Luxe Pack 2002 Review

Luxe Pack 2002 was held in scenic Monte Carlo with lovely weather and 320 exhibitors of luxury packaging showing their latest products from Oct. 23-26.

Attendance was down a slight 2% this year, to 4,770 attendees. Idice, the show management, noted that while there were more visiting companies represented this year, firms are now sending one or two executives when in previous years they might send four or five.
Visitors were mainly from Europe: 52% from France; 18% from Italy; 19% from other European countries and 11% from other nationsincluding the U.S.

In 2003, Luxe Pack will broaden its reach with two luxury workshops—one in New York City and the other in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Next year’s Monte Carlo event is already scheduled for Oct. 22 –25 at the Grimaldi Forum.

Fashion Trends: Mass and Class Mix It Up

Where for years it was common for mass marketers to borrow from prestige packaging, this year, as seen at Luxe Pack, there high-end lines in bright colors and offbeat shapes mimicing trendy mass looks. Targeted for the most part to the youth market, there was also a profusion of new, good-looking stock packaging collections, designed to be easily (and cost-effectively) customized with color and decoration.

Other trends noted were: shine and shimmer continue to be popular with pearlized and iridescent effects, as well as the use of metallicized finishes and more organic shapes;fragrance bottles continue to trend toward unique, often asymmetrical shapes with many hidden dispensers achieved with spray through packaging.-