“APLF hosted the most spectacular global leather & fashion industry event”
A Report on participation in the APLF Fairs, 26-29 March 2012, Hong Kong
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Leather and leather goods manufacturers and buyers from all over the world converged in Hong Kong
as the Materials, Manufacturing & Technology (MM&T), Fashion Access fairs and Prime Source Forum
got underway from March 28 to 30 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).
These three collocated events have become must-attend fairs for anyone involved in leather and
fashion, with MM&T acknowledged as the annual premier event of the global leather industry. Fashion
Access, on the other hand, is widely recognized as the most important sourcing platform for fashions
from-head-toe, including bags, footwear, fashion accessories, small leather goods, leather garments,
and travel ware.
Established in 1984, MM&T has since evolved into the world’s most international exhibition focusing on
leather. In recent years, however, the fair has expanded significantly to also cover natural and manmade materials, components, technologies and services for the various sectors of fashion, particularly
bags, shoes and leather garments.
This March 2012 edition of MM&T has had 1,255 exhibitors, 73 of whom made their first participation at
the show. Fifty countries were represented, 19 with their own country pavilions. These included leather
industry powerhouses Brazil, Italy, India, France, Turkey, United Kingdom and the USA. The biggest
delegation, with 300 companies, was from China.
The focus country for this year was Turkey. Turkish leather will be highlighted in special displays within
the fair and at the Turkish pavilion with 61 Turkish tanners and leather-related companies in
attendance. Heading the strong Turkish delegation was Mr. Lemi Tolunay, Chairman of the Istanbul
Leather and Leather Products Exporters’ Association. He said: “Attributing great importance to design
and innovation, we deemed it fit to participate in the Hong Kong MM&T Fair with the motto “Meet the
Turkish Effect”. What we seek to emphasize by this maxim is the continued presence of quality and
passion in Turkey’s journey to achieving unique brands in the leather market with a new zeal in design
and application.”
New to MM&T this year was the “Sourcing Luxury” exhibit which represents the launch of APLF’s new
program to assist buyers in identifying the best sources of luxury materials and components at the fair.
Examples of luxury materials that were found at MM&T were ostrich leather, python skins, vegetabletanned leather, crocodile and cayman skins, furs, slinks, shagreen and other exotic skins.
Other interesting highlights of MM&T included the Manufacturing Technology Enhancement Sector
which provided a venue where manufacturers and operators within the leather industry can network
with technology companies that provide various services and products such as CAD-CAM systems and
software applications, as well as with international inspection and certification companies.
Focus was also being given to the upholstery and automotive leather sectors, providing companies
falling under these sectors with the official Upholstery and Automotive Leather Mark at their stands,
making it easier for buyers to find them.
Fashion Access is considered the most important bag and leather goods fair in Asia-Pacific, with a
growing footwear and fashion accessories base. This edition, Fashion Access has had over 600
exhibitors, representing 25 countries. The fair also welcomed the participation of 142 new exhibitors,
including a significantly-sized group of footwear companies from Japan, Italy and Mexico. There were
11 group pavilions including 3 from China and one each from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India,
Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Pakistan and Taiwan.
While majority of Fashion Access exhibitors are OEMs, there is a growing roster of OBMs that are
presenting their latest brand collections. This higher-end, lower-volume brand manufacturers are found
at Fashion Avenue which featured fashion-forward designers and producers of top-quality bags,
footwear and accessories. This made Fashion Avenue the “go-to” section for boutique and exclusive
department store buyers.
With MM&T and Fashion Access regarded by all as the pre-eminent leather and leather goods fairs in
Asia-Pacific region, APLF has striven to strengthen its reputation by constantly improving, innovating
and creating programs and services that would benefit the industries involved. One such program that
has proven to be very popular with exhibitors and visitors alike is the Material and Fashion Trends
Spaces which are special exhibits that illustrate the colour, material and product trends for the
upcoming fashion season. The trends are developed exclusively for APLF by Olivier Guillemin, chairman
of the prestigious French Colour Committee.
APLF also gave recognition to quality and design excellence seen at the fairs through the Best of APLF
Awards. Fashion Access also hosted two other design competitions: the Design-a-Bag Online
Competition and the APLF Fashion Awards, both of which were developed to encourage creativity
and innovation amongst design students and young design professionals worldwide.
There were also a series of Dress Up! Fashion Presentations held daily. Trends and technical seminars
covering a range of industry-relevant topics were likewise held throughout the three days.
Rounding off APLF’s activities was Prime Source Forum which brought together some 400 senior
executives of leading apparel and footwear brands, manufacturers and suppliers to discuss issues and
challenges facing their industries, particularly in their supply chains.
MM&T and Fashion Access, together with Prime Source Forum, have developed a strong synergy which
continues to have a far-reaching and positive effect on the global leather and fashion industries.
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India @ APLF: showcase the advancement made by Indian designs over the years to the rest of
world.
India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) organised "India Pavilion" at the recently concluded edition
of Asia Pacific Leather Fair held in Hong Kong from 28 March - 30 March, 2012.
Products coverage: Products displayed in APLF 2012 were as follows:
(a) MMT Section: Finished Leather, Chemicals & Dyes, Manufacture and Process Equipment and
components.
(b) Fashion Access Section: Fashion Leather Garments, Leather Goods, Fashion Accessories etc.
India Pavilion was located in Hall 1 for MMT Section and Hall 3B - E for Fashion Access Section
respectively. These were prime locations of the fair. Indian exhibitors were overwhelmed by the
response at this edition.
Exhibitors from INDIA
(as provided by ITPO, Chennai)
Iqbal Leathers Ltd
Kapoor Industries
VRS Leathers Pvt Ltd
International Corporation
Model Tanners (India) Pvt Ltd
Super House Limited
KKSK Tanning Co. (P) Ltd
Hijaz Leathers Private Limited
RNG Exports
XL Enterprises Limited
Model Exims
Harsha Impex
Al-Furqan International
Kamal Enterprises
Nadeem Leatherware Exports
Shalimaar Tanning Company
Saalim Shoes Pvt Ltd
R.N.R. International
Good Leather Company
Ejaz Tanning Co.
T. Abdul Wahid Tanneries Pvt Ltd
Alina Pvt Ltd
Shafeeq Shameel & Co.
Bharat Expo International
Zuha Leather Private Ltd
Shoeberry
Kamil Leathers
Saba Exports
Star Exports
Gokul Raam Leathers
A.B. Sale Corp
Global Export Corporation
Star Tanning Industries
Crew BOS Products Ltd
Globe Tanners
Northern Tannery
Venkat & Co.
Tasmiyah Leather Pvt Ltd
Pakkar Leather Export Company
Indofil Industries Ltd
Discovery Leathers Pvt Ltd
Inspire Exim Pvt Ltd
Amit Leather Wears
Lavish Leathers
Usmani Tanners
Soft Leather Exports Pvt Ltd
Aqsa International
SJM Exports
Teja Industries
KG Leahers
Mirza International Limited
Unique Exports
SMF Exports
S.A. Abdul Azeez & Co.
Kohinoor Leather Company
Hi Tech Leather Garments
Bangalore Pvt Ltd
Metropoli Fashions Pvt Ltd
Hi Fasn Leather Products Co.
Ritex Industries
Prakash Impex
Blue Diamond Leders
In picture: Team ITPO
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Material Trends Space
The Material Trends Space (MTS) is an exhibition of leather, synthetics, textiles and other materials as
well as components that illustrate the colour and texture trends for the upcoming fashion seasons; and
gives a sneak preview of what MM&T has in store for buyers.
For companies who participate in the exhibit, it is a form of advertising and promotion, and is a way of
attracting potential buyers to your stands. A number of Indian Exhibitors responded to CSIR-CLRI’s call
to display their merchandise at the Materials Trend Space. Several interesting ‘new developments’ in
Leathers & Materials by Indian companies was found at the Trend Area.
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With MM&T and Fashion Access regarded by all as the pre-eminent leather and leather goods fairs in Asia-Pacific
region, APLF strives to strengthen its reputation by constantly improving, innovating and creating programs and
services that will benefit the industries involved. One such program that has proven to be very popular with
exhibitors and visitors alike are the Material and Fashion Trends Spaces which are special exhibits that illustrate the
colour, material and product trends for the upcoming fashion season. The trends are developed exclusively for
APLF by Olivier Guillemin, Chairman of the prestigious French Colour Committee.
BEST OF APLF AWARDS: MM&T – March 2012, JUDGES’ GUIDELINES
AWARD CATEGORIES: The award categories for MM&T were as follows:
Best New Leather
Best Fashion Leather
Best Man-Made Material
Best Natural Material
Best New Component
Best Stand Design
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PRODUCT SELECTION PROCEDURES
On Ingress day (March 27) starting at 4:30 p.m., the judges, accompanied by their temps, made a
walk-through of their assigned hall areas to select products, concentrating on their assigned focus
categories.
Judges were enjoined to be highly selective so that only products that have a strong chance of
winning are brought to the judging table.
Their temps took charge of getting samples of the nominated items and brought these to the BOAA
Secretariat Room.
Exhibitors who wished to enter their products in the competition submitted their BOAA Nomination
Forms and the nominated products to the BOAA Secretariat or the Sales Office by 7 p.m. of March 27.
JUDGING PROCEDURE
The Judges met on the morning of March 28, the first day of the show, to view all the product entries,
arranged by category.
Per category, each judge chose the one product (or possibly two) that they thought were deserving of
an award. All the products chosen were then presented to the Board for deliberation. They then voted
for the winning product.
Judges had the option to not to give an award in a certain category if they felt that none of the items
nominated met the standards set.
When voting results were in a tie for a particular category, the Chairman of the Board of Judges cast
the determining vote.
Panel of Judges
MM&T
NAME
FOCUS CATEGORY
AREA ASSIGNMENT
EMAIL
Olivier Guillemin
Fashion Leather
MTS
oo.paris@noos.fr
Rachel Garwood
New Leather
MTS, Hall 1 C-E
rachel.garwood@northampton.ac.uk
Mike Redwood
New Leather
MTS, Hall 1 C-E
mikeredwood@btinternet.com
Mark Wilkinson
New Leather
MTS, Hall 1 C-E
Mark.Wilkinson@northampton.ac.uk
Michal Spacek
New Components, ManMade Materials
Hall 1 A-B/Hall 3 B-C
michal.spacek@pfi.hk,
michal299@seznam.cz
Md Sadiq
Fashion Leather, Natural
Materials
Man-Made Materials
MTS, Hall 1 C-E
mdsadiq@hotmail.com
MTS, Hall 3 B-C
oo.paris@noos.fr
Olivier Vedrine
FASHION ACCESS
NAME
FOCUS SECTOR
Olivier Guillemin
Bags, Footwear
Jayne Esteve Cure
Bags, Fashion
Accessories, Travel &
Lifestyle, Leather
Garments
Bags, Footwear,
Garments
Bags, Footwear, Fashion
Accessories
Footwear, Fashion Accs,
Small Leather Goods,
Travel & , Garments
Footwear, Fashion Accs,
Small Leather Goods,
Travel & , Garments
Judy Tchou
Sheila Cooke
Olivier Vedrine
c/o CAN
Federmoda
EMAIL
Hall 3F-G, Fashion
Avenue
Hall 3F-G, Fashion
Avenue
oo.paris@noos.fr
Hall 3C-D, Hall 3F-G
judygabo@wingonet.com
Fashion Avenue
secooke1@netvigator.com
Hall 3C-E
oo.paris@noos.fr
Hall 3C-E, Fashion
Avenue
jayne@jaynefashionagency.com
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Nominees from INDIA
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Four Indian companies had their Leathers/ Materials/ Products nominated in the various categories:
M/s Shafeeq Shameel & Co was nominated for their range of ‘new developments and fashion leathers’
corresponding to the Spring Summer 2013 season
M/s Aqsa International was nominated for their leather frame with hand painting on wet-white leathers
as well as for their uniquely designed white leather garment.
M/s Drish Shoes was nominated for their ladies handbag that had several and unique handcrafted
techniques on the panels of the handbag.
M/s A B Sale Corporation was nominated for their leather wall frames.
JUDGING
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AWARDS CEREMONY
The Awards Ceremony was held on March 28, 2012 at 6 p.m. at the HKCEC. All the Award Winners,
Judges, invitees and the organizers had gathered for an evening of both fun and business. The Award
Winners were overwhelmed by the recognition.
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BEST OF APLF AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Fifteen exhibitors at the Materials, Manufacturing & Technology (MM&T) and Fashion Access fairs, held
at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, were presented with the Best of APLF Awards
(BOAA) in ceremonies on March 28, attended by members of the leather and fashion industries.
Big winner of the night for Fashion Access was Chinese company, Star Vincci, which ran off with
the awards for Best Bag Collection and Best Stand. Their woodsy and warm ambiance was the perfect
background for their high-quality collection of bags and weekenders that cleverly mixed various
materials such as leather, lace and felt.
For footwear, the mens dress shoes collection by Regal Japan got the nod of the judges. Adjudged
best ladies collection was the initial footwear offering of Gaya Canada, last year’s winner of Best Bag
Collection. Gayas shoes utilised graphics and architectural heels
The Corga line of origami-esque key holders, wallets and small cases won for Ruboa of Japan the Best
Small Leather goods prize. The Italian company, Alta Moda Belt, took the prize for Best Fashion
Accessories Collection with their wide range of trendy belt styles and colours.
The hands-on winner of the Best Travel & Lifestyle Product Award was the Baby Travel Bag of
Wunderbar Ltd. Germany. This high-utility yet fashionable bag has every pocket and compartment a
mother needs to transport all her baby things with ease.
Soft and supple leather was the material of choice in Stephanie Vailles chic garment collection. Her
stylish, beautifully cut and sewn leather ensembles are must-haves• in any fashionistas wardrobe.
The Best in Marketing and Promotions award went to Taiwans Khieng Atelier whose cohesive and
design-driven marketing collateral and packaging gave strong definition to their brand.
Rounding off the Fashion Access winners was Tsar Asia of Malaysia whose designer, Wan Sariah Wan
Jaafar, was recognised for her Creative Reinterpretation of Traditional Design that resulted in a
contemporary collection of bags and shoes that pays tribute to the themes and motifs of West Africa.
For MM&T,
the competition had some of the world’s best tanneries competing for the Best New
Leather and Best Fashion Leather awards. Besting other wonderful entries from Turkey, Italy, Spain, and
India was Heller-Leder of Germany’s cow leather featuring their innovative tanning process using
waste olive leaves, resulting in an eco-friendly yet luxurious leather.
The Best Fashion Leather Collection came from Colomer Moda of Spain whose wide range of designs,
colours, finishes and textures was considered by the BOAA judges as the most creative and best
adapted to various fashion applications.
A new award was for Best Exotic Leather which was given to Nova Kaeru of Brazil for its Amazonian
Pirarucu fish leather. Pirarucu is the largest scale fish in the Amazon River and is the world’s largest
freshwater fish. One fish can yield up to 70 kilograms of meat. Nova Kaeru has taken this ancient fish
species and created beautifully coloured and rich leather suitable for bags, shoes and garments.
Tabru of Italy was cited for having the Best Man-Made Materials Collection with its fashionable, highquality weaves that feature an ingenious mix of natural fibers, synthetics and even wire filaments.
Two awards for components were presented. One was for Best Fashion Components Collection which
went to the luxury metal and bejewelled belt buckles and trims of By Mora Accessories of Italy. The
Best Technical Component prize was awarded to Rhenoflex of Germany for their shoe counters and
top ups made using a new powder technology that minimizes materials wastage and provides
excellent performance.
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Best Stand Design - Star Vincci Leather Co Ltd., China
Best Bag Collection - Star Vincci Leather Co Ltd., China
Best Men's Footwear Collection - Regal Corporation,
Japan
Best Ladies Footwear Collection - Gaya Canada Enterprise
Ltd., Canada
Best Small Leathergoods - Ruboa Co Ltd., Japan
Best Fashion Accessories - Alta Moda Belt Srl., Italy
Best Travel & Lifestyle Product - Wunderbar Ltd., Germany
Best Leather Garment - Stephanie Vaille, Paris
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Best in Marketing & Promotion - Khieng Atelier, Taiwan
Award for Reinterpretation of Tradition - Tsar Asia Sdn Bhd,
Malaysia
Best New Leather - Heller-Leder Gmbh & Co. KG, Germany
Best Fashion Leather - Colomer Moda Company Limited,
Spain
Best Exotic Leather - Nova Kaeru Exotic Leather,
Brazil
Best Man-Made Material – Tabru, Italy
Best Fashion Component - By Mora Accessories
International, Italy
Best Technical Component – Rhenoflex, Germany
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APLF Trends for Spring Summer 2013 season
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APLF Trends for Spring Summer 2013 season
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APLF Trends for Spring Summer 2013 season
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APLF Trends for Spring Summer 2013 season
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APLF Trends for Spring Summer 2013 season
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CSIR-CLRI @APLF, Hong Kong, March 2012
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The popular Best of APLF Awards (BOAA) that seeks to recognise excellence in design and quality in
the products presented at the show.
This is an inspiration for CSIR-CLRI to motivate and assist Indian companies to develop new materials,
colours and textures as well as product designs for showcasing at international fora.
Going into its 9th year, the BOAA is given to the best in the different product categories as well as for
stand design. The award is instrumental in raising the bar for the exhibitors and, through the years, has
resulted in an increasingly more design-led and quality-driven exhibition.
This is further inspirational to work on season-specific designs for the right market and right season and
move forward from the basic products/ merchandise to fashion/ niche products.
The Best of APLF Awards (BoAA) competition has become established as popular and integral feature
at the APLF Materials, Manufacturing & Technology (MM&T) and Fashion Access (FA) Trade Fairs in
Hong Kong.
Competing products with merit are nominated for the Awards.
It should be our endeavor to cultivate and nurture talent and creativity to add value to the Indian
merchandise and making it worthy to be of merit for nomination.
“Winning” then just becomes a process.
Lessons Learnt
Fair organization:
Highlights for APLF 2012: Highlights of the APLF fairs is made available through videos posted online on
www.aplf.com
http://www.mmt.aplf.com/Home/tabid/2401/language/en-US/Default.aspx
e-flyers: APLF reaches out to all Exhibitors and Visitors through several e-flyers that are sent out
periodically beginning 100 days before the fair until after the fair. Product highlights and other salient
features are brought out in these e-flyers that make it interesting for the discerning.
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Products videos for FA & MMT: Eight videos are readied and sent to buyers for a sneak preview of
the materials and products on display at the APLF Fairs.
FA:
http://www.fashionnetasia.com/en/Trend/117/Fashion_Trend_I_City_Style_FW_2012_2013_.html
http://www.fashionnetasia.com/en/Trend/118/Fashion_Trend_II_Casual_Style_FW_2012_2013_.html
http://www.fashionnetasia.com/en/Trend/119/Fashion_Trend_III_Radical_Style_FW_2012_2013_.html
http://www.fashionnetasia.com/en/Trend/120/Fashion_Trend_IV_Party_Style_FW_2012_2013_.html
MMT:
http://www.fashionnetasia.com/en/Trend/124/APLF_colour_material_trends_I_Revelation_S_S_2013_.html
http://www.fashionnetasia.com/en/Trend/125/APLF_colour_material_trends_II_Mutation_S_S_2013_.html
http://www.fashionnetasia.com/en/Trend/126/APLF_colour_material_trends_III_Seduction_S_S_2013_.html
http://www.fashionnetasia.com/en/Trend/127/APLF_colour_material_trends_IV_Transgression_S_S_2013_.html
some examples …
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APLF Fairs and schedules are announced online on www.aplf.com with all details, ahead of time.
PHOTO-GALLERY of APLF Fairs, March 2012, Hong Kong
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PHOTO-GALLERY of APLF Fairs, March 2012, Hong Kong
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PHOTO-GALLERY of APLF Fairs, March 2012, Hong Kong
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