Hong Kong Fashion Week Fall/Winter will be staged from 16-19 January at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. At the 48th edition, the fair is expecting some 1,500 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions to present designs, garments, fashion and clothing accessories, as well as related professional services to discerning buyers from around the world. Among them, Italy, Pakistan and Sweden are newcomers, with Pakistan joining as a group pavilion. Under the theme Hall of Games, playful board games elements can be found ubiquitously in the unique fairground, bringing in a casual and enjoyable ambience for exhibitors and visitors to indulge in discussions.
Distinguishing products ready to unveil
The Fashionable Sportswear and Denim and Casualwear zones will make their first appearance at the fair this year. Other spotlighted zones include: “Fashion Gallery” which will feature high fashion and brand labels; “Emporium de Mode” as a unique premium section dedicated to present stylish and distinctive garments in an elegant setting; “International Fashion Designers’ Showcase” which presents highly individual designers collections from across the globe; as well as “Women’s Wear”, “Menswear”, “Knitwear”, “Fabrics and Yarn” and “Clothing Accessories”.
The debut Fashionable Sportswear zone encompasses a rich source of latest styles suitable for fitness, yoga, training classes and other sport activities. Wakingbee (Booth: 1B-D28), the up-and-coming active wear brand from Bangkok, will display its sought-after collection of sports bra, leggings and running shorts that are designed for comfort with good stretch and breathability. Coming with surprising choices of soft pastel color and flowery patterns which differ from the norm, the collection utterly fulfills the essence of fashionable sportswear. At the International Fashion Designers’ Showcase, Japan will show up as a group pavilion with nineteen designers.
HIKAMI MASAHIRO (Booth: 3C-DS62), who graduated from the renowned Bunka Fashion College in Japan, ingeniously blends traditional craftsmanship with modern refined designs to create her children’s shoes brand, NINOS. Made from natural leather with tested certification, the shoe brand aims to give a comfortable touch to children’s sole. Konica Minolta Business (Booth: 1B-G24), on the other hand, will exhibit its powerful application, Dispatcher Phoenix, at the Fashion Tech zone. Adopting an automating and streamlined workflow, together with practical features such as watermarking, it helps companies and designers to retrieve folders on desktop, mobile device or across the network anywhere, anytime to boost efficiency at work.
Latest designs rule the runway
The 4-day event will feature 10 fashion shows, including Designers’ Collection Show, Brand Collections’ Show and fashion parades, to maximize exposure for promising brands as well as latest global designs. At the opening day of the fair, 14 scintillating local design units will join hands to present their latest 2017 Fall/Winter collections at the ”FASHIONALLY COLLECTION #8” and “FASHIONALLY COLLECTION #9” shows. Kevin Ho, who will represent Hong Kong to participate in the Asia Fashion Collection (AFC) show during New York Fashion Week, is best known for designs with distinct feminine cuts, silhouettes and patterns, which straddles the line between edginess and elegance; Blind by JW, a brand that comes from the creative minds of a local designer duo who create memorable statement pieces with intriguing juxtaposition of Eastern and Western aesthetics and mixing of various fabrics, textures, techniques and colors.
Amongst, 5 designers are first-timer at the FASHIONALLY Collection shows, with names such as Key Chow, who was honored as finalist in esteemed international design competitions, including LVMH Graduates’ Prize ,Vogue Talents and the H&M Design Award. His brand Ka Wa Key is dreamy and whimsical, offering a new perspective on menswear as exemplified by using complex knit and lace fabrics in his new men’s collection; Yeung Chin’s discerning eye for unconventional choices of fabrics sets him apart. With a design motto of breaking boundaries, he made his way to garner the Top Creative Award at the 2003 YDC, and established his eponymous label thereafter which debuted at New York Fashion Week. The Brand Collections’ Show features local brands Ika Butani, and Chinese Arts & Crafts, which has a long history of promoting traditional arts & culture.
They will bring along three new collections of its sub-brand, Artistic Palace: the Qipao and Chinese-style apparel collections exude traditional Chinese aesthetic elements while combining novel modern styles; its haute couture collection is carefully crafted using exquisite materials. Four designers from Hong Kong, New Zealand and Thailand will also display their creativity at the Designers’ Collection Show. Agnes Wong as a talented designer who has a mastery of printed fabrics, lace and embroidery, is well-liked by international buyers at prominent trade shows such as “Who’s Next” in Paris and “Pure” in London; Bernadette Chan’s British romanticism can be traced back to her Fashion Design studies in the UK, influencing her wedding gowns to be retro, elegant and attentive to details; Engeleena Padyachi from New Zealand will present her extraordinary collection inspired by nature that is full of life and movement; and founder of Vanilla Gate-Gala, a crowd-pleasing T-shirt store in Bangkok Chatuchak Weekend Market will bring along a collection full of character. Fashion parades will also be held every day at the fair to showcase collections from Quanzhou, Puyuan and Ouhai of Chinese mainland, as well as selected exhibitors.
Industry experts to share professional insights
A series of trend forecasting seminars will be organized with key fashion identities being invited to unveil the trends beyond and latest market intelligence. Heavyweight speakers include Giulio Xiloyannis, Managing Director of Asia leading fashion e-tailer, Zarlora, will share his distinctive viewpoints on omni-channel retailing; Michael Leow, Asia/Pacific Sales & Marketing head of Fashion Snoops, the world-renowned trend forecaster from US will also be in attendance to speak about the key trends for Men and Women’s wear for S/S 2018; Brian Tam,
Hong Kong Fashion and Marketing Project Manager from the Woolmark Company, will discuss the leading trends of wool textiles for S/S 2018, and allow participants to view in person the Wool Lab – purchasing guide to the best wool fabrics and yarns in the world; and multiple practitioners will be present at the seminar co-organized with the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) to explore the latest knitting technology and applications of varied materials. Networking reception will also be held as a great opportunity for invited buyers, exhibitors and industry representatives to mingle and expand their business network through personal contact.
