Insights from Paris: How PINTU’s Focus Week Redefined Its Vision for 2026

The journey began with a deep encounter with craftsmanship at Le19M, home to the artisans behind Chanel’s métiers d’art. Here, heritage is not preserved behind glass, it is practiced, regenerated, and passed forward. Le19M revealed that sustainability in fashion is not only about materials, but about systems that allow skills to survive across generations. This philosophy resonates strongly with PINTU’s mission: to ensure that craftsmanship remains relevant by creating pathways for artisans and designers to evolve together within a contemporary fashion ecosystem.

From this established center of savoir faire, PINTU moved into the living laboratory of Ateliers de Paris. More than a design incubator, it functions as an ecosystem builder, supporting emerging designers as they navigate creativity, business realities, and responsible production. The visit reaffirmed a key learning for PINTU: incubation is not merely about producing collections, but about shaping mindsets, resilience, and long term sustainability. It is within these spaces where experimentation meets structure that future fashion businesses are formed.

This perspective was echoed by PINTU 2025 incubees Vincent Mikhael, founder of Denim It Up, who reflected on how the Paris experience reshaped his understanding of value in fashion. “We learned that valuing fashion goes far beyond the product itself, it’s about the story behind it,” he shared. His reflection captured a recurring theme throughout the journey: that meaning, narrative, and context are as critical as design and technique.

History, too, played a vital role in this learning process. At the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the legacy of Paul Poiret offered a reminder that innovation has always been rooted in cultural awareness. Poiret understood fashion as a response to its time, socially, artistically, and economically. His work reaffirmed a key insight for PINTU: heritage is not a static archive, but a compass for reinvention, guiding designers to reinterpret tradition with contemporary relevance.

Alongside these reflective visits, PINTU’s presence in Paris was firmly grounded in the present. Through participation in the Première Classe Paris Trade Show, Indonesian brands nurtured through the program stepped onto a global marketplace, meeting buyers, building networks, and testing their narratives on an international stage. The participation of designers from different PINTU cohorts demonstrated how structured mentorship, exposure, and continuity can translate into tangible global engagement.

At the center of this experience was Focus Week Paris, designed not as a passive tour, but as an intensive learning framework. Engagements with institutions such as Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) and École Duperré, along with discussions with educators and creative practitioners, allowed PINTU to critically reflect on its own structure and approach. These insights now inform the evolution of PINTU 2026, shaping future mentoring formats, international collaborations, and development pathways for designers at different stages of growth.

Paris offered PINTU more than inspiration; it offered clarity. The journey revealed that a strong fashion ecosystem is built through continuity between education and industry, between artisans and designers, and between local identity and global vision. As PINTU looks ahead, the lessons gathered from Paris will continue to guide how cultural exchange, sustainability, and innovation are woven into its next chapter.

The journey may have taken place in Paris, but its impact continues to unfold back home through the designers, mentors, and ideas shaped along the way. 

Read more: PINTU 2026 Registration Is Now Open: Calling the Next Generation of Global Fashion Creators!