Models on the runway at Centrestage Hong Kong. The event hosted 30 fashion shows and attracted over 10,000 trade buyers from 91 countries.
Courtesy HKTDC
Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Centrestage is the fashion industry’s best-kept secret. Part trade show, part fair, it kicks off the Autumn/Winter fashion week season in Asia.
2025’s edition ran from 3—6 September, drawing talent and visitors from across the globe. Despite the scheduling conflict for brands and industry gearing up for New York Fashion Week, this edition “set new records in terms of scale and internationalisation” according to Sophia Chong, Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), which hosts the fair.
Data shared by the HKTDC shows over 10,000 trade buyers from 91 countries and regions attended the event—up from 8,500 in 2024 and 7,700 in 2023. The B2B event was open to the general public with 19,000 plus visitors—including guests to the concurrent Salon de Time—turning out.
In a survey during the trade show, 38% of the 400 exhibitors and buyers interviewed by the HKTDC said their greatest opportunities lay in rising demand from emerging markets. Little wonder the buzzy event at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre hosted more than 260 brands from 25 countries and regions.
International labels like Denmark’s Henrik Vibskov (via Vlad Showroom) and Speed Paris from Romania sat alongside Monika Branagan and AI brand Neuono showcased under the banner of the Australian Fashion Council—making its debut at the fair. The Thai pavilion featured over 40 brands.
The 10th edition of Centrestage attracted over 10,000 trade buyers from 91 countries and regions
Courtesy HKTDC
As a partner country, the UK brought over a diverse selection of designers: Saul Nash, Bianca Saunders and Labrum all cleared their schedules ahead of their London Fashion Week shows.
Ka Way Key, founded by Jarno Leppanen and Hong Konger Key Chow, flew into Hong Kong to take part in the UK Pavilion and on the runway. The duo’s Grandpa-inspired Spring Summer ‘26 collection was a love letter to Chow’s grandfather and featured delicate floral crochet made by grannies in London.
“We are open to Hong Kong stockists but found that there were a lot of international buyers here. We’ve had quite a lot of interest,” he explained. Partner Leppanen added that while they have not been active on the show circuit since COVID-19, the event has “ignited their interest” in showcasing and “maintaining connections between the two cities.” Ka Way Key will attend Shanghai Fashion Week’s Autumn showroom later this October.
Across the 4 days, HKTDC held more than 40 events and 30 runway shows—a record number. These included a gala event from Chinese designer Guo Pei that opened Centrestage; discussions with Charles Jeffrey from Loverboy; runways from local talent such as the overseas promotion campaign series Fashion Hong Kong and the Fashionally platform for emerging talent.
Regular attendee Florian Müller, a consultant who also runs the Mental Health in Fashion campaign, has been visiting Centrestage since the early days. “What both my clients and I appreciate is that, besides well-known Western labels, the fair offers the opportunity to discover many Asian brands from a wide range of countries — brands that would otherwise be difficult to meet for ordering appointments,” he stated. This season, Centrestage featured local labels Jesse Lee and Kowloon City Boy alongside others from countries across Asia such as Thailand (Maison Wonder Natomie), South Korea (Muleboy), and Japan (Mariko).
Across the 4 days, HKTDC hosted more than 40 events and around 30 fashion shows—a record number.
Courtesy HKTDC
“There are opportunities here that you simply don’t get at other fashion weeks,” said Jannis Thein, buyer and owner of Neverlnd, a newly opened retail store in Würzburg, Bavaria. He joined Stavros Karelis from Machine-A and Marianna Kuvve from brand accelerator Tomorrow Ltd, in making their first visit to Centrestage. Representatives from Indonesia’s Zalora, ESSX in the US, and the Italian retailer Sugar Srl were also present.
For Thein, the unprecedented global economic downturn has, in fact, opened a window for Neverlnd, allowing it more manoeuvrability and access to brands at events such as Centrestage. “Everything here is in one space which is really handy and different from say Paris Fashion Week.” Thein name-checked new finds like Pces from Taiwan and Extraordinary from South Korea for the new store, adding: “I don’t think I would have seen these brands anywhere else as they aren’t overseas yet and they are still relatively niche. We are hoping to confirm orders but it depends on the minimums.”
The unique programme offered ample opportunity for the next generation of names to shine. The UK pavilion partnered with the JCA-London Fashion Academy, founded by Professor Jimmy Choo OBE, who was a guest speaker. In a pioneering collaboration, the stand showcased the graduating collections from the JCA’s latest MA cohort. Collectively, the 5 presented designs focused on modular fashion (a bare C), sustainability (Rethreaded), and inclusivity (Lopuszansky) to the wider industry, with at least one graduate picking up a major stockist.
Finally, Centrestage featured a beefed-up edition of the Redress Design Award final. Hosted by founder Dr. Christina Dean, the 15th title was awarded jointly to Carla Zhang and Hugo Dumas. Nathan Moy was awarded the Hong Kong Best as previous winner Kevin Germanier watched from the sidelines.
As the dust settled, HKTDC’s Chong was upbeat. “Ultimately, we aim to continue elevating Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s fashion capital.” The ambition is twofold: to serve as a gateway for global brands to enter the region and for local designers to shine on the world stage.
The founder of IA London greets guests at the UK Pavilion. As a partner country, the UK brought over a diverse selection of names to Centrestage including Saul Nash, Bianca Saunders and Ka Way Key.
Courtesy HKTDC
