The last edition of Fashion Access, the fair dedicated to ‘headto- toe’ fashion, which was held from 22 to 24 September 2016 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, was characterized by a clear business orientation and general consensus of satisfaction. More than 150 exhibitors coming from 18 countries presented their collections of apparel, footwear, and accessories; together with the 30 exhibitors of the concurrent Cashmere World fair, the only worldwide event dedicated to luxury fine fibers.
Thus, the two events were catalysts in attracting the attention of buyers of established brands who were interested in sourcing, including in particular MetroCity from South Korea, Li & Fung, French Connection, and I.T Apparels from Hong Kong, Abahouse from Japan, Marmalato, Names.RU and PJSC Melon Fashion Group from Russia, Zalora from Singapore, Le Cashmere and Hircus from Great Britain, and The Saks Brand Group from the USA.
In terms of visitor nationality, among the foreign countries with the highest attendance numbers were Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, the USA, India, Australia, Italy, and Thailand.
The protagonists of this edition of Fashion Access were the Spring-Summer 2017 collections, which featured bags (52%), small leather goods and fashion (11%), footwear (28%), and apparel (5%), together with seven international country-pavilions. At the Show were some of the most important manufacturers of bags and footwear coming from China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and South Asia, but also young fashion brands coming from Asia, the USA, and Europe, thus confirming Fashion Access to once again be the appointment of reference in Asia for the fashion sourcing of mid to high level fashion accessories, and OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) and ODM (Original Design Manufacturing) services.
Additionally, the event confirmed the exhibition proposal with ‘dedicated’ areas like ‘Fashion Avenue‘, which brought together around sixty young and designer accessory brands; ‘Start Up! FA Atelier- Design Studio‘, with the most niche proposals created by young designers; and ‘Carry Up!‘, with its top-level accessory manufacturers.
Moreover, present-day consumer trends were a focal point of the in-depth seminars organized during the days of the fair, with increasingly high attendance levels.
There were then the APLF Awards. Shanghai Legend International, with its collection of felt bags, won in the category of ‘Best Bag Collection Award‘; with other awards granted to the young Russian designer from Bags Business Limited and the Italian manufacturer of women’s footwear, LSR International, for its classic collection that is also young and urban at the same time.
The creations of these young designers were also part of the Fashion Trends area, with the theme ‘Playtime‘, which was staged by the creative director and president of the Comité Francais de la Couleur, Olivier Guillemin.
Fashion Access will return from 29 to 31 March 2017, with the presentation of the new winter collections.
For more information: www.fashionaccess.aplf.com
