Hong Kong Fashion Week hosts 1100 exhibitors

The ongoing 24th Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer has over 1,100 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions showcasing their latest fashion designs, international brands, garments, fabrics and accessories. The event is serving as an ideal one-stop sourcing platform for the industry. Over 40 Indian companies are participating in the fashion week.

The events underway at the show under the theme 'Style in Motion' include fashion shows, trend forecasting seminars, buyer forums and a networking reception, presenting the latest market intelligence and fashion items. The show organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) also features new exhibitors from Canada, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam; along with eight pavilions from India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Thailand, and first-timers Italy, Korea and Nepal.

Reflecting the global trend towards athleisure – suitable both for exercise and everyday wear – this year’s Fashion Week for Spring/Summer debuts the new Fashionable Sportswear and Urban Clothing zones to help buyers easily locate relevant products and suppliers.

Other zones catering to specific industry interests include the Fashion Gallery, featuring a wide array of high fashion items; the International Fashion Designers’ Showcase, gathering exquisite collections of global fashion designers; as well as the diverse Womenswear and Fabrics & Yarn zones. To help buyers easily find their sought-after products, the HKTDC is housing all fashion accessories-related zones, including footwear, leggings and socks and gloves, scarves and shawls, in the inaugural World of Fashion Accessories section. In addition, the show has once again set up an hktdc Small Orders zone, featuring nearly 100 showcases and garment racks with about 400 products available for orders in minimum quantities of between five and 1,000 pieces.

Meanwhile, at the new Urban Clothing zone, an Italian exhibitor is displaying a range of locally designed and manufactured casual denim wear, while the Italian Trade Commission Hong Kong and Assocalzaturifici are showcasing 50 styles of Italian shoes under the theme 'The Seduction of Footwear: Italian Glamour'.

At the Fabrics & Yarn zone, The Woolmark Company is featuring its new Wool Denim, which apart from being anti-odour, also provides better warmth retention than normal denim and is machine-washable. The company also hosted a seminar titled 'New Generation of Merino innovation – Wool Denim Wear & Wool Sneakers'.

Other exhibitors include the Japanese sports brand Sangacio, which has incorporated precise manufacturing techniques from Kobe with Italian Florentine design, selecting the finest cow leather to produce handcrafted sports shoes. Besides, Hong Kong exhibitor Titane Group (Hong Kong) Ltd has taken inspiration from the rims of sports cars to manufacture a series of delicate interchangeable cufflinks for matching different styles.

To create more business opportunities for exhibitors, the HKTDC has organised 90 buying missions, bringing more than 5,000 buyers from 45 countries and regions to the show. They include representatives of renowned fashion labels, mega chain stores and major distributors, such as the Czech Republic's Zoot, Germany’s Unito Fashion, Japan's Isetan, Russia’s Melon Fashion Group, Taiwan's Keraia, Thailand’s The Mall Group, and the UAE’s Just Lounge.

A series of seminars and forums are being held during the show, including a presentation by international trend forecasting group Fashion Snoops on their Autumn/Winter 2018/19 fashion forecasts, and a seminar jointly organised with the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) on 'Wearable Technologies for Future Fashion'.

A number of runway shows are being staged, including fashion parades by local fashion design graduates, allowing them to demonstrate their talent on the Fashion Week stage. Students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies are staging their graduation parade. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is also hosting a graduate fashion show and lingerie show, while the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong is staging a graduation show. New designs are also being launched at Fashion Week shows.