to fuse together state-of-the-art materials with pioneering manufacturing techniques resulting in a unique 7 Layer System with a fashionable and functional high performing aesthetic for the modern consumer.
Tranoï Homme
- Cortili
Cortili is a contemporary menswear label that takes inspiration from the past. In a world ruled by mass production and disposable clothing, Cortili’s collections are created on a much smaller scale, so the brand can focus on quality and sustainability. High quality, well-crafted goods are manufactured using the finest fabrics from Italy and Japan, and ethically produced through trusted, sustainable sources based in East London.
Don’t forget to look out for UKFT Members at Tranoï Homme:
- Harris Wharf London
Harris Wharf London is a contemporary brand that reimagines classic wardrobe staples. Based in London, but produced in Turin, the label creates men’s and women’s collections in a range of elegant subdued hues as well as bold brights. The brand’s core outerwear line features raw edged and unlined jersey tailoring, offering a contemporary, effortless take on traditional cuts and shapes.
- Johnstons of Elgin
In the two centuries following its establishment in 1797, just two families – the Johnstons and the Harrisons, have owned Johnstons of Elgin. It is one of the last few vertical mills in the UK still carrying out all the processes from raw cashmere and fine woolen fibres, right through to the finished product. Johnstons of Elgin’s mills in Elgin and Hawick employ over 1000 people, including highly skilled textile craftsmen and women
- Tateossian
Tateossian is the height of luxury for men’s and women’s designer jewellery. Cufflinks, Bracelets and more in a range of contemporary and classic styles. A sense of playfulness and free movement are intricately entwined in the brand’s DNA and are often reflected in the designs, delivering unique yet wearable pieces.
SHOWROOMS
AwayKin
- Shrimps
Shrimps is a fashion label from the young London-based designer, Hannah Weiland, launched in 2013. With a background in History of Art and a diploma in Surface Textile Design from the London College of Fashion, Weiland takes her inspiration from the witticisms of modern art and a playful engagement with pattern and texture. Shrimps grew from faux fur outerwear and brought the material to the luxury sphere, leading the conversation on cruelty free fashion. The brand now has a full RTW offering and is renowned for its accessories.
- STORY mfg
STORY mfg. was born out of a desire for a more authentic, fulfilling and kind approach to fashion — one that doesn’t involve a trade-off between aesthetics and sustainability. Run by a husband and wife team, the brand works work with a large group of dyers, weavers, embroiderers and tailors in its atelier in the Indian forest.
Products are designed to benefit the earth, its customers and the people the label works with. The brand believes fashion can be a form of social activism and that STORY mfg. can help promote regenerative agriculture.
Concrete Studio
- Horn Please!
Horn Please! is a new eco-print label, with tees, sweats and hoodies for men and women, and for the whole world. All garments are individually screen-printed in London, using six or seven separate screens of water-based pigment to produce the final vibrant image.
Polly King
- Folk
Folk is quietly elegant clothing enriched by subtle details: style without drama. Collections are designed to be approachable. The name, Folk, implies something democratic, for everyone. Folk is fastidious about details. Working with simple patterns our focus is on the quality, textures and characteristics of the fabrications and trims. Everything is analysed, from the thread colour to the pocket lining to the crushed coconut shell buttons.
- House of Holland
Henry designs with a London girl aesthetic in mind and is continually inspired by the variety of attitudes, cultures and mind-sets that exist throughout the UK capital. The House of Holland girl is cool, confident and savvy and wears labels without letting them wear her.
From launching in 2006, House of Holland now boasts an impressive roster of international premium stockists including Browns Focus, Colette, Harvey Nichols, Lane Crawford, Matches, Opening Ceremony and Selfridges.
The Alphabet Studio
- Dan & Shan
Danshan is an emerging menswear brand made up of a woman, Dan, from China and a man, Shan, from Hong Kong. After graduating from the womenswear design course at Central Saint Martins in 2012, the pair worked in fashion before deciding to start their own labels and focus on their own observations of the way gender dynamics are changing and how this relates to fashion.
- Ka Wa Key
Key graduated from the Royal College of Art in London with a Master’s degree in Fashion Menswear. He was nominated as one of the finalists at the H&M Design Award for his graduate collection, which was showcased in “DOUBLE JE” contemporary art exhibition in Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
Finnish born Jarno has cross-artistic background and holds a Master’s degree in Arts. He translates KA WA KEY’s unique design language into poetical visuals, films, performance and various projects.
Touba
- Marche-marche
Marché Marché is an ever evolving marketplace and curated online platform for anything and everything in fashion and lifestyle, with a fundamental principle: to offer thoughtful merchandise.
Inspired to conceive products that people actually desire.
- Paperrmen
Papermen began life on Savile Row with eight formative years of classical training, during which the ideas and identity of Papermen evolved. The impact of this training is clear in Papermen and the subtle attention to detail present throughout the process of making. Papermen combines tradition with modernity and in doing so celebrates the maker’s relationship with craftsmanship and with the machine.
- Susie Cowie
Embroidery is an ancient technique – cultures across the world have been using a needle and thread to skilfully decorate garments and furnishings for thousands of years. Susie Cowie has modernised these traditional facets of embroidery to create luxurious, contemporary pieces that feel beautiful next to the skin. Silhouettes are based on the loose, relaxed fit that is normally reserved for menswear pyjamas, but with specific enhancements to flatter the female form. Functional pockets have been added, along with side slits on the shirt hem – resulting in garments that are as wearable in the bedroom as they might be with a favourite pair of jeans. They are the ideal multifunctional wardrobe pieces.
Welcome Edition
- Heimat
Heimat stands for traditional silhouettes interpreted for modern day living. Contemporary products that incorporate the German tradition for high quality. Products offered by Heimat are meant to be simple. The collection spans fisherman’s sweaters and deck hats, as well as traditional knot rope bracelets worn by sailors.
- Jennifer Kent
Founded in Glasgow by designer Jennifer Kent, the studio specialises in creating modern knitwear, accessories and interior products. The collections are thoughtfully curated and reflect Jennifer’s minimal aesthetic and impeccable attention to detail. The brand is not driven by seasonal trends but instead places a strong focus on ensuring its beautifully made products are timeless and can be enjoyed and appreciated year after year. All production takes place in Scotland and Jennifer works only with well-respected and highly skilled manufacturers who share her desire to create knitwear of the finest quality.
- Thomas Dutton & Thorowgood
Founded in 1860, Thomas Dutton and Thorowgood are well known for producing one of the world’s very first running shoes in 1861. Today it maintains the brands true values of craftsmanship and quality, producing small runs of high quality shoes made on Northampton machinery.
You Concept
- LYPH
UK brand LYPH is an Avant Garde clothing company creating men’s and women’s clothing for the culture and context of now; whilst respect for the past is important, re-creating the past is not. Representing a balance between modern aesthetics and innovative function LYPH offers an interchanging look for both genders.