Celebrating the theme of ‘Kindness’, the show put the spotlight on the environmental and societal initiatives of an increasing number of designers who question the impact of fashion on our planet.
  
In total, 538 brands came together to showcase their spring/summer 2019 collections. The show has maintained a consistent level for the past three seasons, despite a waiting list that continues to lengthen. „The show is not intended to grow bigger; we have reached an ideal size that allows buyers to see a great majority of the collections in three days, to keep a well-curated selection of brands without being overwhelming, while introducing new products each season“ explains Chantal Danguillaume, sales director at Playtime.
 
Regarding newcomers, there were 106 brands participating for the first time at the fair. A renewal synonymous with beautiful discoveries which was confirmed in the three sectors of the show: Fashion, Lifestyle and Maternity.
  
As a perfect example of this renewal, the NE W NO W area showcased a dozen emerging brands selected for the second time by Cécile Roederer, C.E.O. of the Smallable family concept store. Since its launch four seasons ago, the space has seen several of its former invitees joining the fair on a classic stand, growing a little more each time (anarkid, city goats, wander & wonder or where is marlo).
  
If the Fashion sector continues to develop by welcoming both established brands with a creative DNA like derhy kids and first collections like mimi + bart’s, the crown for dynamism goes to the Lifestyle sector, which is still growing and now represents 20% of the total offer (for the first time with a dedicated trend forum thought up by Kids Interiors). A development that attracts leading brands in their market such as meraki, meri meri or jellycat.
  
This perfect balance between established and emerging brands attracted 5479 professional visitors from around the world, this season. A slight decrease compared to the summer of 2017, which reflects the market’s difficulties and changes in buyers’ habits.
  
„Many retailers have to deal with falling sales and some prefer to take refuge on brands they know and consider safe“ explains Sebastien de Hutten, director of the show. „With smaller teams and a smaller travel budgets, it is essential to provide them with more comfort during their visit. That is why this summer we inaugurated a VIP lounge dedicated to a selection of buyers, established in collaboration with exhibitors“ he continues.
  
In this new reality, the solutions proposed by Playtime Online, such as the free online access to a selection of Playtime’s brands to facilitate interaction and to place orders, are indispensable additions for sourcing B2B buyers. The platform, launched at the show, got off to a very good start with 340 registered buyers of 46 different nationalities. 
 
New services but also unique sources of inspiration with our trend spaces where the key outfits for next spring-summer were unveiled in front of installations by guest artists. In the children’s trends area, trend-setter Julie Malait put forward the themes of Nova Gaïa, New Tribe and Neo Optimism, where the never-before-seen art installations by the Atelier ID Textile, W&/ Wand Studio and Lucille Michieli were exhibited. In the maternity showroom area, the INSTINCT fashion agency presented outfits inspired by interior gardens in pastel shades, by a luxury without ostentation as voluptuous as minimalist and by a tropical-style office wardrobe.
  
As for events, the show gave pride of place to its press partners with an exhibition of illustrations on the theme of Modern Beauty by Pirouette, a super fun traveling shoot by Kid’s Wear and the presentation of the famous Milk Awards (Fashion: wynken / Home: wobbel / Crush: fred + ginger / Best in France: poudre organic).
 
Total number of visitors: 5479

France: 43,3 %

International: 56,7 %

Visitors Top 5 Europe

 1. Belgium 9,2 %

 2. The Neterlands 5,9 %

 3. United-Kingdom 5,1 %

 4. Germany 4,6 %

 5. Spain 3,3 %

Visitors Top 5 outside Europe

 1. U.S.A 2,4 %

 2. South Korea 2,1 %

 3. China 1,8 %

 4. Japon 1,4 %

 5. Russia 0,7 %