China's wealthiest city was never likely to scrimp on its premiere fashion event. But, as Assia Benmedjdoub discovered, the local response to Hong Kong Fashion Week surpassed even its own gold encrusted expectations.
Retail analysts have long predicted the boom in Hong Kong's TCF sector. In the past year alone, the city widely referred to as the world's freest economy has already posted double digit growth across the US, UK and German markets. But it's not just the Europeans harnessing Hong Kong's capacity as a fashion hub. Australian and New Zealand buyers were out in force at the recent Hong Kong Fashion Week (HKFW) with four missions and 102 companies in attendance - some 23 more than the previous year. Along with a marked increase in exhibitors, the event also recorded a greater overall attendance, jumping by 9.8 per cent since 2005. Utilising HKFW as an opportunity to source new trimmings, accessories, manufacturers and business partnerships, local buyers were able to choose from 1,101 exhibitors from 25 countries throughout the Asia-Pacific and European regions. Special areas were also marked off for basic mass merchandise, high-end fashion brands, international fashion designers and fashion shows and seminars. Despite the changes in international textile quotas, George Gross and Harry Who operations manager Robert J Watt said the event showcased great promise for the city's manufacturing standards. "Their product quality is constantly improving and is on par or even better than that of Australian manufacturers. Chinese suppliers are becoming more flexible with smaller quantity orders now, making it easier for Australian buyers to do business here." Using HKFW as a means to source accessories and embroidery items for both the George Gross and Harry Who labels, Watt said it also provided him with an efficient avenue to meet suppliers from the company's main sourcing centres in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. In fact, spokesperson for the Hong Kong Trade Development Council Keith Cheng believed that these networking opportunities accounted for the 22 per cent rise in exhibitors from last year. While a majority came from Hong Kong (with 569 participants), there were also 322 from the Chinese mainland, 89 from India, 29 from Korea and 15 from Indonesia. For Coussinet Australia director Greta Grossberg, this provided the greatest incentive. "I see both clients and suppliers from China, India and Indonesia in Hong Kong. It's a good one stop shop not too far away from Australia. I think they do a great job of marketing the fair and trying to make visitors and buyers feel welcome." Although Grossberg declined to comment on how much she spent throughout the week, she said she was successful in sourcing suppliers for fabrics and trimmings and will continue to follow them up. Other local designers were also able to boost their portfolio of Asian suppliers. Confirming that he set out to spend between $50,000 and $100,000 throughout the event, House of Moshe designer and buyer Moshe Amir splurged $20,000 on merchandise in the first morning alone and is already trialling two new manufacturers. "We now use mostly Chinese mainland manufacturers and we can meet them all here. Not only is it convenient for us to come here but the variety we see here is very good." Amir also confirmed the company now sources most of its supplies and trimmings from Hong Kong and will continue to attend the event in future. But HKFW was not only well received by regular visitors. A first-time buyer at the event, Ae'lkemi designer Alvin Fernandez said he was able to source trimmings he could not otherwise find in Australia such as lace trims and hand embroidery. "I was able to source everything possible that you would need for a label. From trims to fabrics and manufacturers, it was a one-stop-shop which made it very convenient. But you had to source through similar outlets to find one that worked best for you." Hoping to make the trip again in 2007, Fernandez also said he had made some promising business contacts. "Whilst I was a little overwhelmed at first, it was very positive and made a great first impression." When asked what this response would mean for the annual event, Cheng said it would continue to fuel the city's $212.2 billion-plus in fashion exports. "In view of the positive feedback and significant growth on the mission size this year, we strongly believe that the growing momentum will be continued with word of mouth spreading around."
