The curtains have closed on Fashion Hong Kong’s pop-up store in Milan organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), bringing to a close three weeks of publicity and brand exposure in Italy’s vibrant fashion and design market.
The pop-up store ran from 7 to 30 March at Milan’s Corso Garibaldi - a major shopping street known for its mix of historical charm and modern trends and home to many of Italy’s most famous boutiques. Original Hong Kong-designed products featured in the store included apparel, accessories, jewellery, and footwear.
Four Hong Kong fashion designers showcased apparel hot off the London Fashion Week catwalks where, just a few weeks earlier, they had created a buzz among UK and international buyers, media and fashion enthusiasts.
Lifestyle products from Hong Kong designers such as eyewear, coffee and tea sets, and furniture, were also eagerly met by buyers, influencers and local design insiders.
Sustainable materials formed a focus of the products on show with several brands utilising sustainable materials such as bamboo, to create products as varied as handbags and tables.
Market initiatives
Many of the designers were on hand to share their brand stories and product concepts with local media and buyers at events held in the store, including a reception supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels. A delegation of Hong Kong designers also visited local retail outlets and met with local commerce and trade agencies to deepen their understanding of developing trends in the Italian and broader European markets.
This was the first Fashion Hong Kong pop-up store to be held in Italy and comes after previous Fashion Hong Kong initiatives in major fashion centres, including New York, London, Paris, Copenhagen, Tokyo and Seoul.
After Milan, the momentum will continue with another pop-up store running at the HKRI Taikoo Hui shopping mall in Shanghai to 6 April, bringing collections from 7 Hong Kong brands to delight the city’s fashion-lovers.
