Interstoff Asia Essential Spring-2014, a leading trade event for cutting-edge fabrics was held from March 19 to 21, 2014 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Over 220 exhibitors showcased a broader range of fashionable, functional and eco fabrics and garment accessories at the event this year.

The four well-received country and region pavilions from China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan were present once again, while the first two increased in size by 13 per cent in total. Wilmet Shea Deputy General, Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) revealed that there were 221 exhibitors this year compared to 229 in the last summer show and 175 in the September show. Shea said, “The visitor turnout on the first day was 1,800 which included China, Japan, Korea, Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan though overall number of buyers during three day event expected was over 7,000. There VIP delegations from China, Saudi Arabia among other locations also graced the event with their presence.” Moreover, the Accessories Zone saw a larger presence with new exhibitors offering visitors a wider selection of products.

Showcasing upcoming trends
The fair provided meaningful insights into upcoming fashion trends and advanced technologies apart from the latest fabrics and blends. The Fabrics to Fashion Walk had a series of fashion parades featuring nine up-and-coming designers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan this year.

Another first was ‘Spotlight on Hong Kong’, the first catwalk show, featuring Hong Kong designers and brands, including Binar by Erik Cheung, Kenax Leung, Losting by Ostin Lo, SKETCHΔROUND and WH. The second fashion parade ‘Snapshot of Macau and Taiwan’ displayed creative works from Estawom, L.A.C.Y. and Worker Playground came to life under the spotlight, co-organized by the Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Centre and the Taiwan Textile Federation. MODÈLE de PRUDENCE featured alone in the third parade: ‘Harmony & Conflict by MODÈLE de PRUDENCE’.

Hong Kong, the fashion hub
One of the main highlights of the event was the announcement by Felix Chung, Member of Legislative Committee during the dinner session that John Tsang, Chief Financial Officer with government of Hong Kong had approved the presentations made by Cheng on promoting Hong Kong as a fashion hub and boosting fashion in the city.

Seminars on latest trends
The event also held ‘Design and Trends’ seminars by well-known experts and leading trend forecasters. The seminars covered megatrends, men’s and women’s wear trends, and fashion trend applications in the Mainland China market. Speakers at the Innovation Technology seminars were fibre suppliers, such as Lenzing Fibers (Hong Kong) and Bayer Material Science, and shared their practical experience with the audience. Integration of the most advanced technologies into textiles was seen at the Research and Education Zone, where special displays and fabric samples were displayed. Further, the Designers’ Studio featuring award winning outfits from the EcoChic Design Awards, sponsored by Redress demonstrated how to minimize waste in fashion designs. It also featured innovative garments from Lenzing Fibres (Hong Kong), 12 outfits designed by six Hong Kong designers/brands that were featured in the Fabrics to Fashion Walk. The Research and Education Zone at the event was joined by a new partner this year. The Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI) displayed latest technologies on research and development for textiles.

Trend Forums: Spring/Summer 2015 trends
The Trend Forum was back with a new format featuring a fashion showcase and parade for the first time. Designed by the Directions Trend Committee comprising of four leading trend forecasters from New York, Milan, Paris and Tokyo, the Forum gave participants a better understanding of the trends that would be popular next season by utilizing fabrics sponsored by exhibitors.