'We have taken part in Hong Kong Fashion Week from the very beginning and we have been able to meet new reputable clients every time,' she says. 'We are hoping for the same this year.'

The company's seven-person research and development team comes up with more than 1,500 designs every season, and its products can be found in shops in European countries including Spain, Italy, France and Germany. Its annual turnover is about US$35 million.

French textile importer and garment manufacturer FSK has taken part in Hong Kong Fashion week five times in the past seven years.

'In Hong Kong we get to meet customers from everywhere in the world - Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Europe,' says FSK export manager David Carrio. 'There are also a lot of big customers who order in large quantities.'

Mr Carrio says one of the advantages of the Hong Kong event is the city's proximity to China, a rapidly emerging and sizeable market. 'In Madrid, you might have 50 customers each buying 100 boxes,' he says. 'But in Hong Kong, there would be 10 customers each wanting 1,000.'

FSK has factories in Bangladesh, India, Turkey and China, and expects to open an office in Asia within two years.

The company employs 25 staff at its Paris headquarters and thousands of workers at its factories. Its annual turnover exceeds Euro35 million (about HK$344 million).

Countries and regions with their own pavilions are Taiwan, India, the mainland, South Korea, Macau and Thailand. Other countries represented include Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Italy, the Philippines, Turkey and the US.

Adding to the excitement again this year is World Boutique, a parallel fair now in its second year being staged in Hall 5 of the exhibition centre. World Boutique was established in response to the demand for more exhibition space for designer labels.

'Hong Kong's garment industry used to be mostly OEM [original equipment manufacturers], with clients from the US or Europe coming with their designs and asking [the OEM] to produce them,' says Anne Chick, senior exhibitions manager of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

'Now many designers from Hong Kong, such as Barney Cheng and Vivienne Tam, are well known overseas. It's time for the concept of Fashion Week to change.'

World Boutique is dedicated not just to fashion but to other lifestyle products, too. It aims to be a one-stop sourcing centre for buyers who may also be looking for a range of lifestyle items.

GOD, a Hong Kong company whose locally designed home products have made it a household name, took the opportunity of the first World Boutique to promote its BAGS line and received an 'overwhelming response', according to Benjamin Lau, company co-founder and general manager.

'We see a tremendous vision on the part of the trade development council for making the World Boutique a blend of lifestyle and fashion,' he says. 'Good designs should not have boundaries.'

The World Boutique has also attracted Swarovski, the renowned Austrian manufacturer of cut crystal, which is exhibiting for the first time. The company is also taking part in Fashion Week, as it has many times over the years.

Swarovski is sponsoring the World Boutique's hall decorations and visitors' souvenirs. It has set up a mini gallery with the theme 'Crystal Obsession' in collaboration with the Trade Development Council, and is managing its own booth.

Design collaborations with well-known names such as Roberto Cavalli, Emanuel Ungaro, Judith Leiber and Escada are exhibited.

Fashion Gallery, the World Boutique's predecessor, remains under the umbrella of Hong Kong Fashion Week as a space for OEMs with their own design-orientated labels.

Fashion shows and events such as the Hong Kong Young Designers' Contest, traditionally part of fashion week, are now being held under the umbrella of the World Boutique.

Visitors will be treated to live on-site video broadcasts of all the fashion shows, eight mini fashion parades in the fairground and a wine cellar serving New Zealand wines.