Strong representation of Leather Cluster Barcelona members at the New York and Paris fashion fairs

This July saw two major events for the leather industry in the field of fashion, the Première Vision Paris fair and the New York edition of Lineapelle.

A strong representation of companies belonging to Leather Cluster Barcelona exhibited their leather articles at these two great international showcases for exhibitors, where projects, novelties, trends, styles and colours in leather and fashion accessories for the seasons to come are presented.

Specifically, the cluster members Colomer 1792 SLU, Combalia, Curtidos Badia, Curtidos Castañer, La Doma, Miret y CIA, Riba Guixà and Splenda took part as exhibitors at these internationally leading fairs.

As for the New York edition of Lineapelle, it is an event that has been held since 2001, reserved for the leading manufacturers of leather and components and aimed at the high-end North American market. It takes place twice a year, in January and July, and brings together expert professionals who attend the fair to take a look at the latest trends before developing their collections.

Meanwhile Première Vision Paris brought its September edition forward to July in response to the demands of exhibitors and visitors. This leading international event in the fashion sector gathered 1,190 exhibitors from 44 different countries in hybrid format, with a digital version from 4 to 8 July and the in-person event from 5 to 7 July.

During the Paris fair, the results of a study on consumers and eco-responsible fashion were presented. This was a survey carried out by Première Vision and the Institut Français de la Mode among 7,000 people in 5 different countries (France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and the United States), whose aim was to understand consumption patterns, expectations and also the level of consumer awareness regarding eco-responsibility.

The main conclusion of this market research was that consumers who reject leather do so out of prejudice, such as the belief that the tanning industry is responsible for the slaughter of animals, when in fact what it does is add value to the hides coming from abattoirs that are a consequence of meat consumption, making it a key player in the circular economy and contributing to sustainable fashion, thanks to leather's biodegradability compared with most alternatives, which are made from plastic derivatives.

This conclusion of the report on the Première Vision and Institut Français de la Mode survey coincides with the results of the Leather Advertisement project that Leather Cluster Barcelona developed in 2019 and 2020, thanks to Acció's IRC line of grants, and also with those of the Leather and the Consumer survey that Leather UK (the United Kingdom tanners' association), Leather Naturally (the international association for the dissemination and promotion of leather) and the Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT) of the University of Northampton carried out among British consumers.

This convergence between the results of these pieces of market research among consumers around the world shows that the global leather industry has a pressing obligation to explain itself, to communicate and to make itself known, with the aim of breaking down the mistaken stereotypes that part of society holds about leather and its industry.

It also shows the need for the various associations and stakeholders around the world to forge collaborations and work together on tangible actions, especially in the fields of animal welfare certification, traceability and quality, key aspects for better understanding and improving the perception of leather and of the sector in general among consumers.

Leather Cluster Barcelona is an environment of competitive cooperation for promoting cross-cutting, transformative strategic projects with the aim of driving forward the ecosystem of the Catalan leather sector. The cluster is an accredited entity within the Catalonia Clusters programme and has the support of Acció.