F. B. I. members Erin Wieczorek, Susan Brandt, Korena Ellis and I had the opportunity to attend Hong Kong’s Fashion Week and World Boutique this past January.  It was a huge and well-attended event.  Taking over most of the five floors of display space in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, there was truly something for everyone.  Susan Brandt was hoping to find one or more fabric suppliers for a new product she’s developing.  Korena Ellis and Erin Wieczorek were also looking to develop new products and find potential manufacturing and sales resources.  I was intent on enjoying this unique opportunity and hoping to gain a better understanding of the global markets for supply and demand.  

The World Boutique, Fashion Week and all of the activities, seminars and fashion shows related to these events were exceptionally well-executed.  A big round of applause goes to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) for putting on such a well organized show.  An entire floor was dedicated to Mainland China sourcing with other floors and areas dedicated to a variety of merchandise and sourcing opportunities.  It truly was a global market place with attendees from all over the world.  Asia, to be expected as well as Australia, New Zealand and India were all well represented, as were buyers from the Americas and Europe.  

As has come to be expected, the fashion shows were the major highlights of Fashion Week, with the spotlight shining on Vivienne Westwood’s Thursday night show.  Other shows included Taipei In Style, William Tang/MARCCAIN by William Tang, La Mer by Ali Charisma (see photos above), Global Sphere by Ika, Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers, Moiselle, International Designers Show and an incredible Knitwear show.  

The Vivienne Westwood show was an invitation only event and the invitations were hard to come by.  Luck was not on our side, but from all of the press and photos, it looked to be a fantastic event.  Ms. Westwood’s husband, Andreas Kronthaler, Creative Director and Christopher di Pietro, Marketing & Merchandising Director  - both of Vivienne Westwood - presented a seminar on “Vivienne Westwood Kingdom Decoded” concentrating on how they’ve built their Asia business and are now expanding their retail sales in North America.  A special mention was made about the latest store opening in Los Angeles, the first retail shop for the iconic brand to open in 9 years.  

Of special note was the permanent HKTDC Design Gallery located next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.  This retail store is devoted to Hong Kong designers and products manufactured within Hong Kong and the New Territories.  The store sells jewelry, accessories, toys, books, games and more, highlighting some of best and brightest of Hong Kong’s up and coming designers.  What a great thought!  Maybe we can do the same for California designers?

This show is definitely worth attending for anyone looking to find manufacturing resources in Asia as well as anyone looking to sell to global markets.  The HKTDC office in Los Angeles made it easy for our members to attend with special airfare, hotel and exhibitor rates.  Hopefully, this offer will be available again.  If you have the chance, don’t miss out.  

  Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology consultant working with Fashion Business, Incorporated. Email: jill@fashionbizinc.org

Recently, Fashion Business, Inc. conducted a seminar on selling goods to foreign markets. We were fortunate to have Julia Son from Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and Bobby Hines, International Trade Specialist, from U. S. Department of Customs as our guest speakers. It was a fascinating discussion, not easily summarized in a few paragraphs, but I’ll do my best.

As I’ve talked about in previous blogs, if you’re looking to expand your customer base, perhaps you should look outside the U. S. borders. The U. S. government has a number of programs in place to help your business sell to foreign markets if, and it’s a big IF, the products you’re looking to sell are made primarily in the U. S. I won’t try to explain the details of this – go to the Office of Textile and Apparel website for more information on what types of products qualify. All products will need a certificate of origin in order to be considered for export. For mixed origin materials or manufacturing, you’ll want to check with the Office of Textile and Apparel to see if your products will qualify. NAFTA or CAFTA goods have a different set of rules and regulations, so be sure to check with the Office of Textile and Apparel regarding these qualifications.

Enough of that, The U. S. government is very happy to encourage businesses to sell internationally. Exporting goods to foreign consumers helps strengthen our economy and who doesn’t want that? The Department of Commerce has offices in over 170 countries. Some of the many purposes of these offices are to help to identify markets for your company’s products, determine the best methods to handle financial transactions, orders, shipments and more. Plus, help you make connections in the countries your looking to develop your business contacts. Looking to find out the basics of exporting? Go to http://www.export.gov/ for essential information. Want to know more? Consider purchasing A Basic Guide to Exporting available at the U. S. Government bookstore.

When I talk about exporting with some of my clients, I usually hear about all of the barriers they’ve encountered trying to create an international business. Well, that may be true. Not all countries have the same type of trade relationship with the U. S. Some of those barriers may be with a specific country, or perhaps with the type of product a company is trying to export. Your best bet is to look for countries with Free Trade agreements with the U. S. Currently, we don’t have a Free Trade agreement with India, which makes trying to export products there very difficult. You’ll have a better chance trying to sell to Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Peru, Oman, or Singapore each of which has a Free Trade agreement with the U. S. Free trade isn’t limited to these countries – remember NAFTA or CAFTA? There are plenty of trade agreements with more than 150 countries, so do some homework to find countries and markets that are right for your products.

Looking to sell your product to China? Your first stop should be Hong Kong. Why? Prospects are bright, despite the global economic downturn. The U. S. government expects Hong Kong and China to bounce back faster than the rest of the world and Asian markets are hungry for U. S. products. Hong Kong is an easy entre to Mainland Chinese markets. It has a separate legal system, currency and customs system from that of Mainland China. And, did you know, English is the official language in Hong Kong? Hong Kong has an open financial banking system. There are no foreign exchange controls. It may be easier for you to get paid through a Hong Kong company rather than a Mainland Chinese company. If that’s not enough to entice you, Hong Kong is a free port with virtually no duties or tariffs; perfect for small to medium sized firms looking to do business in Hong Kong or Mainland China. Hong Kong is the perfect stepping stone into Mainland China and the rest of Asia. Want to find out more, go to Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) for information.

One more thing, the U. S. is one of the last countries in the world still using the Imperial measurement system. Almost every other country uses the Metric system. If you plan to sell products to foreign markets, make sure you sell them in the correct unit of measure for each country. A 32″ waistband won’t get you very far in many countries.

Some important websites to visit for anyone looking to export U. S. goods:

http://www.export.gov

http://www.buyusa.gov

Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology consultant working with Fashion Business, Incorporated.  Email:  jill@fashionbizinc.org

It’s time to start looking at your business from a global perspective.  How many of you are buying or selling your products outside of the U.S.?  If not, you need to start looking at how to create a global presence for your products.  The U. S. economy is going through a lot of turmoil these days.  If 100% of your business is reliant on the U. S. economy you’d better buckle up, you may be in for a bumpy ride.  Think of the analogy of putting all of your eggs in one basket; it’s the same thing.  With global markets opening up and technology available to allow commercial transactions in multiple currencies there’s no better time to explore opportunities outside U. S. borders. 

I remember not too long ago when trying to sell or buy Canadian products was such a deterrent most apparel companies decided it wasn’t worth the effort.   Now, I can’t see why a smart business person wouldn’t welcome the opportunity to access global markets, suppliers and buyers.  If I were a buyer or manufacturer in this economy, I know I would want to spread my risk and potential reward through as many channels as possible.  When I think about how I would do this I know I need to reach as many buyers or manufacturers as possible.  U. S. tradeshows are great for U. S. buyers and suppliers, but most are not heavily attended by international buyers.  So, how would I reach an international market?  Easy.  I would look outside our borders to find global tradeshows.  The types of shows that attract buyers from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and more.  Many of these economies are doing well, buyers have deep pockets and are looking for new, exciting products.  American brands hold a great deal of cache and brands “Made in America” are always appealing to a foreign market.  If I were a retailer, I would look for exciting new trends and global brands to fill my store; things I wouldn’t find in every mainstream boutique or department store. 

So, how do I start?  How do I find international buyers for my products?  How do I find great brands or products for my stores?  How do I make connections to global manufacturers, suppliers, agents and buyers?  Hop on a plane!  Head on over to Hong Kong Fashion Week and World Boutique.  FBI is working directly with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to promote the upcoming Hong Kong World Boutique and Fashion Week January 18 – 21, 2010.  FBI and HKTDC are offering an AMAZING AIRFARE AND HOTEL DEAL to first time buyers who would like to attend Fashion Week and the World Boutique this January in Hong Kong.  Intrigued?  I’ll bet you are!  Even If you’ve attended this show before, there are some amazing hotel deals to be had through HKTDC.  Looking to exhibit instead?  There are a number of options for first time exhibitors and established brands.  There’s even a fashion show if you’re so inclined to participate. 

Please don’t wait to sign up for this global opportunity.  Email us at FBI to find out more or stop by the FBI office on December 7, at 3:00 p.m. to see a presentation from Dannie Chiu and Julia Son from HKTDC.  The primary goal of this presentation will be to discuss the upcoming Hong Kong World Boutique and Fashion Week January 18 – 21, 2010 and why it would be of benefit to attend either as a buyer or as an exhibitor.  You’ll get a better understanding of Asian and Global markets, the types of buyers, distributors, manufacturers and retailers attending the show and get the answers to all of your global questions. 

Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology consultant working with Fashion Business, Incorporated.  Email:  jill@fashionbizinc.org