Syndicated from Tiffany Wang
Since last August, there’s been chatter about the Hub, which put on “the first fashion trade show in Asia to attract credible international brands” like Y-3 and Barbour “to do business with regional retailers” including Lane Crawford, BNC, Triple-Major and more.
Now their second event is coming up on February 25-27, again at the Asia World Expo in Hong Kong, but this time with an exciting new addition: the Greenhouse, a showroom that will be dedicated to 50 up-and-coming designers from across the world.
The press release paints a fun picture of the Greenhouse as “a stylish lounge in which designers, buyers and press can mingle, sharing experiences, discussing business and making their plans for the upcoming evening.”
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The Hub co-founders Richard Hobbs and Peter Caplowe
The Hub co-founder Peter Caplowe (the man who popularized Japanese denim brand Evisu) makes it clear that the Greenhouse will not favor local labels: “Anyone showing at the Hub is here on merit alone.” Pretty smart move, as it judges Chinese talent featured at the show (from Dalian native Haizhen Wang to the Shenzhen-based V Major’s Victor Zhu) by the same standards as their international peers (and thereby shifting the emphasis from their Chinese background to their work).
Just so you know, fashion trade shows are not a new concept to mainland China. The Chic-Young Blood Expo, for instance – which I covered back in September 2011 – has been taking place every year since 1993.
But in an interview with Menswear Insight, Caplowe points out that all the existing shows “have been either founded by exhibition companies or some kind of government body, and they just don’t understand fashion. And the exhibition organizers don’t understand the concept of saying no to someone who’s offering them money.”
In contrast, The Hub has “turned down a lot of brands.” Their focus is on creating a curated show featuring only deserving talent, so that they will attract the right brands and buyers, and maintain a level of quality (as well as exclusivity).
I agree with Caplowe 100 percent; the feedback I’ve always gotten on CYB and other trade shows was that they were a mess, and not worth attending. The Hub just might be the first platform to get it right.