IN the twilight of British rule in Hong Kong, many of the Queen's subjects are turning their weary eyes back towards England, while another set are positioning themselves to invade the territory for the first time.
I speak of British fashion designers who are anxious to infiltrate the lucrative Asian market using Hong Kong as a springboard.
A British contingent, organised by the Department of Trade and Industry and the BBC's The Clothes Show, is coming to the territory for Hong Kong Fashion Week, which begins tomorrow. Spearheading the British 'invasion' are four well-known labels who entered a competition in order to win the privilege of representing their county in Hong Kong.
The four winners are Tomasz Starzewski, already an established name in London's fashion circles; Byrne Menswear, Atomic Clothing Co and Emma Hope's Shoes.
These designers, along with several other runners-up, will be touted and flouted and generally have a great fuss made about them by Jeff Banks, fashion bon vivant and co-presenter of The Clothes Show, which will be here covering the event for the folks back in Britain.
The British fashion industry has had its ups and downs after coming off its pedestal in the 60s. Back then the whole world had its eyes on London.
Starting with The Beatles and working steadily down Carnaby Street, British fashion set the standard for everything fresh and hip. New-age stores such as Biba and young designers such as Mary Quant fuelled the fire of the fashion revolution and invented a look that is still considered the epitome of British fashion in the 60s.