CHIC prepares to 'face challenges of tomorrow's fashion business' in 2016

China's largest fashion trade fair, CHIC, is preparing to tackle the challenges of tomorrow's fashion business at its upcoming edition in March.

As the Chinese middle class continues to grow, with more citizens flocking to the country's cities, China has more affluent shoppers than ever before. According to recent research from the Credit Suisse Group, China's middle class is surpassed the size of the middle class in the United States in the middle of 2015, and currently has the second-most household wealth after the US.

This new emerging middle class is fashion conscious and keen to become a 'connoisseur' in the sense consumers are eager to develop an individual style, but not at any price. With this shift factor, CHIC is set to launch a new focus next March, which includes a detailed planning that will focus on an overall construction of brand categories.

CHIC will be split into category-specialized sections, featured area and show-in-shows to ensure visitors are offered a complete overview on fashion brands from across the globe. Sections include; Impulses, which will feature innovative designers; Prestige, which focuses on menswear; New Look, womenswear; Secret Stars, which looks at accessories, footwear and handbags as well as Kid's Paradise for childrenswear. Casualwear will be showcased within Urban View and Denim World.

A new partnership will also be unveiled as well at CHIC, which will see the KaiShi exhibition, which is linked to the Chinese Shoe Association, host a show-in-show at CHIC known as GOFL, showing case lifestyle products such as shoes, bags and leather goods. All together, 20 countries will be participating at CHIC and represent 1,200 brands showing within the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai.

Brands from France attending CHIC will be supported by the French Women's Wear Federation, and Italian brands will be aided by EMI Ente Moda Italia. The Turkish Pavilion will be support by the IDMIB, the Turkish leather wear exporters' association and for the first time at CHIC, there will also be government support offered by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland) under the organization of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel) and the General Consulate of the Netherlands in Shanghai.

CHIC will also unveil new events within its trade fair focused on new developments within the fashion industry. The trade fair will devote a large section of its event to omni-channel retailing to attract new consumers and prepare retailers for the future, whilst putting Chinese retail brands in contact with international brands to strengthen the development of multi-branded stores.

Photo: Chic 2014