Mar. 25 – “Chic” is ready to kick off in Beijing. The China International Clothing and Accessories Fair, now in its 22nd edition, will start tomorrow and end on Saturday, March 29. Held at the New China International Exhibition Center, CHIC will host clothing and accessories producing companies. But when it comes to fashion, taste, style and elegance - all elements that make something chic - Italy has very little competition. 70 Italian companies will showcase at CHIC thanks to a collective initiative promoted by ICE – the Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian firms. The ICE Agency began its fashion promotion campaign in China in 2002, hosting a small "Punto Italia" at CHIC. Since then, it has continued to support companies so as to make the most of the country’s great potential.  For this edition, the ICE Agency has organized the collective participation of over 70 companies representing 74 brands and their respective autumn/winter 2014-2015 collections. These companies come from Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Marche, Abruzzo, Campania and Puglia. They will be in Hall W2 with an exhibition area of over 2,300 square meters. On top of the individual stands, the area includes a fashion animation point where, two times per day, the Italian companies will present their lines.

CHIC

The event is sponsored by the National Garment Association, the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, and the China World Trade Center. Held annually, CHIC is organized by the Beijing Fashion Expo Co. Ltd. together with the Beijing Convention & Exhibition Company, represented in Italy by Seint srl. The exhibition is open to all producers of menswear, womenswear, childrenswear, footwear and fashion accessories. The fair is divided into eight halls, of which six are dedicated to clothing: menswear, casual and sportswear, leather and fur clothing, baby clothing, fashion accessories, women's apparel and textile industry. There are then two international pavilions: Hall International W1 -W2, which host country-specific producers from Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. According to data provided by the ICE office in Beijing, in 2013 Chinese imports of Italian apparel products have increased by 13%, amounting to $844 million. The data confirms Italy as the first country supplier to China.