Glasses/Sunglasses Exhibition Business Trip Report @SILMO Paris 2021 (Overseas Exhibition Business Trip Report_Hatano)

SILMO Paris 2021 Exhibition Report

Nice to meet you. My name is Nami, also known as Hatano, and I am in charge of PR at METRONOME®, a handmade eyeglasses and sunglasses brand based in London.

A joint exhibition of eyeglass brands was held in Paris, France recently.
We participated in "SILMO Paris" for the first time as a metronome team, so we would like to post here for the first time about the exhibition and behind the scenes!

As this is my first time on this blog, let me start with a brief introduction about myself.

My first encounter with Metronome's CEO and designer, Mr. Iwamoto
It goes back more than 10 years.

I was working as a buyer at a shop in my hometown of Gifu Prefecture when
It all started when he introduced me to an eyeglass brand that he had launched in Fukui Prefecture at the time, which would become Metronom's predecessor.

He contacted me several times via sales calls, and I was touched by his passionate enthusiasm over the phone, so I decided to take a look at his products in person. When I saw the eyewear he sent me, I remember being amazed by the unique designs, unlike anything I had ever seen before, which led to the unique items we currently carry. We immediately decided to handle his products, and that was the start of our relationship as customer and manufacturer.

A few years later, I decided to change jobs to a fashion brand in Harajuku.
When I informed them of my resignation, they happened to say, "I'm also moving to Tokyo!" at the same time.
About a year after we said goodbye with a casual "It'll be fun to meet you over there," the day really did come.

A friend of mine, who was born in 1980 and works in the apparel industry in Harajuku, told me,
We were introduced to a friend and reunited. It was a double shock to meet him again in an unexpected place (in fact, it was the first time we had actually met that day), and to find out that he was our classmate. We were so surprised that we both burst out laughing, and it's still vivid in my memory.

Not only were we the same age, but we also moved to Tokyo at the same time, having both turned 30. We met at a time when we didn't know many people in Tokyo, and we started drinking and traveling together, and we became a long-time friend.

After that, I worked for two brands, and then I decided to use my experience studying abroad to fulfill my long-held dream of working overseas, so I left the apparel industry after working there for about 20 years.

I love traveling, and just as I was making plans to travel around the world,
The COVID-19 pandemic hit hard.

This coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on the lives of many people.
I was no longer able to go abroad, and my life plans were completely derailed.
I ended up becoming a perfect 40-year-old unemployed person.


At that time, Mr. Iwamoto contacted me.

METRONOME® had already expanded overseas and established itself as a worldwide eyewear brand. He offered me the job, believing in my language skills and experience in the fashion industry, including overseas sales, and I thought I could help him, so I started supporting him behind the scenes about a year ago.

I was given the opportunity to go on an overseas business trip, something I had always wanted to do, and that has brought me to this point.



↑Some of the early visuals he was in charge of
Sleepless
This is a photo that a kid I met by chance while model hunting took a look at out of curiosity.

The mysterious illustration on the T-shirt is also cute.
I thought this was a boy, but it's actually a girl. This striking model is popular with both adults and children, regardless of gender.

My recent favorite work 1
Resonance by METRONOME® with AnthologyHair & MANIC PANIC

My recent favorites 2
ATTITUDE [DEVILOCK®︎ × Resonance by METRONOME®]
You can also choose blue light blocking lenses that are comfortable for PC work.
The collaboration model with Devilock, which was one of the first to adopt the "flip-up style" that is likely to become a trend in the eyeglasses and sunglasses industry from 2022 onwards, appears to be close to selling out.

This is an item that can be recommended to a wide range of people, from the younger generation to those in their 40s and 50s like us, from casual to business settings.
It seems that many people replace the lenses with prescription ones and wear them.
I love the C2 tortoiseshell frame.



...The introduction turned out to be longer than expected, but...
That is how I came to join Metronome and accompany them on this business trip.
It may appear on this blog in the future, so please keep an eye out.

Now, let's get to the main topic, SILMO Paris' overseas business trip.

As you can probably tell from my previous story, I love traveling abroad more than anything, so when Mr. Iwamoto asked me to accompany him on this overseas business trip, I was thrilled and immediately agreed.

However, as part of current border control measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, even if you are able to go on business trips, if you enter Japan from overseas you will be required to self-isolate for two weeks after returning, which means that you will have to take at least three weeks off from your other job in Tokyo.

Although I said yes, it's pretty difficult to suddenly get three weeks off at a normal company, right? As my departure date approached, I couldn't bring myself to bring it up with my boss, so I ended up taking an extra two weeks off! lol

Since I had to take a long break anyway, I decided to take a super long vacation of a month and a half and go to Europe by myself after the exhibition.

However, I am truly grateful to the members, Mr. Iwamoto, and my company for allowing this. ＿○／|＿


So, it's been a while since I last went abroad.
It's been five years since I last visited Paris on a business trip for my previous job. It's been a while since I last visited Paris, and I've been to an exhibition, followed by a trip, so there are plenty of exciting events planned.
But of course, in this day and age, going abroad is not as easy as it used to be.


The first hurdle was completing the vaccination and obtaining a vaccination certificate.
As members share information, they become aware of the various steps they need to take. Complete the two vaccinations and receive a vaccination certificate.

The second hurdle is that you will need to submit proof of vaccination to the French government and obtain a French health pass, which is recognised within the EU - this will probably take a few days.
→There must be a 4-week gap between the first and second doses...
Working backwards, I realized I had to get my first shot in late July or early August.

As of October, when I am writing this, the competition is not as fierce as it used to be, but Setagaya Ward, where I live, is one of the most populous in Tokyo, and at the time, there were many people waiting to get the vaccine, and even if you tried to make an appointment, it was full until the end of August.

I managed to secure appointments for mid-August and mid-September for the workplace vaccination at my company, and despite having a full-blown fever, I was able to complete the vaccination.I was treated kindly at the ward office and received a vaccination certificate, which I submitted online to the French government that same day.


I was relieved to think, "I made it in time!" However, as other members have written, the day of departure came and the health pass had not been sent from France, so I was left feeling anxious about whether I would actually be able to go. In my case, the health pass was a must even when traveling to other European countries.

My beloved backpack was stuffed to capacity in preparation for a long trip (it ended up weighing 16kg...)

Putting all worries aside, the first step in my personal enjoyment of going abroad is to have some sushi and beer at the airport and then go straight to sleep on the plane. Of course, I was looking forward to that this time too, so I gathered and arrived at the airport hungry.

The airport was incredibly quiet under normal circumstances.



As expected, proof of vaccination from Japan was enough to leave the country, so after checking in I looked up at the restaurant area and it was kind of dark. I had a bad feeling about it.

Contrary to our expectations, it seemed that the state of emergency also applied to restaurants and duty-free shops at the airport, so unfortunately we were unable to have dinner before boarding the plane. Mr. Iwamoto and I were also hit with the misfortune of not being able to buy cigarettes.

As expected, with only a few people traveling abroad these days, the plane was empty. I had three seats all to myself, so I was able to relax and enjoy the long flight without any worries.

As someone who only flies international flights once every four or five years, I am always amazed at how the in-flight facilities (monitors, types of movie entertainment, etc.) are noticeably upgraded each time I fly.

I was worried about feeling hungry, but I had two meals on the way to Istanbul where I had to change planes, and one more meal after that on the way to Paris, for a total of three meals on the outbound flight, so I arrived safely at Charles de Gaulle International Airport feeling fairly full.


A stylish French infection prevention sign.

We left at night and arrived in the morning, so we arrived without any jet lag. Unfortunately, we had trouble getting through the country, so we couldn't get to the venue smoothly, and we ended up setting up much later than planned. I've experienced this many times in my previous job, but it's a common occurrence on overseas business trips.

I felt relieved that I was able to somehow help resolve the issue.

We went to the venue of SILMO Paris in Paris Nord Villepinte. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it's a fairly large exhibition hall that seems to take up the entire area.



When we arrived at the booth, skilled carpenters were already setting it up.
The moment I saw the completed outer frame and logo, I forgot all about the fatigue of the long journey and felt myself shift into my own exhibition mode, which I'd been cultivating, with the big day starting the next day. A sense of tension and excitement welled up inside me. No matter how many years I've been doing this, this feeling is hard to replace with anything else.

On this day, we split into teams and went shopping for supplies and preparing for the exhibit. I said we'd forget about our fatigue, but after moving around and carrying things all day under pressure, we were exhausted by the end of the day.

None of us had the energy to look for a restaurant, so we were lucky enough to find a steakhouse next to the hotel where we were staying, where we had the beer we had been longing for since before leaving the country and the famous French dish, tartare.



Thanks to the beer that had seeped into my body and fatigue, I ended the day in such a deep sleep that I don't remember anything after eating.

The next day, the first day of the exhibition, we all arrived at the venue early to make final adjustments to the setup.



A shelf lined with stylish dictionary-shaped eyeglass cases , a hidden hit item from METRONOME®.



Behind the main counter, a poster featuring the latest visuals created by PERIMETRON catches your eye.

This was the product that attracted the most attention in the booth.
METRONOME®'s famous "AQUARIUM"
Not only many customers, but also exhibitors from other brands stopped by and took photos and videos.

Local media have also posted videos of the opening, so be sure to check them out as well.

We were allocated a fairly large booth in the center of the venue, which allowed us to easily display our entire lineup, including our new Resonance and Trad products, as well as glass chains (eyeglass straps) , which really shows how much attention METRONOME® is receiving from around the world.



Also on display will be a collaboration between the hair salon AnthologyHair, a personal friend mentioned earlier, and the hair color brand MANIC PANIC.

Additionally, although we can't reveal anything here yet, we also got to show off new collaboration items that are coming up in the future. Please look forward to the information being released★

Of course, alcohol is also available as an infection control measure.
Now that the setup is complete, SILMO Paris is finally open.

Although restrictions have begun to be lifted and the situation has calmed down thanks to vaccines, Japan is still in the midst of a state of emergency, and there are still many cases of infection around the world. This was the first physical joint exhibition in a long time to be held in Europe, where order meetings had previously been held online.

The biggest concern for many involved parties, including us, was how many people would be able to attend.

SILMO Paris began amidst uncertainty.
The first day was a bit of a slow start, but as the days went by on the second and third days, the event attracted many visitors, including local Parisians and French people, as well as people from Western Europe such as the UK, Spain, Italy, and Germany, as well as Eastern European countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
In addition, many people from Asia, including India and Hong Kong, came to the event, making it a success beyond our expectations.



I realized that everyone was tired of the sluggish consumption and wanted to be able to touch and try on the actual products in person and talk directly with us, the staff.

Our English was not perfect, but that's why we were so impressed by the joy and natural smiles we saw when we were able to communicate, and of course the expressions on the faces of people who were overwhelmed by the design when they saw METRONOME® for the first time and enjoyed trying it on.

I was wearing my favorite ATTITUDE [DEVILOCK®︎ × Resonance by METRONOME®] throughout the event, and almost all the customers I spoke to commented that the flip-up style was stylish and cool.

A very busy Sunday afternoon.
(But that's not the time to take photos.)


As expected, the items selected vary from store to store, and all brands are picked out according to the tastes of each dealer.

I was excited to imagine how METRONOME® , Resonance , and Trad would be displayed in eyewear stores around the world, watching customers eagerly place their orders.



As the final day was a weekday, there were fewer visitors, but there were still many students from a local school that trains optometrists, known as opticians, who came to observe the event.

I was surprised to learn that such a school even existed, and it made me realize that producing, selling, and adjusting glasses is not just about fashion, unlike clothing, but about the importance of glasses as a part of the body.

Many of the young students stopped by our booth and asked us many questions they had never asked before, such as the brand's history, what inspirations we get, materials, and when we would wear the clothes. By carefully answering each of their questions, I was able to learn and realize a lot myself.

They blushed and said, "My dream is to become an optometrist," but looked me straight in the eye as they spoke, and I honestly thought they were really reliable and cool.


The exhibition ended on a fruitful note, with many acquaintances and friends, not only from customers but also from exhibitors from other brands, members of the press, suppliers and people in the fashion industry.



Coming to SILMO Paris with this team has given me a sense of great growth, both as a brand and as an individual. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the SILMO Paris staff who planned and executed this joint exhibition, the crew and carpenters who managed the booth setup, the customers who visited, and everyone else I met, as well as the Metronome team.


Finally, some fun things to look forward to during the exhibition:
I'll finish by introducing dinner.


Day 2: At the steakhouse next to the hotel



The rib steak that everyone was eating the day before looked delicious.


Day 3: At the steakhouse next to the hotel



I decided to change things up and have a burger.


And on the fourth day,
At the steakhouse next to the hotel



The waiters were also smiling wryly. There was nothing else to order, so they ordered chicken saute.

I had to laugh at going to the same restaurant four days in a row.

Even though I said to myself every day, "Today is definitely a different day!", I had to think about the time it would take to find another store after the exhibition closed, and the worst case scenario that even if we were able to go somewhere else, we wouldn't be able to get in because we didn't have a health pass issued.

"Let's go there again today."

That's what we decided.

However, on the last day, everyone made up their minds and went to a Chinese restaurant that was relatively close by.



Not only was the exhibition a success, but it was also the best launch party ever, as I was so happy to be able to eat something other than steak for the first time in a while! I'll never forget the taste of the mapo tofu that day lol


The next day, we moved to the center of Paris and had free time.



The image shows Iwamoto moving briskly on an electric kick scooter through the Place de la Republique in Paris.

On the last day, I saw everyone off as they returned home and went on a solo tour of Europe.

I'll talk about that again if the opportunity arises.

I'll leave it here for this time.
Thank you for reading this long post★

Hatano