Home grown talent is the key to rejuvenating Hong Kong’s fashion industry
Government’s HK$500 million fund is enabling the city’s up-and-coming designers to get their work seen abroad
For a city where many people spend a lot of money on their clothing, Hong Kong has not produced too many well known fashion designers.
Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah wants to change that. In his February budget he promised to spend HK$500 million supporting design talent, with a large chunk of that earmarked for promoting local fashion designers and emerging clothes brands at home and overseas.
Kenax Leung is one of the local fashion designers to benefit from part of the windfall set aside to sponsor Hong Kong designers to attend international fashion shows in Paris in March and September this year.
There are many local designers in New York and London, and I believe Hong Kong could do the same as long as we do more promotional work
“To be able to attend the international fashion shows is very important for us as it allows our work to be seen by buyers in Paris. We can also exchange ideas with other fashion designers there,” Leung said in his studio located in the Fashion Farm Foundation workshop at D2 Place in Lai Chi Kok.
The foundation was set up in 2012 as a non-profit organisation to promote the city’s fashion industry. Besides arranging for Hong Kong designers to go overseas, it also provides a shared workshop space where eight designers have set up their studios at a lower market rent.
Fashion Farm Foundation chairwoman Edith Law said there are many talented designers in Hong Kong with the potential to compete internationally.
She said: “Hong Kong, London and New York are the three major financial centres worldwide. There are many wealthy and middle class people who like to spend on fashion. There are many local designers in New York and London, and I believe Hong Kong could do the same as long as we do more promotional work.”
