The 26th Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, drew to a successful close as more than 10,000 buyers from 73 countries and regions attended the four-day fair July 8-11.
Buyers came from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as Japan and Russia. More than 10 fashion events, including international fashion parades, a buyer forum, a networking reception and luncheons, were held during the fair to generate business opportunities for industry professionals.
“The Sino-US trade dispute continues to stoke global economic uncertainty, affecting a broad range of sectors including the fashion industry,” says Benjamin Chau, HKTDC acting executive director. “The HKTDC has been helping Hong Kong companies handle the challenges resulting from the trade dispute by equipping them with up-to-date market information and through seminars. As part of Fashion Week, we organized various seminars covering topics such as fashion tech, fashion e-commerce strategies, and India’s huge market potential. These events will enable SMEs to boost the quality of their products by helping them explore the use of new technologies, upgrade their sales channels, and seek out new business opportunities beyond the traditional European and US markets.”
Various themed zones were set up at the fair to showcase the latest fashion collections from around the world. The Corporate Fashion and Uniforms zone returned alongside the Hong Kong Designers Uniform Design Showcase, presenting high-end fashion and designer collections. The HKTDC organized a total of 91 buying missions from 42 countries and regions to visit the latest Fashion Week, with more than 3,670 companies represented.
To create more purchasing opportunities for the industry, the HKTDC strives to raise the international presence at its fairs and sourcing platforms while encouraging more foreign buyers—especially major importers, department stores, chain stores and e-tailers from emerging markets—to purchase in Hong Kong.
Veronika Dragulova, head of product department at United Fashion Group, said this was her first visit to Hong Kong Fashion Week and she was pleased to discover quality brands and suppliers from Hong Kong, Thailand, Dongguan and Xiamen.
“Further talks will be held and I will visit some of the companies’ showrooms to see more designs. Our average orders for women’s wear are around $40,000-$50,000 each, with initial orders in the $10,000 range,” she says.
Hong Kong Fashion Week offers a quality platform through which exhibitors can build their presence and explore new markets.
“We are promoting our fabrics to more customers through this trading platform and the response has been fairly good,” says Victor Wong, manager at Practical Industrial. “Some buyers from countries such as Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia have made inquiries about our fabrics and uniforms and we will hold further talks with them to conclude business. Hong Kong Fashion Week offers a very good platform to extend our presence and explore new markets.”
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer featured around 1,000 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions. The fourth edition of CENTRESTAGE, a platform for international, and especially Asian, fashion labels and designers to promote their brands and launch collections, will be held Sept. 4-7.
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong’s trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organizes international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly SMEs, in the mainland and international markets. For more info, visit www.hktdc.com/aboutus.
