Economy

Mainland brands seek business in HK Fashion Week

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-01-19 10:11

HONG KONG: Fashion industry of the Chinese mainland has been actively participating in the on-going Hong Kong Fashion Week which kicked off on Monday, in an attempt to find new opportunities and partnerships from consumers and exhibitors all over the world.

The 41st edition of the Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter 2010 and the 8th World Boutique are held from Monday to Thursday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.

The Chinese mainland's popular brands have a strong presence at the largest fashion event in Asia, which features nearly 2,000 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions as well as above 5,000 buyers.

Most fashion industries in the world are faced with much difficulty in the financial crisis. Due to the global financial crisis, the European and American markets shrunk and the purchasing power in these countries decreased. Yet several Chinese mainland's top local brands have explored greatly in global markets and increased exports during 2009.

Organizers hope the Chinese fashion industry can grasp the opportunity to establish a broader network for future exploration in 2010.

The Chinese mainland's exhibition hall attracted much attention from international buyers. Brands from Nanjing, Ningbo, Hangzhou and other Chinese cities all participated in groups.

Quanzhou, a city in Fujian province of the Chinese mainland famous for its fashion industry, hosts a city pavilion for the first time this year during the Fashion Week with ten top local brands.

"Brands from the city of Quanzhou came over the financial crisis and even turned it into an opportunity. We enjoyed much better popularity as we paved our way into the global markets last year," said Xu Lei, Brand Manager of Xtep.

He believed the brand's income in overseas markets is likely to see a further increase by 50 percent this year.

The fashion industry from the Chinese mainland will also try new ways to increase exports in 2010.

"The players from the team of Birmingham city will wear products of our brand in the near future. Xtep will become the first Chinese mainland's brand to sponsor a Premier League team," Xu said.

During four days of the two flagship fairs of Asia's fashion industry, there will be also a series of runway shows presenting ideas from Chinese mainland's designers and brands, and professional seminars addressing current industry issues related to the Chinese markets.