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Change Your Life! |
"Tai-tais" and superstars' new fad: Fashion |
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July 13, 2000
HONG KONG (AP) - Tall, lean models wearing fluffy fabrics in shades of spring strutted across a square stage decorated with rows of plastic fauna and flora, showing off the latest in local design during Hong Kong Fashion Week. The shimmering, sequin-dominated shows during the biannual event, ending Friday, were sprinkled with a dash of dazzle from a star-studded audience of Hong Kong showbiz personalities, socialites and "tai-tais" - wives of the super-rich. But Hong Kong's fashion business, though worth 173.6 million Hong Kong dollars (U.S. dlrs 22.4 million), has yet to reach world-status glamorous proportions. Despite a growing list of homegrown designers, such as Viviene Tam and Barney Cheng, who are gaining clout abroad, industry experts say Hong Kong has a way to go before it becomes an international fashion capital. "Hong Kong started off as a garment manufacturing center, while in Europe, they have more than 100 years of high-fashion history," said Kelvin Yeung, chairman of the Hong Kong Fashion Designers' Association. The government-funded Hong Kong Trade Development Council has organized fashion-related events to showcase local talent for more than 30 years. This week's event attracted thousands of designers, buyers and retailers from around the world. About 470 exhibitors set up booths in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. Many designers cite the limited size of the Hong Kong market as a major obstacle. "The Hong Kong market alone isn't big enough to support a single brand name," established local designer Lu-lu Cheung said. A lack of support from banks and corporations adds to the woes, she said. Many Hong Kong designers see their future in the vast mainland Chinese market, although it remains difficult to sell to the Chinese. China's 260 million urban residents, the most likely to become spenders, is 36 times that of Hong Kong's 7 million, but per capita income is 35 times less than Hong Kong's U.S. dlrs 24,700. Many mainland Chinese are yet to become fashion conscious, although that is gradually changing in bigger cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou. For now, the picture is brighter for the medium-priced fashion market. Brand names such as G-2000 and Miss K have not only built up a following among Hong Kong's middle class, they have also gained popularity in other Asian markets, such as Singapore and Taiwan. Yeung said the Asian financial crisis forced some belt-tightening and encouraged people to look for cheaper local products instead of expensive brand names. "The Hong Kong consumer has become more sophisticated, and can judge what's good and worthwhile," said Yeung. "Gone are the days when only imported brands are good."
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