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 Designers from France's Jean Paul Gaultier to Lebanon's Elie
Saab descended on the Elysee Palace for dinner on Monday, as
Macron sought to further boost one of the country's most
profitable sectors with an appeal to brands from far and wide.
The gala, coinciding with Paris Fashion Week, was the latest
effort by 40-year-old Macron, who came to power last May, to try
and lure entrepreneurs with a pro-business agenda, weeks after a
summit with business executives at Versailles.
"It want to say the same to those who create: choose France,"
Macron said, addressing guests such as Christian Louboutin,
famed for his stiletto shoes, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour
and Alexander McQueen designer Sarah Burton.
"My deepest wish is that creators, whether they come from India,
Japan, Africa, the United States or China, will consider coming
to (create) in our country, and that we get everything in order
to make that work easy for them."
Macron's wife Brigitte, also present, wore one of her favored
French brands, Louis Vuitton.
Paris' catwalk shows and France's broader fashion industry are
already huge motors for growth and jobs, at a time when the
government is trying to bring down a stubbornly high
unemployment rate of nearly 9 percent.
One study, by the French Fashion Institute, IFM, puts the sector
ahead of autos and aerospace put together by annual sales, which
hover at 150 billion euros ($184.8 billion) when including areas
like jewels, watches, cosmetics and perfumes.
Yet some designers said public cheerleading was welcome, even if
Paris-based luxury conglomerates like LVMH and Kering, owner of
Saint Laurent, have already helped put France squarely on the
map.
ABOUT TIME
Late French Socialist President Francois Mitterrand had also
championed fashion at glitzy Elysee dinners in the 1980s, though
they later petered out.
[to top of second column] |
"It was about time. (Fashion) is an icon of French know-how, just
like fighter aircraft," said French couturier Julien Fournie, 42,
before the Macron dinner.
Fournie said he hoped for more initiatives to help a traditional
sector adapt to new technology, but also to encourage more
youngsters to learn crafts that needed supporting.
Macron's entourage said he planned to work with the sector to
support the creative "ecosystem", which spans artisan workshops and
suppliers to the big couture houses.
Paris already lures more international designers to its fashion
weeks than others, with half the brands on show from overseas
compared to 13 percent in runner-up Milan, according to Pascal
Morand, head of France's haute couture federation.
Trendy U.S. labels Thom Browne, Proenza Schouler and Rodarte are
among several who recently ditched New York for the Paris catwalk,
and some designers said the city offered better access to
professional buyers for instance.
"I naturally decided to show here because all the movers and shakers
are here," said Anais Mak, 28, whose Hong Kong-based label Jourden
will show its latest collection in Paris on Tuesday. "There are a
lot of young designers developing their businesses along with the
big brands Paris is famous for."
($1 = 0.8116 euros)
(Additional reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey, Writing by Sarah White;
Editing by Tom Brown)
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