Textile and Apparel Weekly April 10, 2012 EXTRACT Content: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week light lifestyle - Fashion Week achieved new breakthroughs Three major exhibitions of Chinese Textile Industry concluded The Top 20 Movers, Shakers and Decision-Makers in China Fashion Fashionable Pollution in China Malawi woos Chinese investment in cotton industry Why China's sewing machines could go silent China's textile industry in crisis Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week light lifestyle - Fashion Week achieved new breakthroughs DATE: 2012-04-10 March 24, Mercedes-Benz China International Fashion Week (2012/2013 autumn and winter series) opened in Beijing. During the nine days Fashion Week, more than 60 activities were held, of which 46 brands and institutions from home and abroad, more than 30 Chinese and foreign designers and nearly 400 designs and models rookie participated in 41 fashion publishings and entered 6 professional contest finals. Compare with the event last year, the size of the current China International Fashion Week was not only improved significantly, but also achieved new breakthroughs. This year’s China International Fashion Week showed distinctive features: the organizers increased the support for young designers, not only more and more designers had begun works on the theme of environmental protection, but also compared with previous years, this year’ s fashion week, there had been some creative release. It was worth mentioning that 14 brands on the current China International Fashion Week debut, including nine brands from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, this phenomenon made Zhejiang, following after Guangdong and Fujian, had become a new focus on participation in Fashion Week with numerous brands from this area. Source: CNTEX Three major exhibitions of Chinese Textile Industry concluded DATE: 2012-04-10 March 26 to 29 the 20th China International Clothing & Accessories Fair (CHIC 2012) was held in Beijing China International Exhibition Center (new Hall), which was co-hosted by the China National Garment Association, China World Trade Center Co., Ltd. and Textile Industry Branch of China International Trade Promotion Council. The expo covered an area of nearly 110,000 square meters, divided into 10 specialized exhibition sections for men, women, casual wear, children’s clothing, underwear, leather / fur / feather, fashion resources, boutiques, designer galleries, overseas exhibition, including more than 1,000 brands from 21 countries and regions like China, the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Greece, Turkey, Israel and other clothing brand exhibitors. There were more than 60 activities such as Jack the 8th Chinese Source: China Textile Network Company - 1 - clothing brand of the Year Award, Ruyi • 2012 China Fashion Forum, CHIC the 20th anniversary of birthday the PARTY, Korean fashion Fair (Preview in China) and other related games had more than 100,000 professional visitors to visit the exhibition. The 18th China International Textile fabrics and accessories(Spring) Fair was held in Beijing China international Exhibition Center from March 28 to 30, sponsored by the China National Textile and Apparel Council, co-hosted by Textile Industry Branch of China International Trade Promotion Council, China Textile Information Center and Frankfurt Expo (HK) Limited. The exposition occupied eight exhibition halls, an exhibition area of 50,000 square meters. 1284 exhibitors from 16 countries and regions brought their latest products. There were 974 domestic exhibitors, 51 more than last year, and 310 overseas exhibitors, 39 more than last year. March 29 to March 31, China International Trade Fair for Fibres and Yarns (2012 Spring ) was held in Beijing China International Trade Center 1 & 2 as scheduled, with an exhibition area of 5500 square meters, and a total of 146 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions . Source: CNTEX The Top 20 Movers, Shakers and Decision-Makers in China Fashion DATE: 2012-04-09 For the past few years, all eyes have been on China. Captivated by the country’s rapidly expanding economy, large population and seemingly insatiable appetite for luxury goods, global fashion brands have focused their efforts on the Middle Kingdom, opening glittering stores in megacities like Beijing and Shanghai, as well as fast growing middleweight cities like Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Tianjin, and hosting high-profile public relations events, from exclusive VIP dinners to famously large- scale productions like Fendi’s runway spectacular on The Great Wall. And judging from recent figures, the results have been strong. According to the Boston Consulting Group, sales of luxury fashion goods in China increased by 33 percent to $40 billion last year, while experts estimate that the country will surpass the US to become the world’s largest luxury market by 2020. Naturally, China’s emergence as a powerhouse market for fashion has given rise to a number of key figures who have been highly instrumental in driving and harnessing the spectacular momentum. Here, we present, in no particular order, The Business of Fashion’s Top 20 movers, shakers and decision makers in China fashion. They are entrepreneurs, luxury executives, PR mavens, retail experts, editors, media moguls, models, bloggers and others who each have tremendous expertise and insight in their chosen domain and, collectively, form the backbone of the country’s fast growing fashion ecosystem. SILAS CHOU, the elder statesman who has helped create billions in financial value Hong Kong tycoon Silas Chou hails from a renowned family of textile and apparel manufacturers, but it was only when he acquired Tommy Hilfiger in 1989 with associate Lawrence Stroll that he became a big player in the global fashion industry. Over the years he has invested in brands including Karl Lagerfeld and Pepe Jeans, and opened Iconix China Group, run by his daughter Veronica, which distributes fashion brands in the country. The jewel in his crown, though, is Michael Source: China Textile Network Company - 2 - Kors, which went public last year and is currently valued at over $9 billion. But his influence goes beyond acquiring and growing fashion brands. It was recently announced that he would provide financial support for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s China Exchange programme, underscoring Mr Chou’s emergence as something of an elder statesman in China fashion. MELVIN CHUA, the PR and events guru Almost all major fashion events in China are organized through Melvin Chua and his company Ink Pak Communication Group. This ex-advertising executive has a Rolodex full of names like Giambattista Valli, Kate Moss and Alber Elbaz (the latter with whom he is hosting a 10th anniversary celebration in Beijing this month). But Chua does more than just PR. He also manages the country’s top talent, including clients like actress Maggie Cheung and supermodel Du Juan. In fact, Chua is the force behind most luxury brand-celebrity partnerships in China, making him quite the man to know. HUNG HUANG, the media mogul who can make or break a young designer Sometimes called “the Oprah of China,” outspoken media mogul Hung Huang wears many hats, from television host and blogger to publisher and retailer. Although she spent her formative years in New York, she returned to Beijing in 1998 and took the helm at _Look_ magazine (now iLook), which has since become one of the most popular lifestyle titles in China. Huang also pens a weekly column for trade newspaper WWD called ChinaFile, providing insight into the workings of China’s fashion industry. But most importantly, Huang is a tireless promoter of emerging Chinese designers who she supports through Brand New China (BNC), her multi-label boutique in Beijing. She also offers an iLook/BNCscholarship for young designers in partnership with ESMOD Beijing. Indeed, if you’re a young designer in China, Ms. Huang can make you – or break you. ANGELICA CHEUNG, the leading voice of fashion in China Like her US counterpart Anna Wintour, Angelica Cheung, editorial director of Vogue China, is the country’s most influential editorial authority and educator. The Beijing University graduate and former Elle and Marie Claire editor has been in the top job at Vogue China since 2005 and if numbers are anything to go by, her power is only set to grow. Vogue China is the country’s fastest growing fashion magazine with a circulation that’s jumped from 300,000 to 700,000 since launch. Her endorsement and support is critical for any international fashion brand looking to gain visibility in the burgeoning Chinese market. JENNIFER WOO, the heiress who oversees the country’s most powerful luxury retail group As the daughter of property tycoon Peter Woo, Jennifer Woo is one of the youngest and most powerful retailers in Asian fashion. But Ms Woo’s influence goes beyond the privilege of her birth. This is a woman who has made a name as force to be reckoned with in her own right. Previously the president of Lane Crawford, Woo now oversees the operations of multi-brand designer fashion retailers Lane Crawford and Joyce, accessories specialist The Pedder Group, and brand management and distribution arm, the ImagineX Group, giving her a virtual monopoly on fashion in the region. With stores and points of sales across 50 cities in Greater China and South East Asia, all four companies achieved historic, record-breaking sales in 2011. As the Chinese luxury market continues to grow in leaps and bounds, Ms. Woo is a woman who will undoubtedly continue to shape China’s luxury retail revolution. ADRIENNE MA, the fashion e-commerce expert Adrienne Ma hails from Asian fashion royalty – she is daughter of legendary fashion retailer Joyce Ma, who founded concept boutique Joyce. For years, Adrienne worked alongside her mother as president of Joyce before becoming a consultant in 2008. She emerged as one of China’s first digital pioneers when she launched flash sale website Shouke.com, which was acquired by The Net-A- Porter Group in 2011 as a platform from which to build its Asia-Pacific business.