Experts point out good times ahead for small leather goods, multi-functional bags, scarves, hats and costume jewellery - a sentiment reflected on the fairgrounds of Fashion Access, a twice-a-year international fair in Hong Kong offering a vast range of head-to-toe fashion.
“In the past few years we have seen an important development among Fashion Access exhibitors,” said Perrine Ardouin, event director of Fashion Access. “Suppliers are returning with expanded product ranges. They are offering fringe products, usually small leather goods and fashion accessories, alongside their core offer, usually bags.”
One such example is Foon Group, a bag manufacturer from Hong Kong which introduced a range of stylish, lightweight pashmina shawls and will exhibit them at the upcoming Fashion Access this September. The company's founder, Winnie Foon, says scarves are an excellent complement to her core business of bags because they serve not only a practical purpose but double as a decorative element on the bag - "as seen on the catwalks at Marni", she noted.
Ms Foon is also offering collections where the design details on the scarves and bags harmonise one another, a creative concept that she believes will win buyers' attention, especially from the lucrative China market. “Contrary to belief, buyers from China have sophisticated tastes. They come to Fashion Access because they want to source fashion collections, not just individual products. The shawls we carry, which are crafted in India by our partners and designed to complement our bag designs, offer this collection concept.”
“Fashion suppliers expanding into fringe products is not a new development, but an on ongoing trend that reflects the continued vigour of the fashion accessories business,” noted Ms. Ardouin.
Encouragingly, the numbers offer support. Research firm NPD Group Inc recently reported that the accessories market rose by 20% in the first three months of this year, driven largely by sales of handbags with an average price of around USD100. This follows a tough 2009 where the sector saw a 10% dip.
The forthcoming Fashion Access will take place 28 - 30 September 2010 in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), Wanchai.
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