Hong Kong Fashion Week attracts 18,000 buyers

22 Jan '16

3 min read

The 47th Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter which ran from January 18-21 attracted nearly 18,000 buyers from 93 countries and regions.

“For this season's fair, the organiser, Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) organised 90 buying missions from 43 countries and regions,” a HKTDC press release informed.

More than 5,000 buyers, including representatives from fashion brands, major chain stores, and distributors from ASEAN and other emerging markets participated in the fair, creating business opportunities for exhibitors.

Coming from the emerging UAE market, Ryan Forbes, marketing manager at FashionSouq, said the market for women's wear in the UAE was growing fast.

He added that he was considering purchasing men's and women's wear and fashion accessories for their online store and had found five potential suppliers of beachwear, eveningwear, and accessories.

Lourdes Mackay from Golden ABC, which has more than 600 stores in Philippines said, “I am particularly happy with the Men in Style zone at the fair.”

According to Mackay, menswear had a huge and rapidly growing market in the Philippines, representing 70 per cent of Golden ABC's business and she too found around 20 potential suppliers.

The Hong Kong Designer brand #nude Made By Suoi participated in the Designers' Collection Show and whose designer said their womenswear was known for its simplicity, and was currently selling in around 10 select shops in China.

As per HKTDC, Opening Ceremony, a US 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.

Hong Kong Fashion Week also featured a number of celebrity 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.

During the fair, HKTDC invited Kei Chan, head of marketing at Net-A-Porter (APAC), one of the largest luxury fashion e-tailing platforms in the world, to share marketing strategies that would be particularly useful for Hong Kong companies.

Chan stated that the luxury e-tailing market in the Asia Pacific region was still young and full of potential and that Hong Kong is the doorway to China and a major entry point for the Korean, Australian, Singaporean, and Thai markets.

The 47th edition attracted more than 1,500 exhibitors from 22 countries and regions to showcase the latest international brands, clothing products, accessories and textiles. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India