I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 101: Paris Fashion Week

Although Lyon is the center of France's textile industry, these numbers are staggering.

Apart from silk, France still has a foothold in high-end clothing, but other fabrics like cotton, wool, and linen are being crushed by British products.

This shows the enormous damage the Eden Treaty has inflicted on French industry.

Joseph continued flipping through the materials, and as expected, the situation wasn't much different from what he had anticipated. The steel, glass, and ceramics industries in France were also in shambles; it looked like they would completely collapse in a year or two.

No wonder France's Industrial Revolution lagged behind Britain by nearly half a century in history, and it never really caught up. While the disruptions of the Revolution played a role, the Eden Treaty was certainly a major contributing factor.

He suddenly felt a tremendous pressure bearing down on him.

He had used some small tricks to secure a three-year tariff barrier for France, but after those three years, the industrial showdown would begin.

Right now, he had to solve the food problem while also developing industry, holding up every aspect on his own—how could he not feel the pressure?

And both food and industrial development required money, yet French banks were investing all their funds in Britain...

Joseph sighed, gazing out into the night. Ultimately, it all boiled down to money.

Feeling a bit frustrated, he decided to step outside and take in the sights of Paris at night, hoping to clear his mind.

The cold wind outside hit his face, and sure enough, it made him feel much more alert. However, the sanitation in Paris was far worse than at Versailles; even the wind carried a faint, unpleasant odor...

Luckily, he wasn't like other French nobles who loved to douse themselves in heavy perfume. Otherwise, the mix of strong fragrance and foul smells would be sheer torture for his nose.

Joseph pulled up his collar. Aymon quickly caught up to him and draped a thick crimson woolen cloak over his shoulders.

"Oh, thank you very much."

Joseph turned to thank him, and suddenly noticed the towering, cold wall to his left.

He looked further ahead and realized that the wall seemed endless, stretching out into the night without a visible end.

Joseph moved about ten more steps to the right, adjusting his angle, and finally saw the tall spire of a building behind the wall.

"What place is that?" he asked Aymon, pointing at the spire.

"Your Highness, that is the Tuileries Palace."

Joseph blinked. No wonder the building looked so grand—it was the old royal palace.

The Tuileries Palace was the residence of King Henry III of France, but Louis XIV, under the threat of the Fronde and seeking to better control the nobility, moved out and built Versailles.

So, since the 17th century, the Tuileries Palace had been vacant. In history, after the Revolution broke out, Louis XVI was forced back to Paris by the citizens and lived here for a time.

He suddenly remembered a report he had seen a few days ago, where the Paris City Hall had applied for funding for the autumn-winter fashion show from the Finance Minister. Looking at the Tuileries Palace again, an idea began to take shape in his mind.

As the fashion capital of Europe, France had held spring-summer and autumn-winter fashion shows every year since the time of Louis XIV.

And the entire European fashion scene looked to Paris as its leader. Each fashion show would spark new trends that swept across Europe.

From what Joseph understood, the current so-called fashion shows were just simple events held in a showroom, where famous designers showcased their works. Journalists and fashion insiders would then offer their critiques and take notes.

From a modern perspective, this was a waste of a hotspot, a waste of attention.

In other words, a missed opportunity to make money!

One must know that the old royal palaces of France could be put to other uses.

For example, the Louvre was currently a royal museum.

Joseph walked briskly around the icy path surrounding the Tuileries Palace, nodding to himself.

It had the scale, the grandeur, and the allure.

With the right packaging, the Tuileries Palace's reputation, combined with the title of Paris Fashion Center, could easily generate a huge cash flow with just a bit of promotion.

The fact that it had been sitting idle for over a hundred years was truly a waste!

As Joseph planned how to maximize this hotspot, he felt that even the cold night wind wasn't as biting as before.

"The name 'Fashion Show' has no flair," Joseph shook his head slightly, but as someone who struggled with naming things, he finally resorted to borrowing a name from his previous life. "Let's call it 'Paris Fashion Week.'"

Of course, calling it "Fashion Week" didn't necessarily mean it would only last a week. They could later add things like an experience season, a promotion week, or a dance festival. It could easily stretch into a month-long event.

He pointed to the Tuileries Palace and turned to Aymon, "Count Aymon, do you know how many rooms are in there?"

"Well... Your Highness, I'm not sure, but there must be at least 2,000 rooms."

"That many? Excellent!" Joseph's face lit up with joy. "Let's consider 700 of the best-located rooms; we'll rent them out to merchants as shops, with monthly rents ranging from 50 to 150 livres."

This was the royal palace, after all, so this rent was more than reasonable.

Joseph mused aloud, "The remaining rooms can be rented out cheaply or used as hotel rooms. Even at 3 to 10 livres per night, it's still profitable.

"The grand halls will have higher rent, say 1,000 livres a month. We can also put up billboards in the square outside the palace and sell ad space to merchants.

"Hmm, we'll also need a spokesperson. Speaking of the fashion industry, I have the perfect icon—the symbol of elegance and luxury across all of Europe."

He remembered how well "Angel Water" had sold at Versailles:

"I'll ask the Queen. She should agree to be the face of Fashion Week. With newspaper promotion and portraits of the Queen, wouldn't the nobles from all over Europe flock to Paris?

"Hmm, we could also partner with jewelry, shoe, and hat brands for endorsements. Labels like 'Royal Exclusive' or 'Queen's Choice' alone could bring in tens of thousands of livres in endorsement fees!"

"As for the specific venue arrangements," Joseph turned to Aymon again, "Where can we find the layout of the Tuileries Palace?"

"Your Highness, we might need to go to City Hall for that."

Joseph regretted, "It seems we'll have to wait until tomorrow."

He took a deep breath. If they could prepare quickly enough, Fashion Week could be held as early as February this year.

Before that, he would contact Lyon's textile merchants, have them bring their overstock to Paris for a big sale, and recoup a large portion of their costs.

If the event was successful, they would surely get plenty of orders, which could sustain Lyon's production for half a year.

And in Paris, the influx of foreigners during Fashion Week would generate significant revenue from tourism, food, accommodation, and more—a win-win situation!

(End of Chapter)

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