The first spring run of the revamped Interstoff Asia staged at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre last week was characterized by a high level of internationality and an enthusiastic business mood - felt by both exhibitors and visitors alike.
Ms Annie Ma, Group Manager for Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, said, "Interstoff Asia has evolved into a premiere marketing and sourcing platform for fashion fabrics, functional textiles and garments."
"The feedback from the industry is excellent. Many exhibitors commented on the high quality of the buyers that came to their booths. The revamped Interstoff Asia seems to attract the right people at the right time," she said.
Hani Debs, VP and Director of Sales for Debs Corporation, the Japanese manufacturer, agrees: "The show's new concept fits our own strategy perfectly, our company offers fashion textiles that feature functions as well as innovative designs."
"The results are excellent," said Laurent Kasparian, GM for Marey Textile, a French company.
Among the visitors, many were representatives from world leading retailers, fashion chains and design houses. High-end fashion and casual wear labels sourcing on-site included Abercrombie & Fitch, Ann Taylor, Burberry, Burlington, Calvin Klein, Coach, Donna Karan, Eddie Bauer, French Connection, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Laura Ashley, Liz Claiborne, Polo Ralph Lauren, Timberland, Tommy Hillfiger and Zegna.
Other well known brands were also present such as Bossini, Carrefour, Coles Myer, Dockers, Disney, Esprit, G2000 Gap, Giordano, H&M, IT, Izzue, J C Penney, Joyce, Karstadt Quelle, Levi Strauss, Macy's, Marks & Spencer, Mastina, Mexx, Sara Lee, Sears, Target, Tesco, Walmart.
Sportswear and undergarment brands including Fila Sport, Jockey, Lotto Sport, Nike, Quicksilver, Triumph, Victoria's Secret and Wacoal were there too.
The number of buyers from overseas accounted for 29 percent of the total. The top overseas visiting countries and regions were Australia, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Macau, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, the UK and the USA.
A total of 276 exhibitors from 11 countries & regions were present at the show, including 18 Taiwanese companies exhibiting under the ?mazing Taiwan?pavilion, a group of 30 Korean companies showcasing their products under the heading ?ynamic Korea?and companies from Pakistan. Feedback from the pavilions' participants was very positive.
"After analysing of our textile export figures, we have realized that there is plenty of room for improvement and international shows such as Interstoff Asia are excellent tools to help us increase our global visibility," said Yoon, VP of the Korean Fashion Textile Association.
Justin Huang, Secretary General of the Taiwan Textile Federation agrees: "Many Taiwanese functional textiles manufacturers were present at the show and they were very satisfied with the contacts they have made. Some buyers came to their booth after seeing the demonstration area."
After the success of the eco-labelling exercise launched at Interstoff Asia Autumn 2005, exhibitors that can offer environmentally-friendly products were once again highlighted by an especially designed logo. The 'leaf' logo clearly appealed to these specialized manufacturers.
"Our silk products are environmentally-friendly and we found the eco-textiles concept very useful to highlight our products to the visitors interested in such items," said Keith Lam, Sales Manager for K & F Textile, an exhibitor from Hong Kong.
The next Interstoff Asia will run from 4 - 6 October 2006 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centrea and will be held concurrently with Source It - an ASEAN event in Hong Kong.
