The Centrestage 2023 was a little shorter because the trade fair and the rest of the city had to be closed for one day due to black rain. But the impressions were still overwhelming. Last year (the first big event after the pandemic) 200 brands presented themselves at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The collections were brought to life in numerous shows. The setting: super modern, thanks in part to digital installations by CLO Virtual Fashion.
Before we get into the 2024 edition, here is a Centrestage review of last year:
MY FAVORITE BRANDS
Soulmatte // plant based handbags
Ellis inherited her craftsmanship and enthusiasm for bags from her father, who made leather bags all his life. But leather was not an issue for Ellis. She wanted to create a brand that matched her core values and personal style. That’s why she chose a vegan alternative for her bag collection and produces her gorgeous, PETA-certified bags from cactus leather. And where? In her father’s former factory, which he passed on to his talented employees. A perfect match: her artfully printed Tencel cloths. Find out more now and follow @soulmatte.earth.
Róu So The Label // feminine-integrative
Sophie Cheng founded her sustainable label in Hong Kong in 2021. She produces her relaxed, elegant dresses, skirts and jackets made from mainly natural, recycled and leftover fabrics for a wide range of sizes and body shapes. The color palette? Wonderfully understated. Sophie studied in Los Angeles and worked with well-known designers before deciding to escape the usual practices of the fashion industry and start her own sustainable label. Good to know: “Róu” means “soft” and “gentle” and symbolizes the label’s attitude towards its products, customers and the planet. More about Róu So on @rouso.thelabel
Marcch // Space between
Minimal but iconic, classic but trendy, humble but detailed. There’s not much more to say about the label from Kowloon Hong Kong – the pictures speak for themselves. Each piece of the “Space between” (how apt!) collection is a unique work of art. After Louis won the Merit Award at the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designer Contest (YDC) in 2019, he designed clothes for various brands until he launched his debut label Marcch in 2023. Here he designs what he likes – completely free from external constraints. I’m already looking forward to the continuation at the Centrestage edition in September 2024. Unfortunately not much, but at least a little more on @marcch.official (I’ll try to find out more about sources in September)
MY FAVORITE SHOWS
In addition to the Designer’s Collection shows, which provide a great insight, the Redemption and Kowloon City Boy shows were the most dazzling. The latter especially due to the density of influencers.
Redress Design Award Grand Final Show
The Redress Design Award is the world’s leading competition for sustainable fashion design, educating and empowering aspiring fashion designers about circular design techniques to reduce the negative environmental impact of fashion. The grand finale took place as part of the Centrestage. The finalists showed their circular collections, selected by the jury (including Fashion Revolution co-founder Orsola de Castro). The winner was Nils Hauser from Germany. Save the date for the current edition on September 5th at 7 p.m. Hong Kong time.
MY FAVORITE TALK
Mental Health in Fashion – Advancing Mental Health and Sustainability in the Fashion Industry
Florian Müller not only organized the buyer trip to Hong Kong, Florian has years of psychotherapeutic expertise and used this to establish the Mental Health in Fashion campaign. As a fashion professional for over 20 years, he knows the stress people in the fashion industry are under.
There are no problems in fashion. People prefer to look away.
He specialized in this topic several years ago and has since given lectures on the subject at universities from Berlin to Hong Kong, at organizations (including Fashion Revolution) and at trade fairs such as Seek in Berlin or Centrestage in Hong Kong. Together with Thimo Schwenzfeier (Conscious Fashion Store Berlin) and Claudia Hofmann (Styling & Consulting), Florian brought this important topic to the Centrestage stage at the request of the HKTDC and examined the potential risks to mental health in various areas of the value chain such as design, marketing, sales or consumption. Because we must not only consider what we can do for ourselves, but for the people along the entire supply chain. Good to know: There will be a continuation here in the current edition.
There a big need for change in the fashion system. But first of all there is a need to see it. Claudia Hofmann
More about this topic on @mentalhealtinfashion and soon at greenstyle-muc.com
Many thanks to Florian Müller from Müller PR & Consulting, who brings international buyers to the Centrestage fashion fair in Hong Kong on behalf of Hong Kong Fashion Week and organizes the trip perfectly from A to Z. And also many thanks to the Centrestage fashion fair for the precisely selected business appointments with sustainable brands on site.
