Chic nurtures its fashion segments

By

Bruno Joly

Published
Mar 22, 2013

Chic (China International Clothing & Accessories Fair) of Beijing will open its doors on March 26. Like many trade shows, the Beijing event has been trying over the years to segment its offer and promote fashion sections alongside its traditional national pavilions. For this current session, denim, men's bespoke and designer fashion will be front and center stage.

Sponsored by the giant Chinese denim company Junan, the Junan Jeansworld section will showcase brands of the group named after its hometown. The same hall will also host brands such as Tom Tailor and Lee Cooper. In men's wear, event organizers decided to talk up made-to-measure clothing with the new Bespoke area. The show also has a new designer area, Pure Design, which includes mainly Chinese designers such as Xuewei Wu, Wu Xuekai, Zihan Lin, Ding Youqiao, Huangfu Qilan. These sections are being billed as main events, dovetailing with meetings or forums to facilitate meetings between buyers and brands. “Service to companies is growing in importance,” said Gérard Rudin, head of the China mission of the French Federation of Women’s Ready-to-wear. And while Chic only has an annual session, the Chic Young Blood show for young fashion in October is now a supplement to the original show. The organizers had also announced in this publication the upcoming launch of a virtual trade show. Dubbed E-Chic, eight hundred square meters of show space will present developments in new technology, a B2B e-commerce platform that is scheduled to be unveiled at the fair.

In terms of international exhibitors, about 50 French brands will make the trip with some fifteen new participants. “We have a partner for the north east region and our goal is to find partners in the areas of Beijing and Shanghai so we can also take orders on site,” said Jean-Marc Bouaziz from Virginie Castaway. In the French pavilion — Paris Forever — exhibitors include Axara, Bill Storm, Berenice, Didier Parakian and knits from St. James. Like last year, the Italians are the heavyweights among the Europeans, with 90 companies participating. Plus, this year the Mare d'Amare trade show is bringing fifteen beachwear and lingerie companies. The Germans, led by its powerhouses Gerry Weber and Marc Cain, will be represented by 26 labels.