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CITEM and GTIDO set to open EU doors for Filipino fashion designers
The countrys export marketing authority is poised to break the European fashion market wide open, for Filipino fashion designers. The selected designers are invited by the British Fashion Council London in collaboration with the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM). The screening for the Philippine participation in the International Fashion Showcase (IFS) 2013 slated in London on Feb. 15 to 19 is being coordinated through the Garments & Textile Industry Development Office (GTIDO) to yield two Philippine designers who stand to benefit from European market exposure in the IFS 2013 and international media mileage that the IFS will provide them. The IFS 2013, organized by the British Fashion Council, will be held alongside the London Fashion Week (LFW). The Department of Trade and Industry has earlier partnered with the British Fashion Council for the participation of two Filipino designers last February. Featured designers were Mich Dulce and Jerome Lorico. CITEM Executive Director and concurrent GTIDO Director-in-Charge Rosvi C. Gaetos said the two pre-selected designers in the IFS 2013 will design and produce a collection under the Manila Wear Brand for fashion accessories, apparel, and other wearable products during the show. Both the designers and their creations will be promoted by CITEM through publicity campaigns, spring-summer fashion catalogues, onsite support, and press kits and invitations to buyers and media via the Department of Trade & Industry Philippine Trade & Investment Center in London and the Philippine embassy in London Gaetos pointed out. To qualify, the selected designers must have a look book and product pricing for export; they must be willing to hire a publicist and a trader. They must have locally launched collections through CITEMs Manila FAME but have not yet entered the international market. The two chosen designers will exhibit their works at the Philippine Embassy near the Somerset House where the annual LFW will be held, thus providing easy access to judges, buyers, media, and show visitors. CITEM/GTIDO will also organize a networking cocktail reception for buyers and media on the first day of the IFS 2013 in cooperation with PTIC-London and the Philippine Embassy. The Philippine participation in the IFS 2013 will capitalize on the international popularity of Filipino designers like Monique Lhuillier, Oliver Tolentino, Lesley Mobo, and Mich Dulce while introducing new and upcoming talents and sustaining their presence in the global marketplace through such prominent events as the LFW and IFS 2013. The first IFS, held last September, had the participation of 17 countries from all over the world and provided the platform for our young and upcoming entrepreneurial fashion designers to showcase their latest collections under the Manila Wear brand in Europe, Gaetos stressed. More information about the event can be obtained from CITEM: Tel. 8312137, 8312201 local 200 Email: GTIDO@citem.com.ph Website: www.citem.gov.ph/IFSLondon2013.