Liu Minxia

mllmx@msn.com

AN annual feast for the eyes is embracing changes that are emerging with the rise of e-commerce and the new economy in an intimate way.

The China (Shenzhen) International Brand Underwear Fair that opened at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center yesterday is seeing an obvious increase in the number of foreign brands this year, according to the fair’s organizer, Shenzhen Underwear Association. Online sellers are taking up more exhibition areas than in previous sessions, it said.

In addition to widely known Shenzhen brands including Embry From, Venies and Maniform, the three-day fair, covering 73,000 square meters, highlights foreign brands from 12 countries and regions, including leading swimsuits manufacturer GotteX, leading South American intimate apparel brand Leonisa, Japan’s Atsugi and Germany’s Roesch Fashion.

Online intimate apparel seller Chuizhicai, which literally means vertical purchasing, is occupying a whole exhibition hall of Hall 6 this year, and other e-commerce platforms are also strengthening their cooperation with the fair, the association said.

The fair, which has been held for 11 years, is the world’s second-largest underwear fair, second only to the French lingerie fair.

To raise its international profile, the fair organizer has invited Rene Celestin, a well-known French show director, Hamish Hamilton, a previous director of the Oscar’s and the opening ceremony of London Olympics, and Cesar Perlin, a renowned casting director who will work as a jury member of the modeling competition that will take place on the sideline of the fair.

Shows and forums on the development of the intimate apparel industry are also being held during the fair.

A key production base for lingerie in China, Shenzhen is home to more than 200 underwear companies that churn out 600 million pieces of underwear annually, according to the Shenzhen Underwear Association.

The annual output of Shenzhen’s lingerie-producing industry is worth 30 billion yuan (US$3.2 billion), accounting for 10 percent of the country’s total, association statistics show.