Macau Fashion Association take an educational trip to Beijing

By Kimberly Johans
Published in The Macau Daily Times
November 7, 2007, page 5 (427 words)

The Macau Fashion Association invited two members of the media, including The Macau Daily Times, along for three days in Beijing last Saturday to witness the vents of China Fashion Week.
A group of seven Fashion Association members comprising of designers and fashion industry workers also came along, to learn how the fashion events were organised, get a sense of the excitement surrounding the shows and allow for their inspiration to take hold.
The trip also provided a valuable opportunity for the Association members to witness how a large scale fashion event was organised, what and who is involved in the process, and to make valuable industry contacts.
The idea for the trip came from the Association’s Chairman, Paulo senna Fernandes, who had applied for monetary assistance in August and received it from the Cultural Institute of Macau, as well as the Henry Fok Foundation, who paid for the media to attend.
Accompanying Mr senna Fernandes was his brother and the Association’s board director, Mr Tertuliano senna Fernandes, Mr Edgar Mok Peng San, and Miss Wong Im Leng, who joined the Association in the hopes of expanding her knowledge of the industry.
Also present were Miss Jenny Sam Ngan, Mr Elidio Khan as well as Paulo and his wife Chan Lai Chan.
As Paulo explained, Macau’s fashion industry is currently very small, so the need to attract more members to create an opportunity for future shows in Macau was important.
He said it was difficult to gain financial assistance when the Association was competing with a thousand others in Macau for funding.
As Chairman of the Association, Paulo ensures that a new group of interested members are allowed the opportunity to travel to Beijing along with any media that may be interested.
Speaking to the other members about their experiences and interests, gave a mixed response.
Elidio, a graphic artist focussing on T-shirt design, whose interest lies drawing facial expressions said, “I joined the Association as it gave me a chance to learn and really show what I’m really good but also an opportunity to be taught.
“They [the Association] don’t care if you have a certificate or not, they just want people who have an interest,” he said.
Meanwhile Jenny receives work for uniform designs but focuses her talents on personal image design and makeup artistry, owning a beauty salon near Tap Seac Square.
Finally, Edgar’s family owned factory in Hac Sa Van produces knitwear with some of the designs coming from himself.
The Macau Fashion Association was created in 2003 with about 50 current members.