France : Haute Couture In Paris Goes Through Tough Days

Paris, the fashion capital of the world, was struggling to keep alive the otherwise bustling multi-crore fashion industry post-September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre, according to French fashion experts.

"We are going through some lean days after September 11", says Maria Luisa, owner of the prestigious French boutique in Paris.

"A large percentage of our clientele are foreigners. However, after the September 11 attack, this huge chunk of consumers has been missing resulting in a massive decline in sale of haute couture", she admits.

The decreasing foreign tourists to the French capital and the heightened security measures at all international airports were preventing tourists from patronising the boutiques in the land of fashion, says Luisa.

"Japanese customers, who have always been a major consumer for luxury items, have also decreased to a large extent affecting trade", she says.

"The French market was also going through a high saturation point”, observed another French buyer.

"While international market is going through a low phase, India holds a tremendous potential in the fashion market. India is going to see a major fashion boom thanks to its upcoming designers, its creative repertoire of designs and its vast consumer market", says Luisa.

"Even if four percent of the Indian population venture into buying designer goods, it is much bigger market than the entire French market," says a French buyer.

"It is time that India stops turning to the west. Indians should not be ashamed of the market. There is so much of creativity surging here that it is time that the local designers tap this huge market," a buyer noted.

"However, as far as the French market is concerned, we are going to see some real difficult days in the fashion scene," says Luisa.

"I am not even sure that the French fashion market would ever return to its hey days," she said in a despondent voice.