A total of 7,244 visitors from 42 countries and regions passed through the doors from 13 – 15 March 2013. Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, Ms Wendy Wen, was pleased with the results of the show as it wrapped up. “We continue to position Interstoff Asia Essential not just as a sourcing fair, but as an event where buyers, exhibitors and designers can get the latest updates and ideas in design and trends, new technologies and eco-friendly products and processes,” she said. “The quality of exhibitors that choose to showcase their fabrics and accessories here, as well as the big-name international buyers who source from them, supports our belief that Hong Kong is the perfect place in Asia to achieve these aims.”

Exhibitors satisfied with calibre of buyers

This year, a total of 229 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions took part in the fair, including from China, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, Macau, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand. A lot of these exhibitors come to Hong Kong to take advantage of the major fashion brand buying houses that are located here. “Many of the international brands have their buying offices in Hong Kong,” said Mr Tsuyoshi Osada from Kowa Company Ltd of Japan. “They are interested in what we have to offer. The number of visitors to our booth has been good,” he explained on the final day of the show.

This sentiment was shared by Mr James Nam, President of NK Fabric from Korea. “This is my second time here and business has been better at the fair this year than last year,” he commented. “We met over 100 different customers including Abercrombie & Fitch, Donna Karan, Marks & Spencer, Next, Target and Zara, and they were interested in placing orders.”

Gaining access to European buyers is another reason many exhibitors choose to participate in this fair. One such company is Teijin Hong Kong Ltd which, among many other things, produces advanced fibres and composites. “We focus mainly on European markets, with a small proportion of our business in China” said Mr Alvin Chan. “This is the third year we have exhibited at the fair, and overall it helps us to gain new customers from European markets.”

Ms Susan Yu, Sales Manager for Zhejiang Phoenix Village Textile Co Ltd from China was also satisfied. “I met with Hong Kong garment exporters here; in fact most of them have export businesses in Europe and the US and have specifically asked for our fabrics,” she said. Ms Yu also found the business matching service very useful, saying she could “have a detailed talk with the buyers and better understand their requirements.”

Increasingly, exhibitors are seeing this fair as the perfect opportunity to meet eco buyers. Everest Textile Co Ltd from Taiwan, which specialises in eco products, is one such company. “We see the fair as a good chance to sustain our eco brand image and maintain relationships with old customers,” said Ms Julia Kao.

Buyers to Interstoff Asia Essential were also pleased with the opportunities presented to them. Ms Olivia Wildes, Design Manager for Kate Spade has been to the show a few times before. “I came to meet some of our existing vendors from Taiwan, and I also discovered some new China mills that will be really good for us,” she said. “It’s always good to come to one place to see if I can discover something new. I’ve found some good leads on what I'm looking for here.”

The sentiment of finding everything in one place was shared by Ms Liza Lam, Vice President of Asia Sourcing at Charming Shoppes Inc. “We joined the business matching programme here to meet with exhibitors from the Shaoxing County pavilion. It’s good that I can see them all here in a one-stop shop meeting, and it helps introduce us to some new suppliers by going direct to the manufacturers,” she commented.

While Ms Amy Mann, Senior Testing Manager for Ann Taylor Sourcing Far East Limited, appreciated the range of eco fabrics suppliers. “This fair contains very rich elements in terms of exhibitors, especially those with eco materials,” she said, adding that the seminar programme also encouraged her to visit the show frequently.