Who’s next becomes a fair for the entire fashion industry

In times when traceability becomes a decisive sales argument, the WHO’s Next reinvents in September 2025 to meet today’s consumers. The WSN group’s fair wants to map the entire fashion industry: from production to assembly to lingerie and fashion accessories.

Since taking office as managing director of WSN seven years ago, Frédéric Maus has been pursuing the vision of developing who’s next to the largest concept store in the world. The current edition, which takes place in Hall 1 of the Porte de Versailles exhibition center by Monday, September 8, 2025, is therefore expanding the proven brand offer with new areas.

From the specialist shop to the urge to innovate

An example of this is the bijorhca, the WHO’s Next trade fair for jewelry. In the past there was a rather traditional atmosphere of the jewelry world. Today the offer has to be diversified in order to address a wider and younger audience, as the commercial director of WSN, Sabine Bertolino, explains.

The organizers: Inside, they are aimed specifically at jewelers and other retailers of noble jewelry. You are now offered a showcase with nine niche, noble and high-quality fashion jewelry brands. The area that is called “Brillant” is located at the entrance to Bijorhca and is financially supported for the first time by Franceeclat, the Wirtschaftsförderungs Committee of the watch, jewelry, jewelry and goldsmith industry.

So also at Aurore Jeunot, the founder of the Valois Varden house specializing in meaningful jewelry. Their first participation was funded by Franceeclat. She explains the originality of her concept to fashionunited, which is based on a Victorian concept. At that time, jewelry was worn to express his love for someone. Jeunot has continued this idea in the form of a jewelry flacon made of gold, dermal or silver – you can do what you want, whereby this corresponds to the volume of six rice grains.

But the innovation is not limited to jewelry. The Who’s Next Lab combines six brands that are committed to the concept of innovation, especially in the area of ​​3D printing. For example, Laura Dwelde’s Incxnnue has founded a line of leather bags, which she refined with the help of this technology. The same applies to Gauthier Combes with Cosmos, a label for designer lights.

Are fashion boutiques into decorative transactions?

Another example of this advance in new territory is who’s next home. This new area, which was announced in the previous edition, combines around fifty designer brands around the topic of living.

Under the direction of Matthieu Pinet, Managing Director of Who’s Next Home, Intramuros, a French magazine for contemporary design and lifestyle, offers its own exhibition area as part of the fair. Selected contemporary furniture, object and living creations are presented there.

With their candles and table accessories made of porcelain, which are produced in Andalusia, Kult Collection embodies this expansion of the fashion area to lifestyle. The brand, which was invited to the presentation by Ankorstore in January, is now among the exhibitors.

So far, Kult Collection had not entered the traditional path of the fashion and lifestyle ecosystem and was not at trade fairs and was present in showrooms. Nevertheless, the brand had already convinced 400 international retailers: on the inside.

This diversification raises a fundamental question: How far can fashion expand towards lifestyle? In other words, do fashion boutiques become decorative transactions? And vice versa?

“Fashion boutiques develop into concept stores and expand their offer to lifestyle,” confirms Sylvie Pourrat, head of the WHO’s Next and Premiere Classe, in an interview with fashionunited. “The opposite is not the case. Decorative transactions do not start selling textiles or accessories. In other words, fashion nourishes the design, but the design does not feed on fashion.”

With Sourcing & Solutions, Who’s Next positions itself as a fair for the entire fashion industry

Sourcing & Solutions is divided into three main areas: Lingerie with interfilière, jewelry with elements and material procurement for assemblies with Who’s next. There is also a new area called the creative hub.

Several concrete examples illustrate the will to make the manufacturers visible inside behind the brands. Bosabo presented its products both on WHO’s Next and on Première Classe, but had never dealt with the actual manufacturing process before. Arhas International, a French and medium-sized company (SME) behind the Kamalia brand, which Raffia-Körbe produces in Madagascar, had not yet communicated that it also produces hats under trademarks.

The highlight of the show was a jersey web machine that Bugis, a French manufacturer of mesh fabrics, brought along. The company was founded in 1956 near Troyes.

Close connections with the aim of making fashion more transparent

This increased visibility enables brands to communicate directly with a fashion audience that she knows, but does not necessarily identify them as an manufacturer. Specifically, this means that if a clothing brand wants to make shoes or bring a jewelry line on the market, it can find its partners: inside.

In addition, it is conceivable that retailers will also receive more direct access to the origin of materials, components and working conditions of the manufacturers in the future. You can better inform this information to customers: on the inside, which is increasingly attaching importance to traceability.

Sylvie Pourrat says about the importance of transparency: “With regard to sustainability, absolute transparency is crucial – and at the moment this is necessary.”

However, it remains to be seen whether this new approach can break the often existing confidentiality between manufacturers: inside and brands. A sensitive topic that Frédéric mouse appeals to with tact: “This is also the development of who’s next. As a trade fair organizer, we are a central pillar of the industry. Our task is to bring the experts together and promote the exchange. At the same time, we have to remain resistant and do not stop. tries to be one step ahead. “