21 January 2016 – The 47th Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter ended its four-day run at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre today. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the fair (18-21 January) attracted nearly 18,000 buyers from 93 countries and regions.
HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau noted that the fashion industry faces many challenges with the European economy still recovering, slowing growth of the Chinese mainland economy and unsatisfactory retail sales. Hong Kong companies, however, need not be pessimistic. Mr Chau said they should, instead, focus their attention on emerging markets and the ASEAN region. This season’s Fashion Week saw a satisfactory increase in buyers from India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, indicating optimism among buyers from these countries.
For this season’s fair, the HKTDC organised 90 buying missions from 43 countries and regions. More than 5,000 buyers, including representatives from fashion brands, major chain stores, and distributors from ASEAN and other emerging markets, such as Twenty3 from Malaysia, Zalora from Singapore, FashionSouq from the UAE and Dapper from Thailand participated in the fair, creating business opportunities for exhibitors.
Enthusiastic buyers from emerging markets and ASEAN
Coming from the emerging UAE market, Ryan Forbes, Marketing Manager, FashionSouq, said the market for women’s wear in the UAE was growing fast. He said he was considering purchasing men’s and women’s wear and fashion accessories for their online store. He had found five potential suppliers of beachwear, eveningwear, and accessories during the fair and planned to place small orders in early February.
Lourdes R. Mackay from Golden ABC, which has more than 600 stores across the Philippines and sells to Cambodia, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam, said she was particularly happy with the Men in Style zone at the fair. She said men’s wear had a huge and rapidly growing market in the Philippines, representing 70 per cent of Golden ABC’s business. Ms Mackay said they had found around 20 potential suppliers and would be finalising orders soon.
Hong Kong design welcomed by buyers
The Hong Kong Designer brand #nude MADE BY SUOI participated in the Designers’ Collection Show. Designer Thomas Kung said their women’s wear was known for its simplicity, and was currently selling in around 10 select shops in the mainland. During the fair, a buyer from the mainland, who owns five shops in different mainland cities, showed much interest in their brand. Mr Kung believed that it would be a great chance for them to expand their market in the mainland.
Opening Ceremony, a United States-based multi-brand shop specialising in designer brands and collaborative projects, particularly enjoyed the International Fashion Designers’ Showcase. Carol Song, Buying Director of Opening Ceremony, said she adored the work of Hong Kong designers Kurt Ho, Kelvin Ho and Necro Poon, and thought their designs could attract customers. Opening Ceremony currently runs stores in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and London.
Celebrity brands expand their Asia market during Fashion Week
Celebrity endorsements are often effective promotion tools for brands. Hong Kong Fashion Week this year featured a number of such brands, which regard the fair as a good platform to stage fashion shows and launch their latest collections. This included Taylor Shift’s eponymous brand, brought to Hong Kong by Hong Kong Brand Management Association. Kate Liegey, who is responsible for tailoring Taylor Swift’s clothing, said that she had already set up an office in Hong Kong and was planning to take the Taylor Swift brand to mainland and Asian markets, with products specifically targeting Asian consumers. Ms Liegey is also planning to open new product lines for renowned singer Keith Urban. Through her knowledge of the mainland market, she was confident that mainland customers would like her products.
FORTUNA Tokyo showcased their nishijin-ori designs on the runway with the help of leading actors Kanta Sato, Rena Bisa, Shimon Okura and Tomori Atsuki from “Itazura na Kiss THE MOVIE” (Mischievous Kiss). FORTUNA Tokyo designer Akiko Koba explained that, as Hong Kong is a doorway to the global market, they specifically chose to launch their Spring/Summer Collection 2016 in Hong Kong, and present it to international buyers. The collection launched this time takes its theme from “Samurai”, primarily focusing on men’s wear. Akiko Koba also designed women’s wear for the leading actress of “Itazura na Kiss THE MOVIE”, and the dress in the collection will be on sale at the recently opened Shibuya 109 shop in Hong Kong.
Tailored services help fashion e-tailing
Online shopping has become a global trend with many fashion e-tailing websites emerging in recent years. During the fair, the HKTDC invited Kei Chan, Head of Marketing, NET-A-PORTER APAC, one of the largest luxury fashion e-tailing platforms in the world (NET-A-PORTER.COM), to share marketing strategies that would be particularly useful for Hong Kong companies. Ms Chan stated that the luxury e-tailing market in the Asia Pacific region was still young and full of potential. “Hong Kong is the doorway to the Chinese mainland, and a major entrepot for the Korean, Australian, Singaporean, and Thai markets,” she explained. With Asian designers rising on the global fashion stage, their website features both international luxury brands with exclusive and classic products, and local designer brands from Japan, Australia and Malaysia. Their platform also provides personalised clothing suggestions from a Personal Shopping Team, based on the consumer’s shopping history, habits and brand and style preferences. The consumers can have the products delivered and try them on at home. If they are not satisfied, they can return the merchandise.
CENTRESTAGE to debut in September
The 47th edition of Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter attracted more than 1,500 exhibitors from 22 countries and regions to showcase the latest international brands, clothing products, accessories and textiles. During the fair, around 30 spectacular events were organised, including more than 10 fashion shows and fashion parades as well as seminars on hot topics for the industry and networking events.
The HKTDC will launch a brand new event, CENTRESTAGE, from 7-10 September 2016. This new event is a successor of the World Boutique Hong Kong, previously held in January. The brand new CENTRESTAGE will be the perfect promotion showcase for fashion brands and designers from Asia and around the world to strengthen their presence in the region. It will also solidify Hong Kong’s role as a trendsetting fashion hub in Asia.
Fair Website:
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter: http://www.hktdc.com/hkfashionweekfw
Young Fashion Designers’ Contest: http://www.fashionally.com/en/ydc_about
CENTRESTAGE: http://www.centrestage.com.hk
Media Enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC's Communication and Public Affairs Department:
Joe Kainz Tel: (852) 2584 4216 Email: joe.kainz@hktdc.org
