Hong Kong Fashion Week Kicks Off
Michael Lau at Hong Kong Fashion Week
HONG KONG—The hot and humid weather in Hong Kong made it all more appealing to hide out in the air-conditioned Hong Kong Convention Centre for the biannual Hong Kong Fashion Week.
This year, for the first time ever, Hong Kong Fashion Week is sharing the convention center with the Summer Sourcing Show for Gifts, Housewares and Toys for a July 6–11 run of the two events. Exhibitors felt this was a good idea because it would generate more traffic to both shows.
The first day was packed with fashion shows: some good, some not so good.
The morning kicked off with the Supreme Corean Artist Fashion Show, staged by a group of South Korean designers faithful about showing at every Hong Kong Fashion Week. The designs were refreshingly creative this year. Designer An Yoon Jung, who in the past has stuck with creating St. John–like knit suits, strayed from that formula to present tasteful cocktail dresses in taupe silk fabrics trimmed with thick stitching.
In the afternoon, a cocktail party attended by some of the movers and shakers in the apparel and design industry here helped set the stage for a fashion show where Hong Kong’s young designers displayed their raw talent.
The looks varied from the bizarre—think thick white knit sweater dresses covering the face with a certain mummy look to them—to the sophisticated, such as the sleek gray knit outfits with asymmetrical cuts and slim cropped pants.
Hong Kong manufacturers are having just as tough a time as American apparel makers. “It’s a tsunami out there,” said Dicky Kwok, the marketing director for Fast Base Enterprises Ltd. in Hong Kong, which makes knit tops and other garments. “You walk outside and hope you survive.”
An Yoon Jung at Hong Kong Fashion Week
A view of the Hong Kong financial district
