The HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter and the concurrent HKTDC World Boutique, Hong Kong, saw some 1,800 exhibitors from around the world. The four-day extravaganza from January 19 to 22 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) was based on the theme of “Light Me Up”.

The fair showcased latest collections from a number of internationally celebrated fashion designers: Hong Kong’s designer duo Eri Chu and Philip Chu; New York designer Loris Diran; an award-winning Chinese fashion designer Wang Yutao from Beijing and Swedish couture fashion designer Lars Wallin. The Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza for the first time welcomed Audi as its title sponsor. Audi honoured designers who exemplify a dedication to design and craftsmanship via the international platform of the Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza. 

Loris Diran, a New York-based designer with a signature label, attended for the first time. 
Diran describes his collection for men and women as ‘elegant and edgy’. He works with the same theme for men and women. Currently, he retails through Saks Avenue and other select boutiques in the US and Europe. “The objective to participate in The Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza, is primarily to introduce myself and start a relationship,” says Lorid. He finds it very interesting how Asian brands and companies develop lovely ‘items’ those cannot be generally described as basic but are speciality range even in lower prices. Beauty of the market he observed as trends is digital prints especially in street style, expressing the exotic culture. With big luxury brands like Gucci, Prada and Valentino Jack here and consumers buying unique products and is willing to see newness. The big trend is young men are experimenting and sales have grown from 25 per cent earlier to 38-40 per cent now. “This fashion week is wonderfully organised and not even a single detail is missing”, he sums up.

Shirley Chan, Chairman, Hong Kong Brand Development Council, while addressing a media briefing of overseas journalists said, “HK is not only a production centre but also a growing sourcing centre for clothing. Between January to November 2014, HK exported $18.7 bn worth of clothing and accessories. The US being largest at 37 per cent, EU second at 28 per cent and Japan was the third biggest export destination. She laid importance that clothing business because of fast fashion and others is becoming far more dynamic now, earlier a lead time of 9-12 months used to be there for supplying to brands and retailers, which has reduced to 4-6 months now adding lot of pressure. She said in this edition of HK Fashion Week, the new zones of thermal clothing and functional textiles that have been added are being well received by buyers.

On the second day, the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest 2015 (YDC) was held. The remarkable judge panel included H&M Creative Advisor Margareta van den Bosch of Sweden as the VIP Judge. TV star Chris Lai joined top models Jia Jing, Mikki Yao, Ana R., Alice B and Li Dan Ni as in the show presenting designers’ latest collections. More than 1,000 guests attended the show, among them were celebrities Daniel Chan, Edmond Leung, Ivana Wong, William Tang, Henry Lau, Hilary Tsui and Zing.

The 15th Footwear Design Competition Hong Kong, Knitwear Symphony 2015 & Hong Kong Young Knitwear Designers’ Contest, as well as The Ecochic Design Award 2014/15 Grand Final Fashion Show were held during the fairs. The events also included popular trend forecast seminars by WGSN, Fashion Snoops and other leading fashion consulting agencies. 

The event had increased focus on knowledge forums through a wide range of seminars on sustainability, emerging markets of Myanmar, and other key industry topics, as well as masters’ sharing by Margareta van den Bosch, the Creative Advisor of H &M, and a wide range of seminars. In the opening speech of sustainability seminar “Sustainable development of fashion industry: The way forward” Hon. Felix Chung, member of legislative council of HKSAR (textile and garment sector) emphasised on the need for sustainability. He said sustainability is a channel to upgrade global competition and it is critical for HK to remain a sourcing hub for textile and clothing sector and develop HK as Asian knowledge hub of sustainability. HK can play a key role in developing Higgs Index as global sustainability index.

Margareta van den Bosch, the Creative Advisor of H &M, widely known as “mother of the Swedish fashion industry” made a presentation on creative principals of H&M and also showcased videos of various key collaborations with global celebrities that she managed for H&M including with David Beckham, for David Beckham Bodywear at H&M and M by Madonna. She advised today’s designers on how to learn skills and work as intern in the initial years of jobs, even if they want to start their labels, “this will help you to lose less money”, she said humorously. Bosch describes her way of interpreting trends as “As a designer you must keep your eyes, ears, everything open for...celebrity culture, the art, movies and music world”. She also mentioned that I don’t like “fast fashion” as much because it is always going to take as much time to plan, manufacture and to be there. 

Another interesting panel discussion “E-Commerce: an exciting opportunity for sustainable fashion?” was organised by Redress, moderated by Christina Dean, Founder and CEO, Redress with panellist from Net-a-Porter, TPassion, UPS and Goodone e-commerce companies. Dean opened the discussion by emphasizing on the need to be sustainable, ecommerce which is currently 5.9 per cent of the total retail market and shall be 8.8 per cent by 2018, should address to the grave concern over the textile and clothing waste being generated millions of tonnes every day, “ Hong Kong alone generates clothing waste of 293 tonnes everyday”, she exclaimed. Panel discussed about the steps being those are being taken even at the level of logistics to reduce miles travelled by delivery staff. 

Dedicated zones for clothing categories The Hong Kong Fashion Week had many dedicated zones covering the entire range of buyers’ needs from yarns, fabrics, fashions and accessories to garment-related products and services. There was a new zone this year for thermal clothing featuring apparel ideal for extremely cold weather. The Taiwan Sweater Industry Association showcased thermal yarn, a long-wearing yarn that absorbs and distributes heat evenly. Emporium de Mode was a unique premium section dedicated to presenting stylish and distinctive garments in an elegant setting, while Fashion Gallery displayed high-end fashion collections with an emphasis on quality. Other highlights included Fabrics & Yarn, together with Taiwan Textile Federation, which featured a wide selection of fabrics, fibres, laces and yarns, including eco fabrics and yarn; and World of Fashion Accessories, with the latest in accessories to complement fashion selections. 

HKTDC World Boutique A leading showcase for international fashion brands and designer collections in Asia, the event provides a platform dedicated to fashion and lifestyle brands. More than 660 brands from 20 countries and regions took part in this year’s World Boutique, Hong Kong, including first-time participants from Finland, Nepal, New Zealand, South Africa, The Netherlands and the USA. Fashion brands and designers included 2%, Aquascutum, Episode, i.t, Ika Butoni, Jessica, Lu Lu Cheung, Marccain, Moiselle, Shanghai Tang and Zalora. 

Many local and overseas industry associations staged runway shows or formed group pavilions at the fair, including the Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association, Indonesian Fashion Designers Association, Japan Fashion Leather Designers, Kokusai Fashion Centre, Japan and Taiwan Textile Federation. New pavilions this year included the Fashionally Pavilion, Finland-Hong Kong Trade Association and Thailand Textile Institute. Japan Fashion Leather Designers presented 12 premium brands and Finland-Hong Kong Trade Association showcased collections with 11 designers during the inaugural session.