Winter 2001-2002 Fashion Trends Previewed

FUR COUNCIL OF CANADA PRESS RELEASE, SEPTEMBER 26, 2000

Winter 2001-2002 Fashion Trends Previewed

Fur Council of Canada seminar gives trade head-start for emerging market opportunities

MONTREAL, September 26: More than eighty manufacturers, designers and other members of the trade received an exclusive preview of next winter’s (2001-2002) fur and fashion trends at an exciting audio-visual seminar presented by the Fur Council of Canada today at Montreal’s downtown Delta Hotel.

“This is a first for the fur trade anywhere in the world ñ the first time our manufacturers have had precise trend information more than one year before the season, well in time to prepare their collections for next spring’s shows,” said FCC executive vice-president Alan Herscovici.

The seminar, including a 40-minute slide presentation, was prepared by internationally renowned fashion forecaster Richard H., as part of his on-going product-development work with the Fur Council. New fur treatments by Splendor and Tanbec were also on display, together with a collection of new fur patterns developed under the direction of Richard H. in Paris.

In the trends seminar, Richard H identified three principal market segments for fur: “High Glam” (exuberant furs and treatments, with volume and lightness for the luxe market), “Lounge Movement” (more structured, graphic lines, for the sophisticated professional woman), and “Urban Wear” (mostly small, easy-to-wear pieces for new distribution channels).

Influential themes for next winter will include “Urban Trek” (the city gets back in tune with nature), “Ultra Fast” (our fast-paced lifestyles promote function over superficiality), “Playtime” (luxury chosen for pleasure and borrowing from many different styles and cultures), and “Traveltime” (inter-metropolis travel generates a new uni-sex glamour). In addition to exploring each of these themes to show new directions in fur, Richard H also provided manufacturers with a series of colour ranges based on emerging ready-to-wear trends.

The Fur Council’s “Winter 2001-2002 Trends Seminar” will be presented in Toronto for the Ontario trade on Thursday evening, September 28th, and in an expanded version as a special retailer seminar at the Montreal NAFFEM, May 6-9, 2001.

“This trend work is an essential part of our strategy to reposition the image of the Canadian trade and to make furs more attractive and accessible to a much broader range of consumers internationally,” said Herscovici.

The Fur Council’s “Strategic Plan” for the new millennium addresses three main challenges. There are: (i) new product research and development, (ii) promotion and retail marketing of a new fashion image for fur, and (iii) public education and information to ensure that consumers will feel comfortable wearing fur.

For further information, please contact: Teresa Eloy, Communications Director, Fur Council of Canada. Tel: 514/ 844-1945; Fax: 514/ 844-8593; e-mail: teloy@furcouncil.com; http://www.furcouncil.com