A Spectacular
Show in Shanghai

"Preview in Shanghai 2007"to open March 26 to display Korean fashion wear

"Preview in Shanghai 2007,"is slated to open at the Shanghai Mart in Shanghai, China, to show off Korea's textile fashion industry goods for four days from March 26.
Korea's textile and apparel show to be held for the 5th time in Shanghai is designed to help Korean textile fashion brands make inroads into China and at the same build a base for mutual cooperation between Korea's product planning and technology development and China's productivity, being recognized as one of the most colorful and well organized international professional display event in Asia.
About 150 Korean companies are projected to participate in the Shanghai event this March, up 14 percent from 132 last year, to display their products. The exhibition will be divided into two sections, one for material and the other for fashion. The creativity hall will have booths to display material for general clothes, functional, home textile, yarns, dye, textile design, and CAD/CAM, among others.
The fashion hall will have booths for the display of clothes for women, men's wear, sports wear, children's wear, designer brands, fashion accessory, and promotion and fashion sundries.
The exhibition concept is convergence(he xie), meaning Korea and China will move forward with synergy from their union in the limitless competition age, breaking down the existing boundaries. Four sub themes under the convergence concept are nature convergence, sense convergence, boundary convergence and technology convergence.
Up until, the third exhibition, the Korean Federation of Textile Industries wanted to boost the image of the Korea textile and clothes, but from the 4th display, the event focused on displays that can maximize direct business effects. Especially, "trade show"held for the first time last year got very good reactions from buyers participating at the show for using materials on display at the event with some buyers drawing up contracts to buy the goods at the show. Other display booths such as those for shoes and clothes made at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex,
which is a symbol for cooperation between the two divided Koreas and "Hi, Seoul"booth also along with other joint booths attracted a high interest from local buyers at the show.
The number of buyers participating in the event in Shanghai increased every year including those from the inner regions of China and this year 30,000 buyers are projected to visit the event, up about 10 percent from last year. They are expected to come from Hong Kong, Taiwan and as far as Singapore, all Chinese buyers and other agents from all over Asia. The Korean textile and apparel show goes back to 2003 for its first show in Shanghai and in the past four years, some 130 Korean textile fabric and apparel makers made inroads into China. The event has been a meeting place for buyers and agents from all over China and has been facilitating Korean textile and fashion brands advancement into China. The local buyers included 35 percent whole sale agents, trading agents 15 percent, manufacturers 16 percent, media 7 percent, departments 5 percent,
designers 10 percent, fashion agents 10 percent and buying office 7 percent. By region, 70 percent of the buyers came from Shanghai and its vicinities and eastern seaboards of China, 8 percent from Gwangzhou, 15 percent from Beijing and its vicinities, 6 percent from Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries.
Special characteristics of this year's exhibition is that the participant Korean firms will arrange tours of Beijing and Shanghai for local buyers for a larger public relations effect for their endeavor and expand "trade show"for material by material makers from Korea to publicize their products widely in China. An opening show featuring the entertainment material of Korean Wave or Hallyu will also be staged to take advantage of the rising popularity of Korean films and songs overseas in particular in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan in a bid to boost the image of Korean textile and fashion industry abroad and help Korean fashion brands make inroad into China.
Korean market share in China has expanded while those of Japan and the United States have been reduced, said the trade institute attached to the Korea International Trade Association quoting its survey on China's imports from 2000 to 2005. The Korean share amounted to 10.3 percent in 2000, but fell to 9.6 percent in the following year and rose back up to 9.7 percent in 2002. But in October 2003, it recorded 10.5 percent and 11.1 percent in the following year and it jumped again to 11.7 percent in 2005. The Korean product share in China's import market varies widely from product to product. In the sector of intermediary material, its share rose to 15 percent from 13. percent. In the high-tech imports, its share jumped to 15.2 percent from 14.1 percent, although in the finished products category, its share fell.
In comparison of the market shares from 2000 to 2005, the share of precision equipment jumped to 25.7 percent in 2005 from 3.8 percent in 2000. In automobiles, the share increased from 3.3 percent in 2000 to 17.4 percent in 2005.
The share of semiconductor in China's import market rose to 16.9 percent in 2005 from 14.6 percent in 2000. The share of electronics products expanded to 18.6 percent from 7.3 percent during the period, while that for textile products fell to 13.3 percent from 15.6 percent. The share of leather products fell to 14.8 percent to from 34.9 percent, while the share of petroleum products dropped to 35.6 percent to 23.8 percent.
"Preview in Shanghai 2006"closed its colorful display of Korean textile and apparel products from April 5-8 at the Shanghai Mart. A total of 132 Korean material and clothing makers participated in the well-organized and colorful event designed to show the excellence of Korean textile and fashion industry to Chinese people and strengthen the bilateral relationship between Korea and China.
The participating companies displayed their products such as mew material and high-function products including fashion brands in their 320 booths set up at the exhibition hall.
Chairman Kyung Se-ho of the Korean Federation of Textile Industries (KOFOTI) said the exciting event'concept for "Preview Shanghai 2006"was "Blooming"to signal that the fashion industries of both Korea and China will now bloom together as the brilliant textile and fashion show took place three years in a row from 2003. He said the fascinating event has been able to bring Korea and China together for mutual development of the industries in both countries to build a firm foundation to progress to be a catalyst for real business transactions between the two close neighbors.
The chairman went on to say that the spectacular event had an opening fashion show displaying the designer clothes from the boutique of famous world designer Andre Kim, a trade show by each brands, altogether 10 fashion shows and 6 briefing sessions.
The opening fashion featured fantastic and fashion dresses including evening coats designed like a paradise bird designed by Andre Kim. Actor Lee Jun-ki who made his name in a film,
"King and His Male Companion and actress Han Ji-min appeared in the show to the acclaim of the viewers. Trade Show attracted the attention of local buyers with each Korean material maker at the show displaying clothes made with their material. Hyosung Co. in particular, showed off a line of clothes made with its own yarns, sportswear, and other firms did likewise in an elegant display of Korean clothing brands to Chinese customers.
But what drew a special attention at the event was the booth for clothes and shoes made by South Korean firms in the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea, a symbol for inter-Korean economic cooperation. The number of firms from the North Korean industrial park totaled 15 to show off clothes and shoes made by North Korean workers at the complex to signal for the inter-Korean economic project that can work. On April 5, the Ministry of Unification and the Korea Land Corp. and the Hyundai Asan Co. held a joint briefing session for the workings of the inter-Korean industrial complex for the globalization of the products made in the complex.
The colorful Korean event held annually since 2003 is thought to have brought the textile and fashion industries in both Korea and China together for mutual development. nw

(Photo Left) Vice Chairman of the KOFOTI Ha Myung-keun, left, chats with Kim Young-hak, director-general of the Major Manufacturing Industry Office of MOCIE at the New Year reception held by the KOFOTI and President-Publisher Elizabeth M. Oh.; Fashion Designer Andre Kim.; Actor Lee Jun-ki in an Andre Kim wear at the Andre Kim fashion show held in Shanghai, China, April 4, 2006, to open the Preview Shanghai 2006 featuring Korean textile and fashion wear.

(photo clockwise) Korean models take catwalk at the fashion show displaying dresses designed by Andre Kim with the theme of a "Paradise bird"to open the Preview Shanghai 2006 on April 4 last year.: A booth at the exhibition.: Another booth in the exhibition.: Models at the Andre Kim fashion show.: A model showing off Andre Kim's dress.