With close to 300 companies exhibiting for the first time, buyers can be assured of the chance to meet new suppliers with fresh products and designs. Indeed, there will be a great deal to see during the three days and over 50,000 square meters of exhibition space in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Wanchai, Hong Kong's commercial and entertainment centre.

Trends Guide The Entire Industry
With the leather industry merging rapidly into the larger global apparel and fashion industry, leather manufacturers have as great a need to keep abreast of fashion trends as manufacturers of fashion products. The Materials Trends Lounge in Concourse 1, where specially selected premium samples are displayed, will be the pointer for Spring-Summer 09 colours and materials trends. The Fashion Trends Lounge,in the Convention Foyer features the colour directions and fashion themes for Winter 08-09 offered by the latest collections from Fashion Access exhibitors. Many buyers use these trend areas as a preview of the fair and as an aid to create a shortlist of stands to visit.

Best of APLF Awards - More than an award
These awards have established themselves after just a few years as being rewarding in business terms, a well as the satisfaction of peer recognition. A panel of judges from fashion and design consultants to materials experts and department store buyers select the winners from several categories.

Established primarily as a design and quality award, the Best of APLF has broaden the award categories by products only to include marketing and promotion breakthroughs. New awards such as the Tradition & Innovation Award and the Best Marketing Concept Award were created last October at Fashion Access.

Following the success of the cooperation of APLF Awards winners and the British School of Leather Technology last year, the APLF Fashion Award is repeated this year in connection with two design schools in the Czech Republic who organised a design competition using the materials provided by three of the 2007 award winners. The best 38 design products of the competition will be presented in the Design Zone of Fashion Access located inside the Convention Hall.

Eco-Luxury Trends
No one can fail to notice that an 'eco' label is a fast developing trend. An Eco-Friendly Product Collection Award was also created at the last Fashion Access testifying of the growing importance of this trend as it moves into the mainstream of fashion. A special display area for eco-friendly products can be found at the Eco-Luxury Zone in Hall 5 at Fashion Access. It includes handmade, natural or recycled products: from the 'Eco-Fashion' line of rubber products from the Amazon forest to 'Eco-chic' handbags handmade in the Philippines with all kinds of local natural fibres to the 'Eco-Couture' wallets made of recycled advertising banners in Hong Kong by 091 or the 'I am a plastic bag' line of tote bags made in India by Conserve from recycled plastic bags.

Fashion Avenue in Fashion Access
Companies with strong branded products and design services are found here. Buyers can see some of the most innovative and unique bags, footwear and fashion accessories. Aimed primarily at boutique and upper-end retail buyers Fashion Avenue has proved to be enormously popular with buyers and exhibitors alike. It features over 80 designs and brands, (compared to just 33 last March). Fashion Avenue this time round introduces the Brazil footwear pavilion (first time participating) with 7 companies: the Japan pavilion with 24 companies showing footwear, handbags, and fashion accessories; and 10 footwear producers from Italy.

Informative Seminars and Conference
This year there are more seminars than ever before and they run throughout the full three days of the exhibition. Entry to most is free of charge. Some of the popular topics include 'How to make a collection', 'Peclers Paris Fall-Winter 09-10 Inspirations Trends', 'Corporate social responsibility in the leather & shoe industry', and of course a topic on 'Eco-luxury'. The seminar debate 'Luxury Goods and the Leather Industry - Follow the money' will try and find answers to questions like What is the future of Luxury? How will consumers spend their money in 2008? What are the key changes in marketing trends to watch ? And how will the leather industry be impacted?

Half day conference, 'Sourcing Leather with Confidence', will be held on 1 April 2008 and provides an important opportunity for all sectors of the global leather supply chain to gather valuable knowledge about the leather industry.

Over the years APLF has moved with the times and the emphasis today is more and more on Fashion. PRIME SOURCE FORUM (PSF), the definitive meeting place for the global apparel industry takes place at the same time as MM&T and Fashion Access and attracts the "movers and shakers" of this industry from all over the world. Discussions are led in eight sessions by nearly 50 specialists from all sectors of the supply chain. The Prime Source Forum will take place at the Convention Hall and Theatre on 1-2 April 2008.

All three, MM&T, Fashion Access and Prime Source, are 'must attend' events.

For Fair details, please contact:
Ms Perrine Ardouin, Senior Event Manager
APLF Limited
17/F China Resources Building, 26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: 852 2827 6211 - Fax: 852 2827 7831
E-mail:perrine@cmpasia.com

Press release
APLF