An interview with Didier Grumbach, president of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in France

Didier Grumbach

Host: Your book, Histoires de la Mode, describes the development of the fashion industry in France. What do you think China can learn from this? How can China find its own place in the international fashion world? Can you offer any suggestions?

Didier Grumbach: I emphasize again and again in my book that fashion is the reflection of society. From the time of monarchs to today's globalized world, the decisive factor is freedom. A country's economy also has to be well-developed and market oriented. Now the biggest challenge for China is that it still lacks an international label. This is natural -- Japan had a similar experience. Japan didn't have its first international label,Issey Miyake, until quite a long time after it entered the international market. Issey Miyake had access to European and American markets in 1973, by then it was already a 20-year-old label. China has already entered the global market, but developing an international label is an unavoidable process. I think the process will be faster for China than it was for Japan -- we're in the age of information now.

Host: It's hard to talk about 2008 without also mentioning the Olympic Games. Do you know any Chinese athletes? Who do you like?

Didier Grumbach: I know nothing about sports.

Host: More and more designers are working with sports companies not just to design clothing but also to design related products. What do you think about this cooperation between different industries?

Didier Grumbach : Sporting wear has increasingly become a part of what people wear everyday, so it isn't strange to see fashion designers working with sports brands. In the same way, fashion houses have also been introducing sportswear collections. It's common now to wear a suit during the day and sports wear at night. I think the Olympics will bring lots of development to both fashion and sportswear.

Didier Grumbach

Host: Mr. President, have you seen some of the clothing, mascots and venues designed for the Beijing Olympic Games? What's your opinion of them?

Didier Grumbach: I'm not the right person to comment on this since I've seen few of the designs.. I've seen the mascot, though. It is very cute. I'm sure children will like it very much. The ideas of sportsmanship, peace and competitiveness are all conveyed through this little mascot. It's brilliant.

Host: The media, especially the Internet, has a huge impact on the development of the fashion. What are your thoughts on this?

Didier Grumbach: The Internet is influencing the industry in two ways. First, clothing that is designed in Paris can be manufactured in Shanghai almost immediately. Second, fashion that is displayed in Paris can be viewed and ordered worldwide through the Internet. This is tremendously convenient. I think in the future we won't have to prepare for Fashion Week three months in advance, we'll be able to display new collections whenever it is convenient for the customer. High quality clothes displayed at a show, in July for example, can be ordered as soon as a customer wants it. This is a little difficult now, but that's the direction we're headed.

Host: The Internet allows information to spread and be accessed quickly. How do you think this affects the protection of creative property?

Didier Grumbach: As I said before , the marketing of a label is very interesting. As soon as something new comes out, customers flock to it. So, is fashion taking advantage of the media, or is the media taking advantage of fashion? Well, it's hard to say. Fashion needs to be known by as many customers as possible to be successful; the media and the Internet are critical in this process.

Host: You've contributed for a while now to the development of Chinese designers and to the development of China's fashion industry as a whole. What are your plans for the future?