Hong Kong demonstrated its role as an important fashion hub in Asia, as designers and style experts around the world came to display their unique and fashionable clothing and accessories during the Hong Kong Fashion Week and World Boutique this week.

The World Boutique, Hong Kong, now in its third year, has established itself as an exhibition tailored to high-end fashion and lifestyle accessories.

A total of 194 companies offered more than 300 brand names and collections from Australia, Canada, Finland, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, including the well-known labels such as ESCADA, Disney, Playboy, Giordano and G.O.D.

The Hong Kong Fashion Week, with 1,087 exhibitors from 16 countries and regions participated, has grown by almost 11 percent over the previous year. It highlighted a wide range of products, including mass-market garments, high fashion, fabrics and accessories.

According to Andrew Leung, chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's Garment Advisory Committee, Hong Kong's clothing and accessories exports grew by 9 percent in the first 11 months of 2004.

In addition, Hong Kong has established itself as one of the great fashion capitals of the world, where shoppers can choose from more luxury brands than any Asian city outside of Japan.

The list of international brands using Hong Kong as their window to the local and Chinese mainland markets reads like a who's who of high fashion, with Prada, Armani, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Hermes, Yves St Laurent, Ermenegildo Zegna, Dolce & Gabbana and more, all building flagship stores.

Fashion luminary the International Herald Tribune (IHT) recently trumpeted Hong Kong's Central district as "the 5th Ave of the Far East." In December, the prestigious industry conference Luxury 2004: The Lure of Asia was hosted by Hong Kong, the first time it has been held outside Paris.

Karim Azar, in charge of international marketing at Sung Hung Kai Properties, agreed that there is "more interest than ever before" from international brands wanting a presence in Hong Kong.

"All the major international brands are positioning themselves in Hong Kong to move forward in Asia," Azar said. "Hong Kong has had a major injection of life and is doing what is should do, attracting all the famous fashion brands."

Hong Kong designer Douglas Young, founder of the irreverent-sounding G.O.D boutique lifestyle store, has taken the city's mundane street scenes and created extraordinary products that have earned him an award at the recent Business of Design Week.

Young said that in many ways Hong Kong needs to reinvent itself as a design center, and he wants to be part of this process. "Hong Kong is so visual and vibrant. All you have to do is to look at a street scene anywhere and know instantly that it is in Hong Kong."

The upbeat economies of the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong have turned global attention on Asian and Chinese culture and that has undeniably helped in the business. "Asia is truly a rich and untapped source. I want to use Chinese culture as raw materials and help to define what is Chinese," said Young.

Famous Italian brand Dolce & Gabbana is among a string of global fashion brands to open flagship stores in Hong Kong recently. Following in the footsteps of Armani, Christian Dior and Prada, Dolce & Gabbana's new store is meant as a strategic step towards an expansion in Asia.

Mark Michelson from Invest Hong Kong said Dolce & Gabbana's decision to set up its presence in Asia through Hong Kong reinforces Hong Kong's reputation as Asia's leading luxury destination and international style capital.

"Dolce & Gabbana's investment in Hong Kong illustrates the growing appeal to international brand retailers of using Hong Kong as their platform for developing brand recognition in the region," added Michelson.

Source: Xinhua