Let's reinvent international business together!

Since the beginning of the health crisis, the Fédération Française du Prêt à Porter Féminin’s International Service has been in contact with brands. We communicate on a daily basis with managers who are worried about the future. These conversations are very productive and help us identify the radical changes emerging in wholesale. We’ve clearly observed new needs taking shape, and our role is to assist managers during this period of change.

On one hand, stores must revise their working methods to better meet consumer demands, but brands also need to adapt, and this an opportunity to reinvent brand-retailer business relationships by building on the foundations of digitalisation, creativity, and responsiveness.

More than ever, working internationally is a necessity for fashion brands. Ways to mitigate travel restrictions must be found, and the Fédération is helping brands achieve this. For Russia, we’ve set up digital B2B meetings connecting French brands with buyers. For Taipei and Tokyo, a communication hub with virtual collection presentations and meetings has given around 30 brands the opportunity to show their collections. In this time of immobility and no travel, these efforts are all the more appreciated by international buyers and have even generated some important orders.

We’ll soon be able to draw conclusions from this “test and learn” phase. As part of that process, in mid-November we’ll introduce our 2021 support programs for doing business internationally. These initiatives will encompass both physical activities, which remain essential, as well as digital projects and the government’s proposed recovery plan. And with the Fédération Française des Industries du Vêtement Masculin we’ll also draw up a first benchmark review of digital B2B platforms to help brands make decisions.

Let’s reinvent international business together!
Anne-Laure Druguet