HK Fashion Week S/S:Latest fashion tech equips the industry for market expansion

The 26th HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer， organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council （HKTDC）， drew to a successful closed on July 11th， 2019. Over 10，000 buyers from 73 countries and regions attended the four-day fair （July 8th - 11th ）， with buyer attendance from ASEAN countries including Indonesia， the Philippines， Thailand， Vietnam as well as Japan and Russia， recording considerable growth. More than 10 fashion events， including international fashion parades， a buyer forum， a networking reception and luncheons， were held during the fair to generate business opportunities for industry professionals.

“The Sino-US trade dispute continues to stoke global economic uncertainty， affecting a broad range of sectors including the fashion industry，” said Benjamin Chau， HKTDC Acting Executive Director. “The HKTDC has been helping Hong Kong companies handle the challenges resulting from the trade dispute by equipping them with up-to-date market information and through seminars. As part of Fashion Week， we organized various seminars covering topics such as fashion tech， fashion e-commerce strategies， and Indias huge market potential. These events will enable SMEs to boost the quality of their products by helping them explore the use of new technologies， upgrade their sales channels， and seek out new business opportunities beyond the traditional European and U.S. markets.”

Various themed zones were set up at the fair to showcase the latest fashion collections from around the world. The Corporate Fashion and Uniforms zone returned alongside the Hong Kong Designers Uniform Design Showcase， presenting high-end fashion and designer collections. The HKTDC organized a total of 91 buying missions from 42 countries and regions to visit the latest Fashion Week， with more than 3，670 companies represented.

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 years show featured 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 childrens wear. Also setting up pavilions for the first time included 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 organized 91 buying missions from 42 countries and regions to the show， with more than 3，670 companies represented.

Slovakian buyer discovers quality suppliers

To create more purchasing opportunities for the industry， the HKTDC strives to raise the international presence at its fairs and sourcing platforms while encouraging more foreign buyers？ especially major importers， department stores， chain stores and e-tailers from emerging markets？ to purchase in Hong Kong. A buyer from Belt and Road country the Slovak Republic， Veronika Dragulová， Head of Product Department at United Fashion Group s.r.o.， said this was her first visit to Hong Kong Fashion Week and she was pleased to discover quality brands and suppliers from Hong Kong， Thailand， Dongguan and Xiamen. “Further talks will be held and I will visit some of the companies showrooms to see more designs. Our average orders for womenswear are around US$40，000- 50，000 each， with initial orders in the US$10，000 range，” she said.

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 returned 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 presented high-end fashion and designer collections， Hong Kong company MsEnvy launched 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 DesignersShowcase brought fashion accessories inspired by the hiragana characters created by renowned Japanese calligrapher Saori Kunihiro.

The Fashionable Sportswear， Intimate Wear & Swimwear zone featured 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 Womenswear zone presented 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 included Fabrics & Yarn， Infant & Childrens Wear， International Fashion Designers Showcase， Knitwear， Menswear and 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 years fair focused 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） showcased its cloudbased Garment Management System that allows retailers to facilitate the handling of the whole production process. PAD System International Limited presented a system that combines pattern making， design and collaboration， allowing designers to access files from the cloud and digitize the whole design development process from pattern design and grading to marker planning.

Various seminars were held as part of the fair to bring participants up to date on the latest industry trends and technological developments. 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 will be.

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 maximize the benefits of this trend， the“New Retail Era： Fashion x E-commerce Strategies” seminar on July 10th brought together several industry leaders to examine e-commerce strategies. Leading Asian influencer platform Cloudbreakr explored 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 shared strategies to increase brand strength through data marketing and brand collaboration， while ECMS Global introduced a cutting-edge cross-border logistics solution that aligns with the fashion industrys online shopping retail model.

Building a trading platform to explore new markets

Hong Kong Fashion Week offers a quality platform through which exhibitors can build their presence and explore new markets. Victor Wong， Manager， Practical Industrial （HK） Ltd.， said： “We are promoting our fabrics to more customers through this trading platform and the response has been fairly good. Some buyers from countries such as Singapore， Thailand and Indonesia have made enquiries about our fabrics and uniforms and we will hold further talks with them to conclude business. Hong Kong Fashion Week offers a very good platform to extend our presence and explore new markets.”

Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer featured around 1，000 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions. The fourth edition of CENTRESTAGE， a platform for international， and especially Asian， fashion labels and designers to promote their brands and launch collections， will be held from September 4th to 7th 2019.