 (APLF, Hong Kong)The Best of APLF Awards, a product design and quality competition held during the Materials, Manufacturing & Technology (MM&T) and Fashion Access fairs, was given out to 15 deserving exhibitors last March 25 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. To celebrate the 10th year of the awards program, all the winners were presented with special golden versions of the traditional blue trophies.
At MM&T, Çetinkaya Kürk Deri of Turkey copped the award for Best Fashion Leather with its creative use of colors and textures to create beautiful and supple leathers suited for garments. 
Wipelli International of Italy won the Best New Leather prize for its vintage style Africa collection made from buffalo hides, with a nubuck hand feel that is worked by hand. The select hides average 40 feet to give a higher cutting yield, making it ideal for bags and furniture.  Named Best Luxury Leather was the salmon leather collection of Iceland’s Atlantic Leather Limited who takes throw away fish skins and creatively and ecologically transforms them into a luxury material that is much in demand by major fashion brands.  Aqsa International of India won an award for its successful use of New Processing Technology for its leathers. Aqsa does phosphonium tanning which is low-salt and results in leather that meet ecological standards and retains greater colour brilliance. 
Italian manufacturer, R79, won in the Best Man-made Material category for its wide range of woven materials using silk, raffia, leather and cotton, made more remarkable by their wonderful sense of colour. 
Asia Luxe Philippines Inc. took the Best Component Award for its exquisite, handcrafted mother-of-pearl components and accessories for shoes, gloves, bags and jewelry. 
At Fashion Access, Vinaastee International of Singapore was voted as having the Best Ladies’ Bag Collection with its Tacicco brand that plays with volume and unique features to create interesting bags that retain a luxurious and classic style. 
England’s Simpson - London won the Best Men’s Bag Collection award for its very masculine range of bags and portfolios that bear refined details and first-rate workmanship. 
Guangzhou Top-Beauty Arts & Crafts of China took the prize for Best Fashion Bag Collection with its youthful line that combined leather, beading and funky hardware to evoke an ultra-urban feel while using classic bag silhouettes.  Best Ladies’ Footwear Collection went to Michael Antonio Footwear Group of the USA for its very trendy shoes that make wonderful use of colours, silhouettes and material combinations.  Madras Inc. of Japan had the Best Men’s Footwear Collection with its classy and high quality men's shoes with unique features like contoured toes and tastefully executed use of gradated leather. 
The Best Lifestyle Collection Award was given to Guangzhou Jitian Yaosi Leather Co. of China for its lightweight, compact, practical yet very hip range of bags and backpacks that combines leather, canvas and nylon.  Aranaz of the Philippines won for Best Fashion Accessories Collection with its line of jewelry and bags that makes ingenious use of coconut shells, sea shells, metal and other natural materials to create a fun and trendy collection.  The bags of Fashion Folio of India was chosen as the Best Handcrafted Collection with their intricate beading, patterns, colors and whimsical designs that pay homage to traditional craft of handsewing.  Kwansbag Industrial of Hong Kong took the award for Best Marketing Concept for its cohesive Uni-Make line of felt accessories that utilised simple cross stitching as the running theme throughout its collection and its promotional materials. 
(03/04/2013) |
