Asia’s top fashion event CENTRESTAGE opens in September

CENTRESTAGE, Asia’s premier fashion event, returns in September for its fourth edition, running from 4 to 7 September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), and sponsored by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region*, the show features some 240 brands and more than 40 fashion events, offering an ideal platform for fashion brands and designers to gain international exposure, and helping to reinforce Hong Kong’s position as a leading fashion hub in the region.

Speaking at a media preview of the event today, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau said: “CENTRESTAGE returns once again to provide a comprehensive promotional platform through which Asian fashion brands and budding designers can launch and present their latest fashion collections and connect with global buyers and fashionistas at the same time. I am happy to see a greater number of local and international fashion brands participating at this year’s CENTRESTAGE, underscoring the event’s position as Asia’s leading launch and marketing platform for fashion brands and highlighting its ability to create diverse business opportunities.”

International brands help to foster industry interaction

CENTRESTAGE 2019 will have “Future Tribes” as its central theme. The event will feature three thematic zones: ALLURE – representing craftsmanship, refinement and elegance; ICONIC – displaying avant-garde designs; and METRO – showcasing contemporary, minimalistic expressions of urban life. This year’s show will feature some 240 fashion brands, including more than 80 local brands along with international labels from Mainland China, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the United States and more. Thirty-six buying missions comprising about 1,600 international fashion buyers have been organised to visit the event, providing opportunities for designers to interact with the industry and get useful market insights.

Famous brands ANAÏS JOURDEN and ALTUZARRA stage fashion show

The spotlight opening gala show on 4 September (Wednesday), CENTRESTAGE ELITES, will see the global launch of the latest 2020 Spring collections from Hong Kong designer Anais Mak’s internationally renowned brand, ANAÏS JOURDEN, as well as acclaimed New York designer Joseph Altuzarra’s brand, ALTUZARRA.

Promoting industry development and nurturing new designers

Following CENTRESTAGE ELITES, the Fashion Hong Kong Runway Show on the evening of 4 September will feature seven local designer labels that have made an impact around the world, including 112mountainyam (Designer: Mountain Yam), DORISKATH (Designer: Doris Kath Chan), FROM ANOTHER PLANETS (Designer: Kenax Leung), HARRISON WONG (Designer: Harrison Wong), MEIKING NG (Designer: June Ng), METHODOLOGY (Designer: Glori Tsui) and YEUNG CHIN (Designer: Yeung Chin). Following their participation in international fashion weeks in New York, London, Copenhagen and Tokyo under the Fashion Hong Kong banner, these designers will present their latest collections at CENTRESTAGE, demonstrating Hong Kong’s creative prowess.

Another highlight of this year’s CENTRESTAGE will be the finals of the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest 2019 (YDC) held on 7 September (Saturday). The VIP judge for YDC 2019 is Mihara Yasuhiro, a renowned Japanese designer, who will share his insightful critiques with the finalists. The 16 shortlisted candidates will compete for five honours, including champion, first runner-up, second runner-up, the New Talent Award and Best Footwear Design Award. The winners will be announced on the same day.

Local online fashion hub FASHIONALLY.com will feature its FASHIONALLY Collection #14 fashion show on 4 September (Wednesday), presenting eight rising local fashion designers and labels. Three up-and-coming Hong Kong brands, Charlotte Ng Studio, Fake Fan and SFZ & SON, will combine art installations with fashion parades at the FASHIONALLY Presentation, providing a creative showcase for their latest collections.

Furthermore, the “Meet the Visionaries” seminar series will feature CENTRESTAGE ELITES participants Anais Mak and Joseph Altuzarra, YDC VIP judge Mihara Yasuhiro, online fashion platform GOXIP’s Vice President Marketing Michele Tardelli, and Euromonitor International’s Head of Fashion Research Jorge Martin. These fashion visionaries will share their inspirations and the latest fashion trends at the seminars, offering crucial insights to students, designers and fashionistas looking to join the industry.

Redress, a local non-governmental organisation promoting sustainable fashion, will present the Redress Design Award, the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition, on 5 September (Thursday), sponsored by CreateHK. The Knitwear Innovation and Design Society will present the Knitwear Symphony 2019 and the ninth Hong Kong Knitwear Designers’ Contest on 6 September (Friday) to promote Hong Kong’s knitwear industry.

Hong Kong in Fashion

Running from 17 August to 30 September, Hong Kong in Fashion features over 90 fashion events beyond the CENTRESTAGE fairground, collaborating with more than 90 Hong Kong fashion boutiques, restaurants, hotels and cultural landmarks to generate “fashion heat” across the city. Highlighted events include:

• A photo gallery to showcase fashion designs from fair participating brands will be staged at Fashion Walk’s Kingston Street (17 August to 1 September)
• A fashion photo exhibit will be arranged on the ground floor of Lee Theatre in Causeway Bay (23-29 August)
• A group of trendy buskers and dancers dressed in outfits created by participating fair designers will perform on the ground floor of Lee Theatre in Causeway Bay (24 to 25 August)
• A group of young dancers will perform a flash mob dance performance at Mira Place, The Mira Hong Kong hotel and on Mira Steps in Tsim Sha Tsui (25 August)
• The Mira Hong Kong hotel’s COCO café and patisserie in Tsim Sha Tsui will run limited Bombshell cake and tea set desserts with a CENTRESTAGE theme (25 August to 24 September)
• Singer Lung Siu-kwan and fashion gurus will hold a fashion and live music event at D2 Place in Kowloon (27 August)
• A fashion parade featuring professional models will be held on Paterson Street in Causeway Bay to showcase collections from the two CENTRESTAGE ELITES 2019 designers (31 August)
• A group of secondary school students will showcase their evening dress collections along with a live music performance performed by their schoolmates at Lee Tung Avenue in Wan Chai (31 August)
• A fashion-themed floristry workshop will be held at Lee Tung Avenue in Wan Chai, where participants can create their own memorabilia (31 August to 1 September).