Hyères Festival favorites take the next step at Premiere Classe

Discovered at the 39th Hyères Festival, Amicaliste and Tal Maslavi made their Premiere Classe debut in October. A key step in securing a place in the market.

Every year, the International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Accessories of Hyères celebrates the best up-and-coming designers. For a few selected creatives, it’s the final step before diving into the realities of the industry. In October, Premiere Classe invited French brand Amicaliste, winner of the Audience Prize, and Israeli designer Tal Maslavi, Accessories Prize finalist, to take their first steps into wholesale and meet the show’s buyers. A key step to transform artistic recognition into a solid business model. 

From creation to product 

"My case is pretty unusual because I almost did things the other way round” says Gaëlle Lang Halloo, co-founder and designer of Amicaliste, a brand inspired by football gear. She started in a more mainstream sector of fashion before making her way to Hyères, where creativity is the ultimate strength. “I had to learn to experiment as much as possible, but gaining the approval of the audience was reassuring in a way, because it meant that my designs were also viable as products.” Among them, a hybrid piece, somewhere between a fanny pack and a supporter scarf, caught the eye of buyers and has already turned into her biggest success.

 

"Hyères was a wonderful experience in terms of creative freedom” says Tal Maslavi. Premiere Classe now allows me to sharpen my message and to learn how to sell, to negotiate, to tackle the business aspect of the job. He presented his first accessories collection at Premiere Classe, a range of jewelry shaped like chewed gum and handbags that look like they’ve been bitten into, revealing layers of a cake. “My designs get a lot of attention, but I realize that standing out isn’t enough to enter the market. You need the proper narrative, good pricing and a solid knowledge of your products.



Becoming a brand

In short, you need to learn to think like a brand. For Amicaliste, this translates into a full wardrobe with strong added value – jerseys with a sharp design and adorned with a discreet chain, supporter scarves made of high-quality cotton and a reflection on the regional roots of football. “We’re here to see if buyers relate to our story and understand our message” says Gaëlle Lang Halloo. “Their feedback makes us reflect on things such as colors or possible collaborations. We were also surprised to catch the eye of Japanese buyers who appear to be very receptive.” Premiere Classe allows her to sharpen her art direction with one goal in mind: to apply for the ANDAM award.

Hyères allowed me to express myself artistically. Premiere Classe allows me to better understand what I’m selling”, says Tal Maslavi. Spotting creative potential and foster the proper encounters to turn it into a clear and coherent offering is the role that Premiere Classe proudly endorses, to keep on supporting an increasingly daring new generation.

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