The 26th HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer opened today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and will run until 11 July. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the show has gathered around 1,000 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions to present the latest fashion designs, international brands, garments, fabrics and accessories.
International presence at Fashion Week
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer has long been an ideal one-stop sourcing platform for the 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 will be 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.
Latest fashion collections feature at themed zones
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 will 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. The Womenswearzone will 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. Other product zones include Fabrics & Yarn, Infant & Children’s Wear, International Fashion Designers’ Showcase, Knitwear, Menswearand World of Fashion Accessories.
New fashion trends: high-tech garments and data-driven marketing
Innovative technologies are helping to kickstart a revolution in the fashion industry, and this year’s fair will 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.
Various seminars are being held as part of the fair to bring participants up to date on the latest industry trends and technological developments. The first seminar today 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 will be. International fashion parades were held throughout today, while this evening’s networking reception and international fashion parade will be 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, held tomorrow (9 July), 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 will 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 will share its latest textiles produced using equilibrium technology that helps prevent falls and improve body balance. CRT Innovative Ltd will demonstrate its seamless bonding technology, which allows fabrics to be joined together without using stitching, helping to achieve optimum comfort for the wearer.
The e-commerce trend continues to gather momentum, with the global value of online shopping expected to reach US$50 billion by 2020. To help the industry maximise the benefits of this trend, the “New Retail Era: Fashion x E-commerce Strategies” seminar on 10 July will bring together several industry leaders to examine e-commerce strategies. Leading Asian influencer platform Cloudbreakr will 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 will share strategies to increase brand strength through data marketing and brand collaboration, while ECMS Global will introduce a cutting-edge cross-border logistics solution that aligns with the fashion industry’s online shopping retail model.
Website
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer:
http://www.hktdc.com/hkfashionweekss/
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
