Seoul City to promote Korean fashion in China

Seoul will show China that it has more than K-pop by holding a Korean fashion convention in Hangzhou and Xian, two of the biggest fashion markets in China, city officials said.

A total of 12 Korean fashion brands will participate in the event from Nov. 21-26 in the two commercial cities, and expect to utilize the opportunity as a platform to enter the Chinese market and appeal to its consumers.

The participants include medium-sized brands such as Linayun, LeeDongWoo Collection, Bengal Vintage and Eukos.

The city government has provided logistics and administrative support for the brands and will help them strike deals with local department stores even after the convention.

“We will provide each brand with a space for the convention, interpretation service, information on market trends in China and market strategies. We will also follow up on possible deals with local department stores,” said an official.

Hangzhou plays a vital role in the distribution of women’s fashion, with about 35 percent of these clothes released from the city. Xian, one of the biggest commercial cities together with Chengdu, has several popular Korean brands available at department stores.

Officials said that as Chinese consumers show more interest in quality, design and brand power of a product, China has emerged as one of the most important markets for Korean fashion brands.

The event is the third to promote Korean fashion overseas after Hong Kong and Taipei in July and Guangzhou and Chengdu in China in October this year.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)