The Alliance at the heart of savoir-faire at Première Vision Paris

In a context where fashion brands are facing growing expectations in terms of sustainability, transparency and responsibility, Première Vision places craftsmanship and territories at the heart of its theme this season: Territories of Savoir-Faire.

An approach fully aligned with the Alliance’s historic mission, which works to structure and promote the European flax and hemp textile value chains, from cultivation through to processing.

European Flax and Hemp: natural, traceable and performance fibres

© Alliance - P. Sagnes

At Première Vision, the Alliance presents on its stand a selection of new textile developments illustrating the diversity of applications of flax and hemp in fashion and lifestyle.

The first textile fibre used by humankind, European flax has established itself today as a material that is both performing, traceable and desirable.

Produced through responsible agricultural practices and recognised industrial know-how, it meets the expectations of international buyers, designers and creatives, while providing concrete guarantees in terms of European origin and environmental impact.

Flax certifications and traceability tools

Visitors can also discover the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™ certifications, as well as the traceability tools developed by the Alliance, including the Flax-Linen Traceability Platform – European Certified Fibres to Retail, developed in partnership with TextileGenesis™, Lectra Group.
This optional digital platform complements and strengthens the standards of the Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™ certifications.

This downstream digital traceability solution enables fibres to be traced through to finished products, reinforcing proof of origin and authentication of certified European flax.
Distinct from the audited standards of the two certifications, the platform is intended for brands seeking an enhanced level of control, evidence and compliance.

All of these tools are supported by a range of services available to companies and brands certified Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and/or Masters of LINEN™. These services, presented on the stand, are structured around four pillars: Marketing & Communication, Innovation, CSR and Economics.

Linen Experience: understanding the material, from field to finished product

Also new this season, the LINEN EXPERIENCE space, located opposite the Alliance stand, offers an educational immersion into the world of European flax. From cultivation through processing (retting, scutching, spinning, weaving or knitting), this experience makes the key stages of the value chain, the professions and the territories that shape flax fibre easy to understand.

Flax growers, scutchers and committed young professionals share their expertise, offering brands and visitors the keys to informed sourcing and credible storytelling.

Designed as a space for promotion and transmission, LINEN EXPERIENCE highlights what makes European flax unique: demanding and responsible agricultural practices, precise gestures and specific know-how. Through this journey, the Alliance showcases the fundamentals of the value chain while making them accessible and readable for designers, stylists, buyers and brand teams.

On site, trade fair visitors can meet the blue aprons - European flax growers and scutchers who are members of the Alliance. As on-the-ground professionals, they embody the reality of the value chain and illustrate the close link between production territories, responsible farming practices and environmental performance.

The space also welcomes young entrepreneurs and committed professionals from the Linen Young Leaders network, identifiable by their orange aprons. They share the perspective of a new generation of players in the European flax value chain, engaged in innovation, creation and its long-term structuring.

By bringing together heritage, innovation and transmission, the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp asserts at Première Vision Paris its role as a collective reference, supporting the fashion industry’s transition towards natural, sustainable, local and transparent materials, from field to finished product.

Hemp Lab: a dedicated space for textile hemp

© Alliance P. Sagnes

New this season, the Hemp Lab is an area integrated into the Alliance stand, dedicated to the European Hemp4Circularity (H4C) programme, in which the Alliance is involved as a partner of Valbiom (a Walloon association specialising in sustainable bio-based economy solutions).

The space presents the Hemp4Circularity programme and the first projects developed within this framework. It is structured around four complementary pillars, clearly illustrating the ambition of the initiative.

Supported by the European Union, this three-year project brings together 11 multidisciplinary partners and 5 associated partners around a shared objective: to structure and foster the emergence of a European long-fibre textile hemp value chain that is local and circular, from field to finished product.

Textile hemp is progressively asserting its creative and industrial potential, as a complement to flax.

Drawing inspiration from Flax and Hemp to imagine the uses of tomorrow

The Alliance’s fabric library explores the theme “Linen & Hemp Culture”, a title that plays on the dual meaning of the word “culture”: agriculture and knowledge.

For the Spring–Summer 2027 season, the textile selections drawn from the collections of the Alliance’s European spinners, weavers and knitters are organised around several worlds. Visitors can source simple, natural materials, more expressive textured fabrics, functional materials focused on comfort, as well as lighter, colourful proposals.

A way to showcase the full creative richness of European flax and hemp.

Sharing knowledge and fostering exchange

The Alliance is also committed to the transmission of knowledge, with a dedicated talk for students from fashion, design and styling schools on 5 February. The aim is to raise awareness of European flax and hemp among future creators, buyers and decision-makers in the fashion industry.

The presentation will revisit the millennia-old history of flax, the organisation of the European value chain, the key stages of its transformation, its textile and technical properties, its various applications (fashion, interiors and technical uses), as well as its contemporary creative developments. A second part will be dedicated to textile hemp.

Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp at Première Vision – Paris
Stand: Hall 6 – J40, Paris Nord Villepinte Parc des expositions (Exhibition Centre)

Demonstrations by European flax growers and scutchers – Alliance members:
- 3 & 4 February, 10:30 am to 5:30 pm
- 5 February, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
NB: A convivial cocktail will take place on 3 February on the stand, to encourage exchanges between professionals, members and visitors.