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recently, the fourth large-scale fashion project in the guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area, "greater bay area: fashion fusion 2024", sponsored by the cultural and creative industries development department of the hong kong special administrative region government (formerly known as "creative hong kong" of the hong kong special administrative region government) and hosted by fashion farm foundation (fff), a hong kong non-profit fashion promotion organization, came to a successful conclusion in guangzhou.

the "greater bay area: fashion fusion 2024" project spans about 6 months, covering six major cities including shenzhen, guangzhou, zhuhai, zhongshan, dongguan and hong kong, and holds four major events: fashion shows, touring exhibitions, fashion music nights and fashion cross-border collaborations, bringing together emerging fashion designers and outstanding students from professional design schools in various cities in the greater bay area to promote exchanges and cooperation in the fashion industry in the bay area. among them, the three major events in guangzhou have all been perfectly concluded, including: the "guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area fashion gala 2024" held on april 16, the "greater bay area fashion music night 2024" held on april 21, and the "guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area tour fashion exhibition 2024" opened on july 8.

in this fashion tour of six cities in the greater bay area, guangzhou, as one of the core cities in the bay area and a major city with a complete fashion industry chain, has attracted much attention from the industry for three major events. the original intention of the "greater bay area: fashion fusion 2024" project is to promote industry exchanges and cooperation between cities in the bay area and to help the growth of young talents in the fashion industry. the successful holding of the event also means that the integration and development of the fashion industry in the bay area has taken another small step forward.

the two major stages of the design journey were presented at the same time, and the activity began to show results

the first event of the "greater bay area: fashion fusion 2024" guangzhou station - "guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area fashion show 2024" landed at the opening ceremony of "2024 guangdong fashion week-spring" on april 16. two emerging fashion brands from the bay area + two fashion schools jointly presented a wonderful new product launch show, including hong kong fashion designer brand szman, guangdong fashion designer brand tuyue, hong kong polytechnic university school of fashion and textiles, and macau productivity and technology transfer center.

the "guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area tour fashion exhibition 2024" opened on july 8 with the theme of "all-inclusive". it brought together 37 fashion design brands and art units in the greater bay area, as well as 6 professional design schools, and exhibited a total of 87 ingenious works. the display categories, design styles, design themes, etc. can be said to be closely linked to the theme of "all-inclusive". it is particularly worth mentioning that the "fashion crossover fashion crossover" that received rave reviews during last year's exhibition was retained. through five forms of cooperation, outstanding creators in different art fields were linked, and music, fashion, intangible cultural heritage, product design and multimedia design elements were integrated. with hong kong fashion as the theme, 8 hong kong fashion brands and 8 artists or creative units in the greater bay area joined forces to play the cross-border thing out of flowers.

the "greater bay area fashion music night 2024" held on april 21st combines the two trendy elements of fashion and music. it is the most popular among young people from different fields among the many activities of the "greater bay area: fashion fusion 2024" project. the organizer fff teamed up with 4 new independent bands/musicians to perform on stage wearing the latest designs of fashion brands in the greater bay area, showing off cross-border creativity, vitality and passion.

as the fourth large-scale fashion project in the greater bay area sponsored by the cultural and creative industry development department of the hong kong special administrative region government and planned and created by fff, "greater bay area: fashion fusion 2024" is a continuation and upgrade of the successful foundation laid by the first three projects. as early as 2019, when the basic document for the development of the guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area, the outline development plan for the guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area, was officially released, fff held the first large-scale cross-city project with fashion as the theme in the guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area, "greater bay area-fashion·travel". from "greater bay area-fashion·travel" in 2019 to today's "greater bay area: fashion fusion 2024", the four projects have maintained two consistent and distinctive features: one is to focus on exchanges and cooperation in the fashion industry in the greater bay area, and the other is to gather students from design schools and emerging designers.

the blockbuster events of the guangzhou station, "fashion show of guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area 2024" and "fashion exhibition of guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area 2024", both showcased the works of two groups of design school students and young designers. "the biggest difference between our project and other projects is that some of the participants are fashion brands and fashion designers from different cities in guangdong, hong kong and macao, and some are design schools and design students from different cities in guangdong, hong kong and macao. this is quite rare." yang jinhuai, project director of fashion farm foundation, introduced, "one is a group of students who have not yet embarked on the road of commercialization, and the other is a group of mature designers who have entered fashion brands. we want to show you the different stages of fashion design and the changes that will occur in different stages. for example, the student stage may be more imaginative and pay more attention to visual expression, while the brand stage must consider commercialization issues and the design is often not so exaggerated. we hope to show the creativity and growth of the new generation of designers through the similarities and differences between these two stages."

"since we started this practice in 2019, we can gradually see that many fashion shows have begun to adopt similar practices, inviting colleges and universities to hold exhibitions, and also inviting emerging designers to hold exhibitions together. as far as i can see, there are still relatively few shows like ours that integrate college students and young designers into one show, but i believe they will gradually appear in the future. as far as i know, there are some activities in hong kong that have similar plans. if we are the first in the industry, it is our honor." yang jinhuai said.

lu jiaqing, president of the macau fashion design industry association, has participated in fff's bay area fashion project for several consecutive sessions. his biggest feeling this year is that "it is constantly iterating year after year". "the current market situation is not so ideal. some brands have disappeared in the past few years, but many brands have persisted. in addition, new brands and new designers continue to emerge. when everyone comes together, they will feel that this industry is not alone and is still full of vitality. this can motivate everyone to continue to work hard in this industry. when you come to participate in fff's bay area activities, when you see the creativity of those young students, you will feel full of enthusiasm. we are all part of the bay area. we communicate and encourage each other together. i believe that we can bring new vitality to the industry."

provide a display platform for the new generation to help them land in the market

fang simin, a designer of the fashion brand szman from hong kong, can be said to be a typical figure of fff's "showing changes and growth from student to designer". before she founded her brand and as a student, she participated in fff's bay area fashion project with her works. after founding her brand, she participated in the "guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area fashion gala" with her works this year. she thinks this experience is very interesting: "i can see different designers in different cities and different events. everyone has a lot of ideas and the things they make are very different, which has greatly broadened my horizons. i graduated not long ago, and i am very happy to have the opportunity to understand how brands and production are done in the mainland."

what are the differences between being a student and becoming a mature designer? fang simin has personal experience: "when i was a student, i participated in design competitions or designed graduation works. it was ok to express the meaning we wanted to express. but now we will extract some elements from the ideas and put them into the design, and this piece of clothing can be worn daily. i now have a criterion for judging my design works, that is, whether i can wear it myself and whether it is comfortable to wear. if i still like it after wearing it for a month, then this work is ok."

as one of the famous design schools in the bay area, the school of fashion and textiles of the hong kong polytechnic university has participated in fff's fashion projects for many consecutive sessions. gong jianjian, the project manager of the school's mint studio, believes: "as far as i know, the general higher education of design majors in our school or hong kong is more inclined to a free and unrestrained state of creation. this is definitely true, because for universities, the cultivation of innovation and the focus on research and development must exceed the development of our existing ideological fields. these are the functions that universities must have. but from the perspective of higher education in fashion design, when students complete this education, how will they face their careers in the future? how should your work and your design ability be connected with the market? what problems do you face as a designer or when you set up your own brand? these are very practical business problems. current higher education may be a little bit behind in this regard. the establishment of our mint studio is to make up for this."

gong jianjian revealed, "there is actually a big gap between the fashion design skills that students learn in school and the skills they need to put into practice as a designer. this gap can only be made up through some front-line experience. so on the one hand, we will take students to participate in fff exchange activities or other various activities; on the other hand, we will help students to open pop-up stores so that they can directly contact front-line customers. exchanges with peers and feedback from front-line customers are good learning experiences for them."

"today i asked some young people what they thought of the students' design works. they were all very surprised. the design made them feel refreshed." at the guangzhou stop of the "guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area tour fashion exhibition", lin huibin, director of the hong kong and macao residents service center of tianhe district, guangzhou, praised this form of activity: "in fact, it is difficult for many young people nowadays to find a platform to showcase themselves, and it is even more difficult to let these industry bigwigs see their works. therefore, fff's holding of such an exchange event is a very rare opportunity for them. i think this can be regarded as the realization of the design dreams of some young people."

"this year marks the fifth year since the release of the basic document on the development of the greater bay area. the policy is future-oriented and the development opportunities it brings may be enjoyed by the next generation, who are important social talents in the future. in the clothing industry, this includes our college students and young designers. so we want to provide opportunities for young people as much as possible through what we can do now. for example, take them to different cities in the greater bay area to understand the characteristics of each city, and understand the differences in the clothing industry in each city. let them show their advantages and seize their opportunities while understanding the differences, and try their best to do what they can when these opportunities come." yang jinhuai said.

"the traditional education and training of hong kong designers focuses on looking outward. i think this is very good, but from 2024 onwards, is it enough to just look outward in one direction? i think it is not enough. it should be more about how to get closer to our own market. how to understand our market? from the perspective of a professional college, the hong kong polytechnic university actively participates in the activities organized by fff and other bay area activities, whether it is participating in fashion shows, static exhibitions, or visiting exhibitions. through such exchanges, our students can better understand the situation of the surrounding markets in the greater bay area. in this way, when he designs works or builds his own brand, he can have more choices in market direction, not necessarily internationally, he can face markets closer to him." gong jianjian believes, "on the other hand, many companies in hong kong used to need fashion designers, but now it is more mainland companies that need designers. we also want to use such exchange opportunities to give students more exposure and let more companies realize that hong kong design talents are also interested in the mainland market."

the advantages of the cities in the bay area are interconnected, complementary and integrated, and you can "play" with like-minded people

since the concept of the "guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area" emerged, with the introduction of a series of policy measures to promote the common development of the greater bay area, there have been more and more industry activities aimed at promoting exchanges, cooperation, and integrated development in the bay area. the fashion industry in the bay area, which has been closely connected for many years, has interacted more frequently, and the trend of integrated development has become stronger.

ouyang xu, the manager of xu's and vice president of the guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area xiangyunsha promotion association, has a typical experience of the integration of cities in the bay area. he is from macau, his company is in hong kong, and many of his work and supply chains are in foshan. one of his current work focuses is to promote the "intangible cultural heritage" xiangyunsha, which is produced in shunde. in the "guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area tour fashion exhibition", the joint work "ge xin's heritage" was jointly created by hong kong fashion designer brand yeung chin and the guangdong-hong kong-macao greater bay area xiangyunsha promotion association. "even in guangdong, many people don't know xiangyunsha. i am a macau designer, and i didn't know it at first. i want to start promoting it from hong kong and macau, to the entire greater bay area, and then promote this chinese culture to the world. this is the challenge i set for myself." ouyang xu said.

"when we were studying design in hong kong, we had little contact with traditional chinese crafts. the bay area exchange activities organized by fff showcased some great traditional chinese cultural elements, such as xiangyunsha, so that hong kong students and designers know that there are such good fabrics and such good crafts, and no longer trapped in their own revelry." szman brand designer fang simin sighed, "in hong kong, it can be said that the fashion industry is a sunset industry. you probably can't find female workers who can sew clothes, because those who know this technology may be 70 years old. for fashion brands, it is difficult to do without corresponding factory support. so coming to the mainland for exchanges also gives us the opportunity to explore the guangdong industrial chain."

the fashion industry in the bay area has always been closely connected, and is built on the basis of mutual complementation and integration of the advantages of each city. "in guangdong, especially guangzhou, the entire industrial chain is very complete. you can basically find whatever fabrics and craftsmanship you need, so your product will be more complete. in terms of creative ideas, we are more practical, or to put it bluntly, we may not be so rebellious. a design student in guangdong may want to make clothes that more people buy, so his work needs to be practical, suitable for daily life, and easy to wear. but a design student in hong kong may want to make clothes that show his personality, which will make him different in his future growth path, and he may pay more attention to niche fashion. whether it is public practicality or niche personality, i think it is a kind of inheritance, a spiritual inheritance." yang yingying, a designer of tuyue brand from guangdong, said.

"i think the most fun part of participating in fff's bay area activities is finding a group of like-minded people to play with. i like to collide with different teams and professional teams. more people in different cities in the bay area will know us, and we will also get to know brand teams and designers from different regions and fields, and discover something new and different in their works." yang yingying believes that "fashion is not something that can be played by yourself. you must integrate different information, or go out and expand this circle."

as the circle gets bigger and the bay area becomes more closely connected, will it become more "competitive"? yang yingying said: "i don't think designers should avoid competition with each other. i think it should be a competitive relationship. facing the greater bay area market, competition is normal, but we are more cooperative. more exchanges and cooperation will definitely play a positive role in promoting the development of the industry." this view coincides with lin huibin's: "exchange activities can not be limited to exhibitions. i think we can even compete with each other. competition will lead to better products. after all, the market itself cannot avoid competition. we can have a sense of competition under the general direction of cooperation. this is my personal idea."

"in the process of touring, fff's activities are actually building a platform for students, designers, and industry organizations to communicate with each other. i think this kind of activity should be encouraged." lin huibin believes that "this kind of promotion is very important. because guangzhou, hong kong, and macau, the clothing industries of various cities in the greater bay area have been connected for so many years. it is very important for everyone to keep moving forward together. we can use high-tech means to tell regional stories and stories of the bay area across industries, regions, and spaces. i believe this is something that others don't have."

from all walks of life to daily life, from macro to micro, the integrated development of the cities in the greater bay area has been a rolling wheel of the times, and the integrated life of residents is also taking place. "i am a person who often takes the high-speed rail to and from hong kong. i often see a very interesting picture, a group of primary school students, or a group of college students, going back and forth between the mainland and hong kong. it may be mainland students going to school or visiting hong kong, or it may be hong kong students going to the mainland for experience and exchange." yang jinhuai said, "exchange and cooperation in the bay area is a major trend. the original intention of our project is to promote exchanges between talents in the bay area cities and promote cooperation between cities. we believe that these efforts will be a favorable boost to the coordinated development of the bay area."