The 5th edition of the Macao Fashion Festival kicks off this Thursday, with local designers showcasing their creations at The Venetian Macao, as part of the Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) which also takes place this week.
The director general of the Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center (CPTTM), Mr Shuen Ka Hung, said the festival is intended to boost Macau’s fashion industry, providing an opportunity for designers to showcase their collections and to build a network which will allow them to take their brands overseas.
“The government has stepped up its efforts to promote the development of cultural and creative industries, and we have increased the number of fashion shows featuring local designers to three in total,” he said in a press conference on Friday.
This year’s edition of the Macao Fashion Festival takes place between Thursday and Sunday (October 26), at the same time and venue of MIF. Ms Victoria Kuan, senior manager at CPTTM, revealed that 64 local fashion designers will present their creations, including clothes, jewelry and other accessories.
Seven of these designers already have a brand, she added.
The festival’s program features two fashion seminars, six fashion shows, and an exhibition showcasing 13 collections from fashion designers. The festival also comprises of designers from Taiwan and mainland China.
The opening performance of the Macao Fashion Festival, “Style – A moment of encounters,” is organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC). It showcases the creations of seven local designers, who have been granted with the 2013 Subsidy Program for Fashion Design on Sample Making.
“They will display 64 sets of stylish outfits which they have meticulously designed and produced, including men’s sweaters, casual wear and leathers, as well as women’s formal evening dresses, fashionable women’s clothing and wedding gowns,” Mr Leong Ieng Va, acting chief of IC’s Department for the Promotion of Cultural and Creative Industries, revealed.
The IC is looking to help promote Macau’s designers creations locally by organizing fashion shows, which serve as a platform to introduce their products to the market. Leong Ieng Va said they have already launched the 2014 subsidy program, “to continue [supporting] local fashion designers.”
He added that the IC is also looking into the possibility of providing subsidies to help designers promote their creations abroad. CPTTM’s director general said that local designers’ work has become more professional over the years, and that they also intend to help them promote their brands outside Macau.
If investments are needed, Leong recalled that Bank of China, the festival’s banking partner, provides loans to local fashion designers interested in expanding or launching their brands.
The Macao Fashion Festival is also intended as a platform for designers to exchange ideas and experiences with professionals from other regions, hoping to expand the reach of the local fashion industry and brands.
The Macao Fashion Festival is organized by CPTTM and the Macao Trade Investment and Promotion Institute (IPIM).
Lack of human resources
The director general of the Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center (CPTTM), Mr Shuen Ka Hung, told journalists on Friday that despite the recent evolution of the Macau fashion industry, there is still a lack of human recourses and facilities with which to produce clothing and accessories. He recalled that after Macau’s handover to China, factories in the city closed and relocated to the mainland. CPTTM launched training programs for fashion designers, which he said helped to revitalize the industry. However, “when it comes to sewing and producing clothing, we need more space and human resources. That’s what we are lacking,” he said.
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