APLF - Materials, Machinery and Technology (MM&T) show

The 24th APLF Leather Fair, held in Hong Kong during March 31st till April 2nd, 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, travel ware, 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.

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).