Chic Shanghai trade show caters to growing Chinese apparel consumption

Chic Shanghai, China's leading fashion trade show, will be staged at the Shanghai National Exhibition and Convention Center from September 25 to 27. The show’s autumn edition is usually less extensive than the March one, and this year it will feature some 690 companies across a 60,000 m2 exhibition area, while the trade war between China and the USA is still looming in the background.

The organisers, Beijing Fashion Expo and China World Exhibitions, underlined that “despite the trade dispute with the USA, the Chinese market continues to grow.” They indicated that apparel sales on the domestic market are increasing by 3.5% in 2019, and are set to reach $5.3 billion for the full financial year. According to Nielsen, the Chinese apparel market will be as large as the USA’s from 2021. Enough to encourage Chic Shanghai to continue its evolution, from an event originally focused on apparel sourcing from China to an increasingly important meeting point for local and foreign labels and their potential distributors on the Chinese market.

Chic Shanghai will feature the same sections as in the past: Urban View for menswear and New Look for womenswear; Heritage, dedicated to leather and fur; the designer section, Impulse Showroom; the accessories section, Secret Stars, and the section focusing on Bags & Shoes. Plus of course, Fashion Journey, dedicated to international fashion. In addition, there are four ‘shows-in-show’: Chic Young Blood, dedicated to emerging labels; Chic Kidz, for childrenswear; a more upmarket section, Chic Tailoring, and the Korean Preview in China section.

The Chinese market is no exception in terms of its consumers’ growing orientation towards sustainable fashion. Well aware of this, Chic has introduced the Sustainable Zone, a section present both in the show’s entrance hall and close to the Chic Fashion Forum. Sustainable fashion will also feature as a theme of some of the conferences that will be staged during the show. Among the other industry issues covered, the development of a bespoke fashion range, the role of AI and big data for manufacturers, and the evolution of China’s distribution structure, both offline and online.

A year ago, Chic Shanghai attracted 58,400 visitors, having brought forward its dates from mid-October to the end of September, in order to slot in earlier in the seasonal calendar, just a week after the Parisian trade shows. The same date change was made by the neighbouring Intertextile show, which once again will be held in parallel with Chic Shanghai on September 25 to 27, and expects some 4,400 exhibitors.

Chic Shanghai trade show caters to growing Chinese apparel consumption

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