Brands, designers, celebrities and business leaders celebrate ties between Hong Kong and the UK
HONG KONG, Nov. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The British Consulate-General Hong Kong today launched the inaugural GREAT Week of Creativity, showcasing British fashion, luxury, design and craftsmanship over seven days of events and activities around the city, from the 5th to the 11th of November.
Up to 350 exhibitors and 60 guest speakers across 50 events, including fashion shows, gala ceremonies, product launches, exhibitions and networking events, will offer Hong Kong audiences the chance to celebrate Britain with some of the UK's leading brands. It will also see the largest trade delegation of UK companies since the handover visit Hong Kong to build stronger ties with local businesses and better understand the opportunities in the market and across Asia.
British Consul General Caroline Wilson said, "The GREAT Week of Creativity provides the perfect opportunity to welcome the very best of the British creative sector to Hong Kong. We seek to not only highlight UK brands with a passion for innovation, but also introduce dynamic emerging companies to this immensely important market."
UK brands are strong players in the luxury market in Hong Kong, and heritage brands or those considered quintessentially British, such as Burberry, Dunhill, Rolls Royce and Jaguar Land Rover are already popular. Building on this success, there is considerable scope for other brands to gain a foothold in the market as the luxury sector in Hong Kong offers huge potential to UK exporters.
Lord Jonathan Marland, British Business Ambassador, said, "Hong Kong is the UK's 2nd largest export market in Asia Pacific, and the UK is ranked 4th among Hong Kong's sources of imports. As well as being a prime market in its own right, Hong Kong is part of the UKTI five-year strategy as a key route for UK companies to the rapidly growing markets in Asia, of which mainland China is the most important."
Hong Kong's share of the worldwide luxury market is projected to more than double over the ten years from 2010 from a 2.4% share to a 6% share. In absolute terms, the size of Hong Kong's luxury goods market is projected to grow 475%, compared to worldwide growth of 130%. Mainland China is projected to see even stronger growth of 722%, and account for 19% of worldwide luxury goods sales by 2020, compared to 5% in 2010.
Guy Salter, Deputy Chairman of Walpole, said, "British heritage luxury brands have found great success in Hong Kong and Asia, thanks to a combination of quality, craftsmanship and a history of excellence. Hong Kong and mainland Chinese consumers have an ever-growing appetite for these goods and the future presents huge opportunities for new, emerging brands to build their own audiences as part of Britain's broader reputation for luxury."
Sir John Sorrell, Chairman of the London Design Festival, said, "Asia is home to an increasing community of dynamic, creative design talent that is expanding its reach around the world. As part of the GREAT Week of Creativity we are convening our first Global Design Summit here in Hong Kong which will bring together leading local and British designers to share ideas, deepen relationships and discuss the trends shaping design in the region."
British accessories designer Anya Hindmarch said, "The UK continues to be at the forefront of design, fashion and craft thanks to a diverse range of brands and talent, backed by government support for the creative industries. One key strength is its openness to influences from around the world, and we're delighted to have this opportunity to showcase the best the UK has to offer and interact with local audiences."
With support from the likes of UK Trade & Investment, the Foreign Office, the British Council, Visit Britain, the British Fashion Council, London Design Festival, Walpole and other commercial partners, Great Week represents the perfect blend of culture and commerce, providing an incredible platform for British creative companies and talents. The idea for the week originally came from the private sector and has been a true partnership between business and the British Consulate-General team in Hong Kong from the outset.
For more information about the GREAT Week of Creativity, please visit www.greatweek.hk, and find out what makes Britain GREAT on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thisisGREATbritain and Twitter at @UKinHongKong, @GreatWeek and #CreativityweekHK.
British Fashion Council
The British Fashion Council (BFC) aims to showcase British designers and develop London's position as a major player in the international fashion arena. As a result, London Fashion Week ranks alongside New York, Milan and Paris as one of the 'Big Four'. It works behind the scenes in a number of vital ways to support the fashion industry through linking between the industry and fashion graduates from the UK's leading colleges, a series of important sponsorship schemes to provide support to emerging British fashion designers, and organising the annual British Fashion Awards to celebrate and reward the extraordinary design talents and business successes within the sector.
London Design Festival
First staged in 2003, the London Design Festival is one of the world's most important annual design events. The Festival programme is made up of over 300 events and exhibitions staged by hundreds of partner organisations across the design spectrum and from around the world. Following the inaugural Global Design Forum which took place as part of the London Design Festival in September, the conversation as to how design can be used to create a better world comes to Hong Kong as part of the GREAT Week of Creativity.
Walpole
Walpole is a non-profit-making organisation that furthers the interests of the British luxury industry by harnessing and sharing the collective knowledge, experience and resources of the membership. Confirming its position as the voice of British luxury, Walpole leads an active programme of thought leadership, research, political engagement, initiatives and events to promote and inspire British luxury worldwide.
UK Trade & Investment
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the government department responsible for working alongside UK-based businesses to ensure their success in international markets. UKTI also works with overseas companies, encouraging them to consider the UK as their global partner of choice. Acknowledged as Europe's best place from which to succeed in global business, the UKTI helps to bring strong global investment in to the UK economy. UKTI offers expertise and contacts through its extensive network of specialists in the UK, and in British embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world, providing companies with the tools they require to compete on the world stage.
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Giles Harrison
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E: gharrison@webershandwick.com
