Korea, China, Japan to Open Fashion Weeks at Same Time

Seoul Fashion Week, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, will showcase spring and summer collections over seven days from Friday next week at Seoul Trade Exhibition Center in southern Seoul.

The event will open in tandem with Japan Fashion Week and China Fashion Week.

Won Dae-yeon, head of the organizing committee of Seoul Fashion Week and also the chairman of the Asia Fashion Federation, said, “I talked to the heads of fashion federations in Japan and China last month and suggested opening fashion shows over the same period. Both federations accepted my suggestion and will begin their respective fashion weeks at almost the same time.”

Japan Fashion Week will run March 22-28 and China Fashion Week March 24-30.

The simultaneous openings reflect Korea’s raised standing in the Asian fashion sector, a development that is expected to help expand the regional fashion market.

“Asia’s fashion industries are getting global attention, but this has led to practical business performances due to geographical limitations. The simultaneous openings, however, will provide a synergistic effect by allowing global fashion buyers to visit the fashion weeks of three countries at the same time,” Won said.

“Buyers, whose main sphere of activity is global fashion leaders such as France and Italy, have been reluctant to visit Korea and Japan separately, but their perception will change as Asia’s fashion market grows.”

Seoul Fashion Week’s influence over the fashion industry is also growing. Export orders received at the event have shot up from just 200,000 U.S. dollars in 2002, when the event debuted, to 3.16 million dollars last year.

With the target of four million dollars in orders this year, the organizing committee has made thorough preparation.

Seventy Korean companies will participate in the event and more than 80 designers will show their collections. With about 400 foreign buyers expected to visit, the committee has raised the number of counseling windows and reorganized fashion shows to cater to buyers’ needs.

Won said, “Until now, the event has been held without purpose by an umbrella organization under the Seoul city government,” adding, “Previous events were for established designers, but from now on, the event will provide a venue to foster future designers with global competitiveness through exhaustive assessment and their performances.”

fineday@donga.com