Guangzhou Fashion Week to focus on brand development

More than 600 domestic and international clothing brands are expected to attend this year's Guangzhou Fashion Week from September 6 to 9.

Wu Xiaoming, secretary-general of the Guangzhou Clothing Trade Association, said at a news conference on Friday that about 50 percent of the exhibitors are local clothing brands from Guangzhou.

She also expected about 100 Chinese department stores to attend the exhibition to place orders.

About 100,000 buyers from China and countries including Germany, US, Italy, Spain, South Korea, Argentina and Brazil are expected to attend the fashion week.

"Guangzhou Fashion Week aims to further increase local clothing companies' awareness of brand development and help them with promotion," said Li Zhixin, president of Guangzhou Textiles Industry and Trade Holdings Ltd.

"The city, a traditional power in clothing industry, must help revive the industry."

According to Li, in the past decade, Guangzhou clothing companies have been lagging behind those in Shanghai and Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces in terms of brand development.

"Guangzhou Fashion Week will be a good platform for local brands to learn from their international peers, since 30 percent of the clothing brands attending the fashion week will be from overseas," Li added.

In 2009, the Guangdong Clothing Trade Association announced its plan to upgrade the clothing industry in the Pearl River Delta and develop the area into the country's fashion center. The cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen are at the forefront of the plan.