The Maserati can wait another year: the space age kitchen can be put off (yet again). Instead, how about a new leather bag, or a pair of shoes?  Leather is indeed a luxury product and, at times such as these it's one that remains affordable.

As if this was ever in doubt the 24th APLF Leather Fair, held in Hong Kong, March 31 - April 2, 2008 underscored how those in the leather and fashion accessory industry are more than holding their own despite the forecasts of economic uncertainty elsewhere.  Forward orders show a buoyant confidence in the up-coming Winter 08/09 and Summer 09 seasons.

APLF - Materials, Machinery and Technology (MM&T) brought together exhibitors and buyers of leather and related products, from every point of the compass, to compare prices, discuss delivery schedules and, increasingly, define future material trends.

Fashion Access (FA), running concurrently and under the slogan 'Let's Go Winter 08/09', saw a vast array of new handbags, footwear, leather garments, travelware, leathergoods, and fashion accessories on display.  Here too there was a strong emphasis on trends: trends in materials, trends in colours, trends in design and trends within the industry itself - for example, leather as a luxury product or the development of eco-friendly materials.

More than 34,000 buyers (*) visited APLF - MM&T and  FA over the three day period.  At APLF - MM&T there were over 5,600 buyers from China and China-based companies, with healthy numbers from India, Japan, the US and Italy.  The number of Japanese buyers, over 1,200 (*) at FA represented a 20% increase over the previous year.

(* More details to be released when BPA audited figures available)

TRENDS
With the leather and fashion accessories sector merging ever more into the global apparel and fashion industries, predicting up-coming trends - in materials, colours and design concepts - becomes increasingly important, for exhibitors and buyers alike, along the entire supply chain: from raw material to retail ready.

A number of trend displays, located throughout the exhibition area, plus a dedicated sector of Fashion Access reserved for trend-setting exhibitors, attracted widespread interest.

At APLF - MM&T, a total of five trends displays offered insights into the latest in fashion trends and innovation in materials and components.

The Materials Trends Lounge featured, through professionally selected premium samples, the APLF Colours and Materials directions for Spring-Summer 2009)  (Also released, in greater detail, in the APLF Colours Guide.)
 
The Fashion Trends Lounge  strategically located at the entrance of FA, illustrated fashion themes for Winter 08/09 with exhibits supplied from the latest collection of trend-setting exhibitors.

Another innovation: FA launched the Eco-Luxury Zone which focused on bags, shoes, leathergoods and other lifestyle products that support earth-friendly and sustainable production methods.

Fashion Avenue enabled buyers to concentrate on exhibitors with upper-end designs and collections.  Aimed largely at boutique buyers who could view some of the best and most innovative collections.  There were 80 designs and brands on show (up from 33 in 2007) and featured Brazil and Japan pavilions as first-time participants, together with strong representation from Italian footwear producers.

SEMINARS
Running alongside the exhibition were a series of seminars (most free of charge) designed to help both exhibitors and buyers better understand this extraordinarily wide ranging industry.

'Luxury goods and the leather industry - Follow the money' examined the concept of luxury, how it will develop, and how it will impact on the leather industry. 

Other topics included, 'How to make a collection', 'Peclers Paris Fall-Winter 09-10 inspirations trends', 'Corporate social responsibility in the leather and shoe industry'.

Fast developing into a trend in its own right is the 'eco-' issue, covered among the seminars, and demonstrated by exhibitors throughout both APLF - MM&T and FA.  This topic ranges from utilisation of natural products in Amazonian jungles to recyclable materials collected from south Asian concrete jungles.

A doyen of the move towards an industry that is ecologically  sustainable is Cora Jacob of La Cora Creatives, in the Philippines.  Over many years she has developed a business that is both 'green' and, importantly, financially sustainable.  She was exhibiting at FA and said, " I have been so busy and am glad I had with me my Sales Director who speaks French and Italian.  European and Japanese buyers love my new Winter collection of mother of pearl and shell bags.... We worked all night on the samples of this new line in time for the fair. I could feel they would sell …. but I did not expect such a success!"

Throughout both APLF - MM&T and FA other exhibitors sounded a similarly up-beat note which was echoed, even amplified, by the observations of buyers representing all sectors of the industry.

WHAT EXHIBITORS SAID (APLF - MM&T)
Rafael de Andrade, Marketing Manager, CICB, Brazil
"Excellent atmosphere in our Brazil pavilion.  All our exhibitors have done good business with buyers from all over the world.  We intend to improve and increase our pavilion's participation next year."

Ingo Hausdorf, Director, Hardo Shoe Machines, Germany
"We were overrun by the number of buyers from South America and Australia - to mention just two regions - and very impressed with the organisation and professionalism of the fair. The expert help and advice we received from APLF in sending our machine to the show made life very easy so that we could concentrate on making the most of this important event.  We have 150 machines sold already in Asia and will have more after this fair."

Jefferson Al. M. Tio, Operations Manager, Creative Shapes on Styles, Philippines
The fair was, "Very exciting. Buyer traffic was so heavy on the first day (that) I had to encourage people to make an appointment.  We have buyers from Europe and the USA and will definitely be back next year".

WHAT  EXHIBITORS SAID - FA
Patsy Chow, Manager, Niki Jodi, Hong Kong
Ms Chow described her first participation as "a terrific opportunity to get to know many foreign buyers from Europe and the US. It's a great chance to talk with buyers directly during the fair."

David Ho, Director, Italy Cyberage Int'l Enterprise Ltd, Hong Kong
"The fair is very good for us: we won the APLF Award for the Best Bag Collection last October. This year, we met with buyers from the USA, Canada, Australia to name only a few for our fashion leather handbags."

Ana Cristina Klein, Brazilian manufacturer, New Frontier
"Hong Kong is the place to start one's sales campaign in Asia due to Hong Kong's importance as the business center of Asia."

Heitor Klein, Executive Director, Abicalçados
"The exhibitors in the Brazil pavilion met with buyers from Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hungary, Greece, India, Singapore, France, and of course China. The Brazilian exhibitors were satisfied with the business they made during Fashion Access: they received orders on site worth USD 206 thousand and estimate sales for the next 12 months at USD 900 thousand."

WHAT BUYERS HAD TO SAY - APLF - MM&T
Henri-Georges Zaks, Seraphin, France
He produces high quality leather garments for luxury brands and also for his own brands, Seraphin and Quai de Valmy, in his  Paris studio. He has  "a passion for leather" and looks for exotic and rare types of leathers...like pecari, crocodile or salmon... but never from endangered species. He says leather is a very fashionable material in itself but it needs a very good design to transform it into a beautiful piece of garment. He also joins leather with other materials.  He says, "I have been attending APLF for as long as I can remember... this is the best place for me to source the type of leathers I need as I can find in one place leathers from all over the world".

Mr Shiraz Osman, Factory Depot, South Africa
" I am so glad I came: I was not sure I could find the manmade materials I was looking for as I thought APLF was mostly a leather fair but I was astonished at the number and variety of materials on offer... I am supplying furniture and automotive manufacturers in South Africa and also did business with the leather suppliers. It was my first time (attending the fair)  but certainly not the last."

WHAT BUYERS HAD TO SAY - FA
Mr. Hiroyuki Kimoto, Step Co Ltd, Japan
"I learnt about Fashion Access from another company in Japan. This is my second visit to the fair. I came here to look for trendy handbags for the winter season and was glad to find not just that but summer styles as well. I have already placed orders on-site."

Janette Faulkner, Managing Director, Mala Leather Ltd, UK
Mrs. Faulkner was looking for fashion accessories like purses, wallets and travelware. "I found many exhibitors from India here which helps me as I used to source from India …. But now I can visit FA and source from India and the rest of the world at the same time.  I found also that exhibitors here tend to be more professional and mature.  I do not source from China fairs since their minimum quantity is huge, but at FA I can have a trial order with lower quantity."

Ali Mazher, Owner, Magnifique Bags and Accessories, USA
Mr Mazher has visited FA ten times before.  "I found the quality of exhibitors was good and was able to source from new markets."  He confirmed that he had placed orders at the fair.

J.Y. Meang, Director, Sol Trading Ltd, Korea
" I came to Fashion Access not to buy shoes or handbags but to find business partners for manufacturing shoes. I represent a group of investors from Korea and I am delighted that during these three days I had the opportunity to discuss JV partnerships with several manufacturers from Bangladesh and India".

AWARDS AND COMPETITIONS
Within a few short years the 'Best of APLF Awards' has become established as the measure that determines excellence within the industry.  There are sectors for various categories, across the entire industry spectrum and across both MM&T and Fashion Access.