VietNamNet Bridge – Over 200 local and international fashion firms are getting their glad rags ready for this year’s Viet Nam Fashion Fair (VFF), set to open its doors next Wednesday at the Culture and Labour Palace in Ha Noi.

“There will be good opportunity for foreign businesses to have dynamic trade exchange with their Vietnamese counterparts”.

This year’s fair is also expected to attract hundreds of local and international textile and garment manufacturers, accessory suppliers, leather and footwear companies, as well as the hottest independent and up-and-coming fashion designers.

“There will be good opportunity for foreign businesses to have dynamic trade exchange with their Vietnamese counterparts,” Truong says.

Topping the events list is the Spring-Summer Fashion Week, which will feature fashion shows every evening. The shows are a stage for famous designers working at different textile and garment companies to introduce their newest collections, which combine international fashion trends with innovative design for the Spring-Summer 2009 Season, Truong says.

The programme will also include trade promotion activities, seminars and business meetings for local and foreign firms to exchange views and experiences as well as to help promote local trademarks.

Fashion collections on show will range from office fashion and school uniforms to evening wear, sports wear and children’s wear. Designer Nguyen Manh Hung will also be hoping to grab attention with his ao dai (traditional dress) collection, using fabric woven with flowers.

Also on show are new designs in leather and footwear products such as bags and wallets, as well as jewellery, costumes for weddings, hair styling, fashion accessories and cosmetic and beauty products.

Last year’s fair featured 250 booths run by almost 150 local and international businesses. The largest contingent was from Thailand with 20 companies.

In the run-up to the event this year, over 20 foreign business delegations from the US, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, South Korea and many countries in Asia visited and held business exchanges with exhibitors at the fair, which has attracted more than 9,000 business people and 54,000 clients.

Vinatex is expected to reap around US$11 billion from garment exports this year, up from last year’s annual figure of around $9.5 billion.

(Source: Viet Nam News)