Last Monday in the Convention Centre in Wan Chai, a bevy of leggy models from Eastern Europe took to the mile-long catwalk wearing clothes by Barney Cheng, a renowned designer whose clientele includes celebrities and some of the wealthiest women in the region.
Cheng's edgy designs wouldn't look out of place on an international catwalk, but the event overall failed to deliver the same buzz you would expect from a similar show in Milan or Paris. Truth be known, half of the seats remained empty despite the stellar line-up.
Hong Kong Fashion Week, which ended last Thursday and celebrated its 42nd anniversary this year, is one of the most commercially successful fashion fairs in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the Trade Development Council (TDC), it's the second-largest garment fair in the world (after the Magic Show in Las Vegas) and attracted some 1,731 exhibitors from more than 23 countries and regions this year.
In contrast, the concurrently held World Boutique, which is solely dedicated to showcasing fashion brands and designers, is a much more modest affair. Now in its ninth year, it's billed as the 'the first independent show in Asia dedicated to promoting brands ... from around the world', although it welcomed only 270 exhibitors from 14 countries - a fraction compared with the main fair.
Despite this, World Boutique always boasts a packed schedule, including group designer shows, seminars and the high-wattage Young Designer's Contest, which has welcomed high profile judges over the years such as Ennio Capasa, founder and designer of Costume National, and French designer Martine Sitbon of Rue du Mail. This year the event was even bigger.
'We've added more trend elements in addition to the series of seminars and catwalk shows,' says deputy executive director of the TDC, Benjamin Chau Kai-leung. 'We increased the number of stages from one to three. They are smaller stages for brands with smaller collections, allowing us to showcase more talent,' he says.