Trend forum set to inspire
Buyers at Interstoff Asia Spring will find a rich source of inspiration in the trend forum showcasing fashions for men and women.
Three designers from different countries and with varying style directions created the clothes using exhibitors' fabrics and accessories.
The designers are Vannina Vesperini, a Parisian of Corsican origin, Marco de Rivera of Honduras who is also based in Paris, and Danny Hu, of Hong Kong. All are members of the International Designers' Network, an association of fashion experts which brings designers and manufacturers together.
'We really wanted to promote a designer representing the Far East and we chose one from Hong Kong because of 1997,' Olivia Hui, a founding director of IDN, said. 'The other two are most distinctive designers. Marco is really creative and Vesperini is very good at lingerie and women's evening wear.' Presented together as the Fashion Fabric Connection, their collections will include nearly 50 outfits displayed on mannequins.
'It's a static display in the centre aisle of the exhibition hall so that, instead of just seeing models walking on the stage, people can actually go up to the garments and feel them and really examine the fabrics,' Katy Lam, trade fair manager, said.
Exhibitors sent in textile samples and an initial selection was made by GFT International, which produced the collection for two of the designers. 'We received all types of fabric so we chose the most trendy ones,' Frank Fleischer, managing director of GFT, said.
Swatches were sent to the designers for them to develop a collection and GFT has produced 14 outfits for Vesperini and 15 for De Rivera, according to their designs. Danny Yu is handling his own collection of 17 outfits.
Yu is chief designer at Trend Universe where he has developed women's collections under the labels Danielle Arnoux, D. A and Yu.
Vesperini supplies lingerie and lounge wear to prestigious retailers like Bergdorf Goodman in New York and Joyce in Hong Kong.
For the past four years, Marco de Rivera has been working on the Sa Fille labels of Korean designer Lee Young-hee, providing design assistance and art direction for shows. He will present a functional woman's silhouette based on simple shapes and cuts, utilising the technical qualities of the fabrics.
