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| Issue date:01/02/2009 |
| ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel - Feb 2009 Issue |
| Source:Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel |
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Although many in the fashion world are considering China as a retail market only, some Chinese and Hong Kong designers are striving to shine in the international fashion community. It will depend on how far these designers can get a good grip on the multiple successful factors so that the country can become a fashion center in the Asian region, Michelle Phong reports.
China has enjoyed a double-digit growth of GDP for roughly two decades, and an affluent group has also developed rapidly as a mass of ready-to-pay consumers. They become the crucial buying force in the fast-expanding Chinese retail market, feeding the influx of international brands as well as emerging domestic designer labels.
Ma Ke, a graduate of Suzhou Institute of Silk Textile Technology, is regarded as a talented Chinese home-grown designer.
Ma Ke’s models posing as “still statues” in her Wuyong collection at 2007 Paris Fashion Week and new collection of Ma Ke’s Exception for fall 2008 (two on the right) |
The 37-year-old was the first mainland Chinese designer to take part in the Paris Fashion Week. Her collection, themed Wuyong (meaning "useless"), was presented at the 2007 edition of the show.
The originality of Ms Ma impressed the overseas fashion scene and she was later invited to be a guest designer at the Mode à Paris in June 2008, an international fashion week in Paris, where she showcased a new collection of haute fashion.
She explained that the label was her new attempt to further explore the field of contemporary art and to search for a deeper meaning of life.
For the past 10 years, she has been developing her ready-to-wear label, Exception, which targets a wider audience in China. There are currently 58 shops of Exception in major cities of the country.
Hao Qiu |
Another rising Chinese designer Hao Qiu is a 30-year-old Shanghainese who had won The Woolmark Prize in 2008. Mr Hao attended Central Saint Martins College in London after graduating in interior design at Suzhou University, China. Featuring sharp tailoring and smooth deconstruction in a largely monochromatic color palette, his collection has been spotted and marketed by high-end boutiques in Paris, according to The Woolmark Company.
Walter Ma |
Hong Kong-based high-fashion designer Walter Ma has observed that Chinese designers are learning fast. He said that China was successful in increasing wealth at a fast pace over the years, but original design and creativity would take time and space to develop.
Taste speaks for the brand
Mr Ma was speaking to ATA Journal at the "Business of Design Week" fair held in Hong Kong last December. Owning four labels, including one that bears his own name, he first established his own label in the 1970s and witnessed the development of China's fashion scene for the past decades.
"People always say that mainland China is like what Hong Kong was some 10 years ago," Mr Ma said, "but the mainland may not need a decade to advance and enter the international fashion hall of fame."
"What the Chinese designers need is capture the changing tastes of the affluent people in the country and constantly present them with new items that will make them feel moved," said Mr Ma.
In the meantime, the ability to balance the two sides of the coin - creation and financing returns - is another critical issue for the long-term success of any brand. Mr Ma highlighted his personal touch in some pieces in a line, while there are also easy-to-carry items for customers to meet their daily needs from work to party and leisure activities.
A young street fashion designer from Hong Kong, Koyo William Cheung built up his own denim label in 2003. His jeans and denim clothing as well as leisure wear are available in the major cities globally, from Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo, London and early this year, Paris at the department store of Galeries Lafayette.
With a few years' experience in China, Mr Cheung believed that Chinese designers are picking up what it takes to shine at a fast pace.
Closing the gap
In a recent report released by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) examining Hong Kong's fashion design services industry, it was noted that Milan, Paris, London and New York are often recognised as fashion design hubs, since they house a number of renowned fashion brands and fashion designers and serve as a trendsetter.
Considering these criteria, it will take China some time to reach the same height. Nonetheless, Mr Cheung believed that the booming time for Chinese designers is near, as global fashion trends are converging.
Recent work of Koyo William Cheung |
"Under the influence of globalization, fashion trends worldwide are getting similar," Mr Cheung said. "More international fashion brands have entered the China market. The popular use of the Internet has also enabled the Chinese designers to gain more exposure overseas. In the next three to five years, mainland and Hong Kong designers will be able to exert a bigger influence on the regional fashion scene in Asia."
While only time can tell us how long it will take the Chinese designers to assume a pioneering, or even avant garde role on the supply side, consumer tastes will always be a critical factor on the demand side.
Retail scene
Marks & Spencer launches antimicrobial hygiene product
Marks & Spencer (M&S), an established textile chain based in the UK, has joined forces with Sanitized AG, a specialist for antimicrobial hygiene protection, to jointly launch their first product.
The top-selling sock line Europe-wide "M&S Freshfeet" is now treated with Sanitized Silver and carries the "Sanitized – More than clean" quality seal since last September. Sanitized Silver helps prevent growth of bacteria responsible for odour development.
Sanitized Silver fulfils all M&S standards, including its "Plan A". The fact that Sanitized does not use any "nano-silver" was also an important criterion for M&S. The Sanitized product is bluesign approved and carries the Oeko-Tex Class 1 seal.
After the comprehensive development phase, the experts at Sanitized rendered active process support to all 20 sock producers operating for M&S, to guarantee a continuous high level of antimicrobial protection quality.
Reliance Retail to further expand
Reliance Retail, member of Reliance Industries (RIL) in India, announced in December 2008 that it will hasten the pace of its expansion plan in 2009, when property prices drop and commodity prices stabilize.
The company reportedly commented that it will wait for another six months to book properties in second- and third-tier cities as it expect lease rentals and property prices to fall another 25%-30%. In bigger cities, the company expected consumer demand to regain momentum in first six to ten months of 2009.
Reliance Retail today operates 700 stores in over 60 cities in India.
A McKinsey report said that organised retailing represented about 5% of the estimated $350-billion Indian retail market. A number of Indian textile and garment makers, such as Aditya Birla group, Bharti and Reliance Retail, have established their own retail operations in the past few years to capture the market opportunities.
US retailers facing hardship
US retailers can no longer enjoy expansion fueled by easy debt of consumers and the industry will face a major and painful correction in 2009. It was expected to bring negative impact to retailers of apparel and other commodities.
When consumers feel uneasy to spend, they hold the expenditure on apparel and other commodities which consumption can be delayed. Hence, New York consulting firm Strategic Resource Group, forecast some 200,000 stores and 2,000 to 3,000 malls to close in the United States this year.
Other economists were less pessimistic.
The International Council of Shopping Centers anticipated shop closings of around 150,000 this year. Remaining retailers can thus expect rising retail space vacancies, dropping rents and cheaper properties. The Council estimated to see new shop openings in the country between 105,000 and 110,000 stores this year, down from around 125,000 in recent years.
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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