TRADE SHOWS
Kingpins Launching China City Tour, Changing Hong Kong Schedule
Boutique denim trade show Kingpins will kick off a new multi-city concept in September called Kingpins China City Tour.
The tour will begin in Guangzhou on Sept. 19, then travel to Hangzhou on Sept. 21 and then to Zhengzhou on Sept 23. Show organizers estimate that the three cities are home to approximately 800 brands and jeans manufacturers.
“We selected these cities because they represent the different facets of the Chinese denim and garment industry,” said Vivian Wang, Kingpins’ managing director. Guangzhou is China’s “Denim City,” Hangzhou is a women’s sportswear center, and Zhengzhou is home to wholesalers and small brands that have limited denim sourcing options.
Mills and denim resources confirmed to join the tour include Advance Denim, Bluconnection Pte Ltd., Calik Denim, Deyao Textile, Foison Textile, Garmon Chemicals, Guangdong Jean Textile Co. Ltd., Knitdigo, Lantian Textile, Nesen, Prosperity Textile, Seazon Textile, Shandong May-Star Textile and Garment Co., Ltd., Soorty, Vita Textile Group Co. Ltd. and Winsing.
Like Kingpins’ other shows in New York, Amsterdam and Hong Kong, Kingpins’ China City Tour will feature an invitation-only guest list and a curated selection of denim resources. The tour will also offer educational and trend seminars and networking opportunities. Kingpins organizers hope to host multiple China City tours each year with stops at other manufacturing cities in China.
“The Asian denim market has been a big focus for Kingpins for several years,” Wang said. “Our ultimate goal is to launch a Kingpins China show, but before we do that we need to really know and understand the denim market in China—from the inside out. The China City Tour is our way to meet our Chinese customers face-to-face, to understand what they need and how Kingpins can not only address those needs but help to elevate and evolve the denim industry there.”
Kingpins is also making changes to its show in Hong Kong. Previously, the company held the Hong Kong show twice annually. Going forward, the show will be held annually in the spring, following the Kingpins Amsterdam and Kingpins New York shows. The most recent Kingpins Hong Kong show was held May 24–25 at Innocentre in Kowloon and featured 35 denim resources, including Cone Denim, Prosperity Textile, Invista , Canatiba Denim Industry, Orta, Advance Denim, Deyao Textile, Calik Denim and Bluconnection Pte Ltd.
The show will return to Innocentre in May 2017.
