Hong Kong Fashion Week, as Asia’s largest fashion fair, creating many important business opportunities for exhibitors from Hong Kong and around the globe. Hong Kong Fashion Week is the ideal platform through which the industry can promote the latest products and exchange the latest information on fashion and market trends.
The fair is crafted to reflect current market trends, unveils the latest shimming fashion trends today. Hong Kong Fashion Week provide a ultimate one-stop sourcing platform for the industry. Apart from stylish garments and vibrant brands, the fair presents a next-gen showcase of fashion-savvy technology.
Fashion Week incorporates various themed zones to cater for the sourcing needs of different sectors in the garment industry, from garments, designer labels and upstream products, such as fabrics and clothing accessories, to trade services and new production technologies in fashion.
Hong Kong Fashion Week offering strong connections for great business opportunities and deals. It is organized by product sector to give buyers easy access to the products that suit their business, highlights include: Intimate Wear Zone, World of Fashion Accessories, Emporium de Mode, Infant & Children’s Wear, Bridal & Evening Wear, Garment Mart, Fashion Gallery, Fabrics & Yarn as well as Sewing Supplies.
Hong Kong Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2019
The 50th edition of Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter, last from January 14 to 17, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). This year’s fair, the largest of its kind in Asia, has attracted some 1,400 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions.
Fashion Week incorporates various themed zones to cater for the sourcing needs of different sectors in the garment industry, from garments, designer labels and upstream products, such as fabrics and clothing accessories, to trade services and new production technologies in fashion.
The Corporate Fashion and Uniforms zone returns this year and features the Hong Kong Designer Uniform Display, which showcases uniform collections from some of Hong Kong’s top designers including Allan Chiu, Barney Cheng, Kurt Ho & Nelson Leung, LuLu Cheung and Mountain Yam.
The World of Fashion Accessories also returns, bringing together items ranging from shoes and bags to fashion jewellery, scarves and shawls. New this year, The Federation of Hong Kong Footwear Ltd showcases its latest shoe designs with a fashion parade. Special product zones such as Fashionable Sportswear, Thermal Clothing, Bridal & Evening Wear and Intimate Wear & Swimwear feature the latest designs on offer. Incorporating the designs of 60 designers from different countries and regions, the International Fashion Designers’ Showcase presents fashion masterpieces from around the globe under one roof.
Highlight events
Alongside the many fashion parades at Fashion Week, buyer forums, trend-forecasting seminars and sharing sessions on the latest production technologies provide effective platforms for the industry to gather market information and exchange ideas. Leading international fashion trend forecaster Fashion Snoops shared on “The Visionary Fashion Trends for Spring/Summer 2020” today. Other seminars feature industry leaders and experts addressing issues such as rapid footwear prototyping, the sustainable development of the fashion industry, the cotton market outlook and the latest cotton textile technologies, as well as online-to-offline (O2O) retailing strategies.
FASHIONALLY
Six Hong Kong fashion designer labels present at “FASHIONALLY Collection #13” and three “FASHIONALLY Presentation” sessions during Fashion Week. Yeung Chin (brand name: YEUNG CHIN), Jane Ng (brand name: phenotypsetter) and Alee Lee (brand name: ALEE LEE) displayed their latest collections at FASHIONALLY Collection #13 today.
The FASHIONALLY Presentation showcases the design works of local fashion designers Arto Wong (brand name: ARTO.), Jason Lee (brand name: YMDH) and Carrie Kwok (brand name: CAR|2IE) through theatrical storytelling. Yam Chan, who comes from a fashion design background, is also collaborating with FASHIONALLY for the first time, showcasing his handcrafted dolls MICH at the MICH ▪ ALLY Exhibition on 16-17 Jan.
CAR|2IE’s presentation was a lavish picnic on the lawn, with ladies in beautiful clothes surrounded by antiques and finery. This season Kwok finds her muse in Rose, the character created by author Yi Shu who is an image of innocent beauty.
Kwok’s collection features plenty of sheer fabrics with embroidery, exuding confidence and refinement. A two-sided jacket, plain on one side and embroidered on the other, is intended to illustrate people’s multifaceted personalities. Even the tweed jacket, blazer and overcoat carry a touch of romanticism. While unabashedly celebrating femininity, these ensembles urge everyone, boy or girl, to embrace their inner Rose.
As in previous collections, Kwok’s newest pieces feature designs with a structural form and an emphasis on proportion. Luxurious and daring, they are replete with fine details and play with asymmetrical cuts and exquisite styling suggestions. The looks were paired with flats and heels to show their easy transformation from office wear to party wear.
For ARTO.’s show, the venue was transformed into a tranquil gallery, with paintings designed by Wong herself hanging on the wall. The clothes and paintings mirror one another, creating a strong visual effect like installation art. A palette of red, purple, teal, green and baby blue, meanwhile, made for some strong visual contrasts.
Flowers, the symbol of beauty, are a source of endless inspiration but Wong has managed to imbue the collection with refreshing new ideas. From seed to flower, the waiting time can be long, but it is always worth the wait. ARTO.’s FW 2019 collection chronicles this amazing process.
Just like her debut season last year, Wong explores new knitting techniques, which is seemingly becoming a trademark of her knitwear label, as well as graphics to create the shapes of flowers. Since each flower is unique, she has tried to make sure that hers are too, with different sizes, and different ruffles for the petals.
Using premium Japanese polyester mixed with wool, the silhouettes are voluminous but the clothes are lightweight. The use of bold, solid colours also helps to bring this innovative collection to life.
YMDH’s fashion presentation was set against an eclectic mix of Chinese furniture – from large vases to cheeky calligraphy – and played on puns to present the coming together of western and Chinese cultures. Colourful Cantonese and Mandarin rap music set the tone for the presentation of YMDH’s debut collection.
The new streetwear label features traditional Chinese costume details like embroidery alongside the latest urban symbols in a tongue-in-cheek manner. While the silhouette is unisex and oversized, there is also a focus on cutting and use of fabrics.
Titled “King of Kowloon”, this collection is about an emperor going out of the palace in a quest to learn the life of the people. Pieces like the Mandarin jacket, with denim and tassels strung together, reflect the designer’s youthful imagination and carefree attitude. Even though in “plain clothes”, there is a sense of pride and courage that is almost regal.
Hong Kong Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2019
The 26th HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer, last from 8-11 July 2019 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The four-day fair welcome some 1,000 exhibitors from across the globe, presenting a wide array of spring/summer clothing, designers’ collections, international brands, garment and fabrics, and fashion accessories. As a premier sourcing platform for global buyers, the Hong Kong Fashion Week is also a gateway to vivacious markets of Mainland China and Asia, making it one of the must-attend global events in the fashion industry.
This year’s show features 11 pavilions, including a debut appearance by the town of Humen, close to Dongguan City, Guangdong province, which has built a reputation as a producer of quality womenswear and children’s wear. Also setting up pavilions for the first time was the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Indonesia and Thailand SME Development Banks, Kalasin province from Thailand, as well as Yuecheng district, Shaoxing and Yinzhou district, Ningbo from Mainland China. To create more business opportunities for exhibitors, the HKTDC has organised 91 buying missions from 42 countries and regions to the show, with more than 3,670 companies represented.
To optimise buyers’ targeted sourcing experience and provide maximum exposure for different fashion sectors, the fair is categorised with different thematic zones. Riding on the success of the debut of “Corporate Fashion and Uniforms” zone last year, the zone was established again to feature a wide range of professional apparel choices for various industries. And, the still-growing trend to athleisure wear is highlighted in “Fashionable Sportswear” zone for exercise, sports and casual activities.
Various themed zones have been set up to showcase the latest fashion collections from around the world. The Corporate Fashion and Uniforms zone returns alongside the Hong Kong Designers Uniform Design Showcase, presenting uniform collections from Vickie Au, Doris Kath Chan, Aries Sin, Mountain Yam and Mary Yu.
At the Fashion Gallery, which presents high-end fashion and designer collections, Hong Kong company MsEnvy is launching its high-end womenswear collection, made from silk and featuring delicate digitally printed patterns that have already proved popular among overseas buyers. The International Fashion Designers’ Showcase brings fashion accessories inspired by the hiragana characters created by renowned Japanese calligrapher Saori Kunihiro.
The Fashionable Sportswear, Intimate Wear & Swimwear zone feature the latest Swim & Sweat collection from Thai womenswear brand Wakingbee, which has created unique garments capable of being used both as sportswear and swimwear. A Thai exhibitor Wakingbee showcase its gym and beach-friendly sportwear crossover collection with a famous Thai actress and guest designer Taew (Nattaporn Tameerak).
The Womenswear zone present a wide range of fashion collections, with exhibitors including Hong Kong company Bazestation Clothing which has developed personalised designs for international retail brands such as ASOS, Arcadia Group and Urban Outfitters.
“International Fashion Designers’ Showcase” gather most talented fashion designers’ collections from Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand among others. “Fashion Gallery” where chic fashion and brand labels continue to be in the limelight while “Emporium de Mode” present selected elegant fashion brands.
Other popular zones, including Menswear, Womenswear, Infant & Children’s Wear, Fabrics & Yarn, Intimate Wear & Swimwear return with more product offerings.
Innovative technologies are helping to kickstart a revolution in the fashion industry, and this year’s fair focus on how high-tech ideas are being incorporated into fashion designs and business processes. At the Fashion Tech & Trade Services zone, local company iGarment (HK) is showcasing its cloud-based Garment Management System that allows retailers to facilitate the handling of the whole production process. PAD System International Limited presents a system that combines pattern making, design and collaboration, allowing designers to access files from the cloud and digitise the whole design development process from pattern design and grading to marker planning.
Highlight events
To catch the global buyers’ eyes, an amazing line-up of fashion designers put on up-and-coming fashion parades during the fair period. Veteran from the renowned international trend forecasting agency Fashion Snoops present a seminar on Visionary Trends for Autumn Winter 2020/21 for Women’s and Men’s Wear and Accessories, while other industry professionals share insights on technology on functional apparel, fashion e-tailing and market development. Networking reception in a relaxing ambience also be arranged for global buyers, exhibitors and industry professionals to exchange opinions and expand business network.
Seminars
The first seminar featured Michael Leow, Asia/Pacific Sales & Marketing Head at leading fashion trend forecaster Fashion Snoops, who examined the upcoming trends for menswear, womenswear and accessories for the Autumn/Winter 2020/21 season, giving industry players a clearer idea of where the business opportunities was. International fashion parades were held throughout today, while this evening’s networking reception and international fashion parade was officiated by Felix Chung, who represents the Textiles and Garment Functional Constituency in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council.
The “Next Stop for Fashion Tech” seminar, features Dr Li Li, Associate Professor, Institute of Textiles and Clothing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, who has won several international research awards. She talk about the business opportunities presented by her team’s work in developing infrared textiles that have insulating, germ-resisting and microcirculation-boosting capabilities. The team’s development won a Gold Medal at the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. In addition, Super X Sportswear Group share its latest textiles produced using equilibrium technology that helps prevent falls and improve body balance. CRT Innovative Ltd demonstrate its seamless bonding technology, which allows fabrics to be joined together without using stitching, helping to achieve optimum comfort for the wearer.
The “New Retail Era: Fashion x E-commerce Strategies” seminar on 10 July bring together several industry leaders to examine e-commerce strategies. Leading Asian influencer platform Cloudbreakr explore ways to use artificial intelligence to establish marketing plans for online influencers in a bid to increase brand affinity and facilitate sales conversion. International online shopping platform ZALORA share strategies to increase brand strength through data marketing and brand collaboration, while ECMS Global introduce a cutting-edge cross-border logistics solution that aligns with the fashion industry’s online shopping retail model.
HKTDC
Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong’s businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room.