| My Fashion Life: Meet the Charger de Mission for Première Vision – Gill Gledhill |
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Gill Gledhill is what you would call a true fashion expert; from deputy editor at Drapers Record to the charger de mission at the highly influential trade show Première Vision, Gill knows the business inside out. Here she discusses her fashion life thus far along with those essential up and coming textile shows…
Q Tell us a bit about your background - did you study fashion/textiles at college?
I’d always been into creating things with yarn, cloth, stitch etc. I loved the textile classes while on foundation at City Lit taught by Julia Caprara and so went on to do an HND in woven textile design at Chelsea College of Art. From the start I realised I didn’t want to be a hands-on designer. I much preferred written work. So I went on to Central St Martin’s to do a third year and complete a BA Hons so I could go on and study post-graduate journalism at what is now the London College of Communication. It was a natural fit. Q How did you find the fashion college experience? Gill: I loved Chelsea and I’m still in touch with the tutors there. They are great teachers, very encouraging, with tremendous knowledge who remain involved with industry – it’s a winning mix. I go back to do career talks, focussing on other uses for a degree in textile design and on the textile marketplace.
I felt like I was treading water at Central. At Chelsea I was taught to weave fabric that had commercial potential. This didn’t go down very well at Central where the tutors preferred wall hangings made from copper wire. But at my private view an agent, Julius Schofield from Indesign, picked out my work and he sold my final collection to big name designers in New York. I felt vindicated. Q What other companies did you work for before working with Première Vision, Expofil and Indigo? Gill: I had to do a work placement as part of the post-grad journalism and applied to (the now defunct) Fashion Weekly and Drapers Record, both published by Emap. I hoped my textile background would give me a shove through the door. It worked.
Beyond another placement at the Observer, I stayed with the company for seven years writing for its business to business magazines. I re-launched Retail Jeweller, the title for the jewellery and watch industry, turning it from a fortnightly broadsheet to a monthly glossy. That was an incredible project to work on; the readership felt such ownership of the title, we knew exactly what needed to be done and the result was fantastic, beyond aesthetics, year-on-year profits went up by over 250%.
After a few years writing about the jewellery industry, I wanted to return to fashion and joined Drapers Record as deputy editor. It has a bigger team and covers many market sectors, textiles among them. I stayed there until the end of 2001 when I went freelance. The consultancy work rolled in. Now I’m combining journalism and textiles/fashion know-how in a new way.
Among my clients I’ve worked with several commercial offices of overseas governments such as Spain, Australia, Tunisia…And while working as (the Istanbul textile and fashion promotion organisation) ITKIB’s UK and Republic of Ireland representative I launched the Turkish Fashion Fabric Exhibition London. Q Tell us a bit about a typical working day in the office for you...
Meanwhile my team work on outgoing marketing, making sure our regular visitors have all they need in the run up to the show, as well as seeking out potential new visitors. We also handle all press enquiries and requests for press accreditation. Then I might rush off to an art school or university to deliver a preview presentation. We’ll have 2,000 students from the UK visit in February. These students are the next generation of the fashion and textile industry it’s a great way to introduce Première Vision make sure they get the most out of their visit. Then it’s back to the office, more calls, more emails… Q Gill: Première Vision is unlike any other exhibition I know. It was set up by Lyonnais silk weavers and continues to be run for the good of its exhibitors with the needs of the market to the fore. Première Vision selects exhibitors based on their creativity and ability and new entrants are vetted by the exhibitors to ensure continued high quality. The show has a full-time fashion team in Paris which liaises with the weavers and with a group of international designers and colourists on the upcoming trends in order to arrive at the key trends, moods and palette each season.
The information is unique to Première Vision. Première Vision keeps very close to market through its 12 chargers de missions around the world. It also helps that Première Vision is in Paris, which is the heartland of fashion. Première Vision has become much more than just a textile show, it’s a meeting point for the entire fashion industry.
Q What do you think about the current fashion scene in the UK? Gill: Our street fashion is second to none, but I wish there wasn’t such a lean towards US sport style. For high street fashion, you can’t beat the UK. We’re spoiled with great, affordable clothes. The designers at Reiss have a good eye for colour and use interesting textiles. TopShop remains queen of fast fashion, but I wonder what it will be like without Jane Shepherdson at its head? Q Who do you respect in the industry? Gill: I think anyone who runs a successful fashion business in the UK deserves to be applauded, whether it’s a one-man website, a mill in Yorkshire or a world-beater like Burberry. Q What key trends have you noticed coming through at the most recent shows? Is there a noticeable increase in eco-sustainable fabrics for example?
Première Vision has pioneered Performance Codes – a labelling system used in its trends forums to highlight ‘invisible’ benefits. This season you will find a code for ‘responsible production’. A key trend coming through is the importance of high quality fabrics. One way to look after the environment is to buy clothes that last. Q And what about your own personal style - what are your favourite items of clothing/designers? Gill: If you looked in my wardrobe a few labels would stand out: MaxMara for coats – fantastic quality and cut; I’m a sucker for handbags by Coccinelli and Mandarina Duck; TopShop for fashion injections and summer brights; Gap for T-shirts and cotton separates; Reiss for staples in good fabrics such as trousers; Pringle for cashmere V-necked sweaters; Ralph Lauren for jeans (especially the on/off RRL line) and chinos; and Adidas trainers. I cycle everywhere so my clothes tend to be quite utilitarian. Q Are you involved with any other fashion organisations etc... Gill: The one I’d like to mention here is Texprint as it needs more support from industry. Texprint is a non-profit organisation that works to promote the best UK-trained textile design talent. It’s just about the only organisation that helps textile graduates. Each September 24 new designers are funded to show at Indigo in Paris. Many of Texprint’s former winners go on to launch design studios that exhibit at Indigo, or find work at well-known fashion houses or launch their own labels. If anyone reading this has some marketing budget available and you want to get involved, contact www.texprint.org.uk Q Tell us a bit about the up and coming shows on the agenda... Gill: Première Vision Pluriel – Première Vision, Expofil, Indigo, Le Cuir à Paris and Mod’Amont - will be on at Parc des Expositions from February 20-23, 2007.
New this season: all entrance tickets will give you access to all five shows for all four days of the event. My advice is pre-register now to save yourself time on arrival and to maximise your visit to the show. February will present trends for spring/summer 08. I have the new colour card and I’ve seen the trend film. It’s going to be an exciting season! Contact details: www.premierevision-pluriel.com E-mail:
Many thanks to Gill Gledhill |
Gill: My dad was in the oil business and the family travelled a lot – I was born in the Caribbean and spent the first quarter of my life in New York State. The family moved to London in the late 1970s and I grew up in Chelsea. I thought it would be cool to stay in London and go to art school rather than leave the capital and study English at one of the universities that had offered me a place. 
Gill: I’m the charger de mission for Première Vision, Expofil and Indigo in the UK and Irish Republic. In the run up to the shows we have a two way stream of contact with the UK and Irish fashion industry. So in a typical day, I’ll spend the morning exchanging emails with head office in France; reviewing our registration stats; taking calls and replying to enquiries about the show from existing and potential visitors. We receive hundreds of enquiries about the show each week on every subject from where to stay – answer: along the RER B train line which goes directly to Parc des Expositions via Gare du Nord and CDG airport – to more specific sourcing questions, the website has all the answers! 
Gill: In a visit to Expofil you will find new and exciting developments in sustainable fibres, such as SeaCell a fibre made from seaweed. You’ll also find all sorts of blends using hemp, bamboo, paper etc.
