Hong Kong's Best and Brightest

Opens New York Fashion Week to Standing-Room Audiences

On Friday, February 7, the "Studio" in New York's Bryant Park marked the first day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week for Fall 03 with a showcase of collections from seven of Hong Kong's most acclaimed and dynamic couturiers: Annie Ling, Blanc de Chine, Bleu de Chine, Dorian Ho, Flora Zhang Tian Ai, Harrison Wong, and Hidy Ng. The diverse collections from this talented group displayed sharply contemporary sensibilities and vivid East-meets-West eclecticism, drawing an enthusiastic response from the assembled standing-room-only crowd.

Annie Ling's fall collection opened the show with a series of fun and fabulous neo-gothic ensembles, followed by sister labels Blanc de Chine and Bleu de Chine. The latter two offered contrasting yet complementary reinterpretations of traditional Chinese garments: Blanc de Chine emphasizing austerity and elegance, and Bleu de Chine offering a more active, casual appeal. Then came Dorian Ho's opulent, ballet-inspired line, which he has dubbed "Black Swan"¡Ða parade of sumptuously glamorous evening gowns and formalwear bedecked with luxurious plumage. Flora Zhang Tian Ai's exuberant collection, inspired by the signs of the Western Zodiac and used exotic fabrics and textiles, showed why she is beloved by fashion-forward urbanites from London to Bangkok. Harrison Wong, displaying his second collection (and his first for the Fall season), showed why he was awarded Young Designer of the Year at 1996's Hong Kong Fashion Week, with thoroughly modern flapper-inspired garments bearing vintage sass and sexiness of the Jazz Era. The show came to a rousing climax with Hidy Ng showing the debut collection of her self-named HIDY NG line, inspired, like Harrison Wong, by nostalgia for the past¡Ðin this case old Hollywood and the great divas of classic cinema.

The show represents the third time that the Hong Kong Trade Development Council has showcased Hong Kong's fashion talent and innovation at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. This year, MetroTV's much-watched "Full Frontal Fashion" ran extensive coverage of the show, celebrating its striking eclecticism and sophistication, while a special report on CNN's "The Biz" featured HKTDC's Regional Director for the Americas, Robin Chiu, interviewed by host David Haffenreffer on the emergence of Hong Kong as a creative force in fashion.

"Leveraging on our strength as a world renowned production and sourcing base for fashions, Hong Kong's designers have become an integral part of the global fashion business. They are now capable of asserting themselves in a sophisticated market like the U.S., and our third participation in the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week gave them the exposure they deserve," said Chiu. "The strong reaction to the show speaks volumes about the talent of our designers and the quality of their work."

Many buyers, who came to see the collections, were "highly impressed" by the new styles and the fabrics used. "The collections were very nice and unique. These are the kind of products that have a good appeal," said Michelle Henley, a partner at the New York-based The Source Showroom.

Hong Kong's designers also felt that the show had provided them with good visibility in the U.S. market. Designer Dorian Ho was particularly pleased with the overall response from U.S. audiences, who acknowledged that Hong Kong collections are making a mark on global markets. "I am quite happy with the response at the show, where I was approached by many media and industry people interested in my collections," said Ho. Other designers reported similar experiences at the show.