A look back at 35 years of accessories with Sophie Renier and Paul Droulers of the Jack Gomme brand

In 1989, Premiere Classe started out in Paris with the ambition of making a name for itself in the world of accessories. To celebrate this longevity, we asked 3 brands from the early days to share their memories with us.

Third and final guest: the design duo behind bag brand Jack Gomme.

Do you remember when you first took part in Premiere Classe?

It was in 1989, when we took part in the Première Classe show at the Auteuil racecourse.

The tent was in the middle of the lawn with the tracks all around us. The atmosphere was magical and surreal, with petanque games, pinball machines, etc.

The evening of the show took place in the VIP room, above the bleachers, with a barrel of wine, ham and gherkins. The atmosphere was good-natured and extremely cheerful. There were many more shoe manufacturers, including Robert Clergerie of course, but also Charles Jourdan, Stéphane Kélian... The sales staff were dressed in suits with oversized epaulettes, all very eighties!


Do you have a particular memory that stands out?

We remember a show at Quai Branly that was rather quiet, but where we found ourselves writing down a memorable order for a Japanese select shop.

On another occasion, at the Tuileries, as soon as the show opened on Friday morning, we were faced with a non-stop parade of the world's finest buying teams. It was quite impressive!

 

What does Premiere Classe mean to you?

It's a big, chic and creative Parisian showroom that was born at the time of the fashion shows and the wave of designers emerging everywhere (like Jean Paul Gaultier, Yohji Yamamoto... to name but a few).

The show has succeeded in raising the profile of accessories and giving them their rightful place in fashion.

It has a unique location in the centre of Paris.

We're loyal to our first show, which remains our creative and selective playground for accessories, and we hope to remain so for a long time to come.



Céline Vautard

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