The project, themed “From Bangkok to Xiamen,” launched a collective debut for Thai designers during this year’s Xiamen International Fashion Week (XMIFW) , which signifies the city’s ambition to be an International Consumption Center City.
Xiamen’s unique assets—including its overseas Chinese heritage, open commercial culture, and consumer influence across Southern China—have created the essential groundwork for international emerging brands to efficiently enter the Chinese market.
11 Thai designers made their collectivedebutduring the Xiamen International Fashion Week – Courtesy
From October 16 to 19, XMIFW successfully hosted this major trilateral initiative that featured four key components: a pop-up store showcasing Thai designers, an industry workshop for China-Thailand fashion collaboration, and the Chinese debut runway show for the Thai brand BlackSugar.
The backbone supporting XMIFW’s presenting this project is its decade-long commitment to building an “industrial interface” capability. The system is founded on the long-term operation of the “Ru Shi” (入时) designer platform and the “How How Hub” (好好市场) physical space. It integrates multi-dimensional resources, including top-tier brand collaborations, endorsement from authoritative media, and high-end industry forums, collectively forming a complete commercial value chain.
Crucially, the event was cemented by the official signing of a memorandum of understnding between the fashion week organizer, FN China, and Qurated Company, an authoritative and internationally influential fashion industry incubation project initiated by Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP)., Ministry of Commerce, Thailand. As a direct result, Xiamen and Bangkok will act as essential partnership hubs for accessing each other’s fashion markets, leveraging their resources to intensify engagement among all fashion stakeholders, from designers to consumers, and ensuring mutual benefit through cultural appreciation and joint business creation.
“Xiamen holds a unique three-dimensional strategic value for Thai brands entering the Chinese market: Platform Empowerment, Market Validation, and Regional Radiation,” said Lin Ru, secretary-general of Xiamen International Fashion Week.
“Xiamen’s distinctive culture fosters a high degree of acceptance for creative Thai designs. Crucially, our comprehensive and advanced fashion supply chain fully empowers Thai brands by consolidating media, channels, and resources to facilitate everything from display and market testing to commercial realization. Based here, brands are also strategically positioned to efficiently radiate to key consumer hubs in China.”
Thai designer platform director Dr. Anothai Cholachatpinyo explains that Qurated’s edge is its commitment to “real market validation.”
Brands are tested for commercial viability in top local retail environments like IconCraft and Style Bangkok before they are successfully propelled onto international platforms, including Tokyo Jumble, Paris Who’s Next, and New York Fashion Week. And he also indicated that Qurated is not merely an incubator; it’s a “globally recognized launching pad.” It systematically prepares Thai brands for the world stage by blending design innovation with sharp business strategy.
Thai fashion design is rapidly advancing from a regional force to a new voice that the global community cannot ignore. Simultaneously, Thai celebrities have unequivocally emerged as an influential power in the international fashion scene. The luxury sector has fully embraced this shift, recognizing the stars documented power of persuasion and their expansive reach into new audiences.
Consequently, major fashion houses like Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci are actively appointing well-known Thai figures as brand ambassadors, a move that significantly boosts the international prominence and visibility of Thai fashion.
The 11 Thai brands made their first entry into the Xiamen consumer market at the pop-up store located in ‘HOW HOW HUB’ on Zhongshan Road, with brand acceptance among local trendsetters proving to be much higher than predicted.
A China-Thailand Fashion Industry Seminar was also held, where both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as design innovation and supply chain collaboration. The conference showcased concepts for sustainable cooperation, including establishing a ‘Thai Designers Xiamen Exchange Center’ and transitioning ‘pop-up stores to permanent residency,’ reaching exciting consensus on mechanisms like two-way mutual visits and brand mutual assistance.
Moving forward, XMIFW is positioned to offer any international brand seeking entry into the Chinese market a comprehensive solution that systematically elevates its visibility, professional credibility, and commercial potential. This includes providing emerging brands with a “Minimum Viable Test” (MVT) loop—a closed system that spans everything from immediate sales and direct consumer feedback to supply chain resource matching. For market newcomers, the core value of this system lies in significantly lowering the entry barrier and reducing trial-and-error costs.
And finally, just before the 11 designers returned to Thailand, FashionNetwork.com secured the opportunity to speak with them directly to hear their immediate reflections on the experience.
FashionNetwork.com: Since this marks your first showcase here, what are your initial thoughts on the Xiamen/Chinese market? What specific expectations or goals do you have for entering the Chinese consumer space?
Balc: We expect to rapidly build brand loyalty by directly catering to the needs of our target customers and transforming our sincere hope for expansion into a tangible reality.
Big Foot: We’d like to have a deeper understanding of Chinese consumers —their needs, preferences, and lifestyle inspirations — which will guide us in developing products and experiences that truly resonate with.
BlackSugar: We see great potential in the Chinese market the scale, the curiosity, and the openness to new aesthetics. After completing the show, it gave us a strong sense of confidence. The warm response from the audience encouraged us to refine some details in our design and presentation to better connect with Chinese consumers while staying true to the BlackSugar identity.
Bono Brand: We hope to connect with conscious consumers who value craftsmanship, honesty, and sustainability, to build long-term collaborations with local partners who share the same vision for a better and more responsible world.
Capthai: We believe that to enter a new market, we must act local — to understand people’s lifestyle, fashion sense, and what truly inspires them. We’re here to learn, connect, and share our story with this inspiring city.
Collector Project: With the vibrant atmosphere, I believe my creations will be well received by the Xiamen audience and open new opportunities within this distinctive market.
Maison Wonder Anatomie: For this showcase, I hope to present a collection that reflects Thai culture, and I wish it will appeal to Chinese customers, creating more opportunities for business and helping us expand our market to reach a wider target audience.
Homrak: The Chinese market has long been known for its appreciation of craftsmanship and meaningful design. I believe these values resonate strongly with the Chinese sense of harmony authenticity and appreciation for craftsmanship. I hope this opportunity will open a path for creative exchange cultural dialogue and mutual learning between Thailand and China.
Mormormor: We’re looking to gradually explore the Chinese market and hope to build brand recognition so that people can identify our designs as uniquely ours. We’re also interested in trying out online sales through local platforms.
Mujil: Our goal in entering the Chinese market is to connect with consumers who value craftsmanship, authenticity, and meaningful stories behind what they wear or use. We look forward to meaningful exchanges — both B2B and B2C — and to exploring partnerships with Chinese designers, retailers, and cultural spaces to bridge our cultures through creativity and craftsmanship.
Saamu: We see the Chinese market as very sophisticated, people here love design that has soul. Saamu’s story of Thai craftsmanship and culture fits beautifully with that mindset. We aim to build cultural connection, not just commerce.
Ami Paris is continuing its flagship opening programme but instead of Europe, this time it has turned its attention to Asia with a debut in Seoul. It has just opened its new multi-level flagship in the heart of Hannam at 45, Itaewon-ro 55ga-gil, Yongsan-gu.
Ami Paris, Seoul
And it said this “signals a meaningful evolution for the brand’s retail experience: spanning over 425 sq m, it stands as Ami Paris’s largest flagship globally, introducing a Parisian wardrobe and gathering place rooted in the timeless principles of Korean Hanok architecture”.
It added that the space “embraces Seoul’s cool contemporary soul, connecting with a culturally rich neighborhood and a style-attentive crowd who value effortless elegance, art, and discovery”.
Intended to be more than a traditional boutique, the venue is conceived as an “urban haven and welcoming residence, representing a respectful adaptation to the local context, with a unique sense of intimacy and togetherness”.
It’s certainly an interesting design. Visitors are guided from the street through an underground passage, emerging into the Ami Garden (“a curated oasis of local flora including rowan and maple trees”) before “ascending to the main entrance. This transitional ritual marks a shift from the city’s pace to a serene, breathing space”.
The design concept is based in traditional Hanoks, “creating a cosy atmosphere through a refined interplay of materials: dark oak, granite, and Maljat stone, accented by Ami Paris’s signature elements of beige limewash, gold, champagne gold and mirror finishes”.
Custom wooden furniture and low-slung seating areas are designed to invite visitors to linger, while bespoke paper lighting, evocative of traditional Hanji, “bathes the interiors in a soft, diffused glow”.
The store also inaugurates an artist residency in collaboration with the Pipe Gallery. Talents “will be invited to engage with the space, ensuring the Ami Paris home remains a dynamic site of cultural conversation”.
At launch, the presentation features the work of Korean-French contemporary artist Chansong Kim.
The unpredictability involved in doing business with the US has come into sharper relief with the threat of new tariffs being applied to UK exports. And international delivery specialist ParcelHero said Britain’s small businesses “will be the first casualties of [President] Trump’s new Greenland tariff war”.
Donald Trump at the White House, Washington, D.C. (United States), 16 January 2026 – AFP
Any new tariffs come after extra duties were already imposed last year while the de minimis exemption was abolished.
In 2024, the UK exported around $828m-worth of textiles such as clothing to the US. Most of these products will have had a value of under $800 and that de minimis abolition will have had a huge impact.
But even those business selling luxury goods that didn’t previously qualify for zero duties under the de minimis rule have been hit hard already.
ParcelHero said that the UK currently has one of the most favourable US tariff rates of 10%, following a trade deal with the country, but “even so, a UK-made coat costing $800 is already likely to cost US shoppers at least an extra $80 (£60) more than it did at the beginning of 2025, assuming that the UK seller passed on all the tariff costs to their US customers. That may not be the only applicable tariff, however, as it could also attract a further tax depending on the item’s tariff code.”
With the new tariff threat just issued, from the beginning of February, “that same coat could cost American consumers around $960 due to the imposition of a further 10% tariff. More concerningly still, from June it could cost them more than $1,000, as February’s 10% tariff rises to 25%. UK specialist and family-run businesses will struggle to survive in the US market as American shoppers turn to cheaper products from elsewhere”.
Parcelhero thinks Trump’s tariff threat over Greenland will particularly impact small UK businesses — which are less able to absorb extra costs and to have the mega-marketing budgets to cement their desirability in consumers’ minds — disproportionately.
The company’s head of consumer research, David Jinks, said he “agrees with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer that the imposition of new tariffs on the UK and seven other countries that oppose Trump’s plans to take control of Greenland is ‘completely wrong’.
“Many smaller UK exporters are already reeling from the impact of the 10% tariff imposed on the majority of UK products last year. On top of that came the axing of the US de minimis tariff exemption that previously enabled British goods valued at $800 (around £600) or under to enter America duty free. Britain’s SME manufacturers and exporters are likely to be the first casualties of Trump’s new tariff war. Many smaller UK companies may have to quit the US market entirely if the Greenland tariffs are imposed.
“The US is Britain’s largest single overseas market and in 2024, before Trump announced his ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs in April 2025, around 39,500 UK VAT-registered businesses exported goods to the US. Many of these are SME businesses and marketplace traders that are disproportionately affected by the new tariffs.”
And the company thinks that if the tariffs are applied, it will mean a wider move towards tariffs globally. “Whatever the ongoing impact of new US tariffs, the repeal of its de minimis rules and a potential tit-for-tat trade war over Greenland, we are inevitably looking at a period of continuing volatility and changes to US shipments,” Jinks added.
Matalan is the latest big-name UK retailer to report on the Golden Quarter as well as the narrower festive season and it appears to have done well late last year.
It said that in Q3 (the three months ended 28 November) EBITDA was up 38% year-on-year “reflecting sales growth and market share gains”.
The fashion and homewares retailer said that pre-IFRS16 EBITDA jumped to £27 million during the quarter on the back of like-for-like sales growth of 2%, coupled with its ongoing focus on margin and efficiencies. This builds on the strong momentum delivered in H1 2026, with pre-IFRS16 EBITDA up 53% to £61 million in the financial year to date.
Its digital performance was “very strong” in Q3, with like-for-like sales up 11% and Black Friday delivering its strongest ever online sales day outside of the pandemic. That reflects the firm’s heavy investment in this channel of late and with a new native app due to launch later this year alongside a refreshed loyalty scheme, it’s clearly expecting the outperformance to continue.
But its stores are a key part of its investment programme too and in particular, during Q3, its refreshed stores outperformed the wider estate by 12%. The company didn’t detail how the stores performed overall but did say that it plans to upgrade 40 more locations in its next financial year.
As for the nine weeks up to 2 January, like-for-like sales rose 1%, which is below the 2% recorded for Q3 but coming against a backdrop in which many retailers reported falls, it’s not a bad result.
Categories including women’s outerwear and men’s formalwear and sportswear performed particularly well and the retailer said it gained market share across both women’s and men’s in the period, “reflecting the renewed product offer and significant improvements in brand perception”.
Overall, it “outperformed the wider market in October through to December, delivering year-on-year sales growth ahead of peers”.
Executive chair Karl-Heinz Holland said: “Our business transformation continues to deliver tangible results, with another strong quarter of EBITDA performance, alongside a return to sales growth. This reflects our relentless focus on delivering better quality, style and value, underpinned by sustained investment in product, stores and digital. This has enabled us to outperform the market, despite a challenging trading backdrop. Looking ahead, we look forward to welcoming our new CEO next month and remain confident in the business delivering sustainable profitable growth.”
Politics8 years ago