Macao Fashion Gallery | Local brands showcase collections

Jane Chan (left), Victoria Kuan (center) and Jade Leong

The Macao Fashion Gallery kicked off its first series of “Brand Story – Macau Original Fashion Exhibition”, which showcases garments designed by Macau based brands.

The first series features Macau based brands Macon and Jade.L. The first has established a business in China’s online retail Tmall, while the second has opened a store in Macau. 

Macon and Jade.L are currently exhibiting 15 of their new designs on the upper floors of the gallery. The theme of Macon’s exhibition is “Young Traveler on the Road”, while Jade.L’s theme is “Safety Corner”.

The exhibition will be held in three phases, and is organized by the Cultural Bureau and Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center (CPTTM).

Six local fashion labels have been selected to participate.

Each label will design their own display area at the gallery, deploying various sets of style and elements such as paintings and elements to present their collections.

Local brand Macon was established in 2013 and is currently targeting the mainland Chinese market. Macon’s designer and creative director Jane Chan told the Times that this is due to the neighboring region’s greater demand for fashion.  Yet the company, owned by a factory firm, also sells its items in several pop-
up stores and showrooms.

The market is competitive for Macon as it operates on an online platform which is already home to around 9,000 fashion brands, according to Chan.

Chan commended Macau for offering a substantial subsidy to aspiring Macau based designers, unlike neighboring regions.

Jade Leong, owner of Jade.L, echoed the same sentiments. She said her MOP150,000 subsidy from the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) had enabled her to launch her own brand, as well as a store in a shopping mall in Macau.

Thanks to CPTTM’s assistance, Leong also has consignment products in the Macau Fashion Gallery.

However, Leong admitted that it could be problematic for designers to launch their own store, citing high rental.

“It will be easier for us local designers to start [our] own business because there are government subsidies, but there are still many challenges for us, such as rental and the [limited market],” Leong said.

“Many local brands can’t have their own stores, so it will be more difficult for designers to operate their businesses. We can only produce small quantities of each piece, so the cost is very high,” the designer added.

Meanwhile Victoria Kuan, senior manager of the Creative Fashion and Image Department at CPPTM, shared that Macau designers have become more advanced in terms of fabric selection, workmanship and the presentation of their designs.

This, she said, was the reason the center decided to open a showroom for Macau based designers to present their masterpieces to residents and visitors.

“At least they have their own room and do what they want. They can expose themselves,” Kuan continued.

“We have so many young designers who really have the knowledge, and now is the time for us to bring them to many cities to showcase their talents and business.”

Kuan revealed that Macon and Jade.L have registered their collections at the Centerstage, a fashion event that will take place in Hong Kong this September.

The group will also join a government-backed trip to Shenzhen later this year to promote Macau’s local products.