CENTRESTAGE, the annual celebration of fashion organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), will stage its biggest exhibition yet with 250 brands taking part in this year’s fair, a record for the show.
The event, which is sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), will run from 4-7 September at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre, featuring fashion shows, parades and industry seminars as well as some of fashion’s best known and most iconic labels.
The exhibition will be open to the public as well as industry buyers for all four days, a first for the event. This year’s fair has been divided into five zones: Athleisure, Circular Fashion, Contemporary, Craftsmanship and Urban.
“The event will propel the development of the fashion and creative industries in Hong Kong and reinforce our city’s position as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange,” said Sophia Chong, Deputy Executive Director of the HKTDC.
CENTRESTAGE ELITES, a pre-fair fashion show at the Hong Kong Place Museum on 3 September, will set the scene with a special Home Coming show put together by celebrated Hong Kong-born designer Robert Wun.
Mr Wun’s show will also be livestreamed on multiple platforms, including the ViuTV app and Yahoo Hong Kong, the CENTRESTAGE website and HKTDC’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
This will also be the first time the Hong Kong Palace Museum has hosted a fashion show.
Mr Wun will talk about his inspiring journey at a masterclass at CENTRESTAGE on 5 September, while his creations will be on display in a dedicated exhibition area at the fair.
On CENTRESTAGE’s opening day, four renowned Hong Kong labels – ANGUS TSUI, röyksopp gakai, selfFab. and Z I D I – will take to the stage for the Fashion Hong Kong Runway Show.
In a break with the traditional runway format, film director Steve Chan will add a distinctive cinematic approach to the show. Mr Chan directed Weeds on Fire, which won the First Feature Film Initiative organised by Create Hong Kong, since rebranded as CCIDA.
Over the four days of the fair, visitors can also enjoy presentations from across Asia and the world.
A Greater Bay Area Fashion Fusion Show, also sponsored by the CCIDA, has been organised by Hong Kong non-profit Fashion Farm Foundation, while a Macao Fashion Parade has been arranged by the Macao Productivity and Technology Transfer Center.
Other notable presentations include a Thai Designers’ Showcase, put on by Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion, and a Hong Kong Kids Fashion Show from Hong Kong Kids Fashion Week.
The British Consulate General, taking part in CENTRESTAGE for the first time, will present circular fashion clothing from eight British brands. These will include Roksanda, worn by the likes of Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton.
The Singapore Fashion Council, another first-time participant, Japan’s Ueda College of Fashion, the Thailand Textile Institute and Indonesian Fashion Chamber are also supporting this year’s show, flying the flag for their own creative talent.
CENTRESTAGE also provides a stage for a variety of competitions, including the finals of this year’s REDRESS Design Award, focused on sustainable fashion, and the finalists’ show for the Young Knitwear Designers’ Contest.
The Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers Contest, set to be the grand finale of this year’s CENTRESTAGE, will take place on the last day of the show. Famed Japanese designer Masayuki Ino is joining as a guest judge, alongside a panel of industry experts.
CENTRESTAGE will be held concurrently with HKTDC’s Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and Salon de TIME.
