Thousands of celebrity spotters gather outside glitzy Louis Vuitton runway show as Hong Kong bids to regain centre stage as fashion capital
- Runway show by Louis Vuitton, world’s biggest high fashion brand, attracts host of international celebrities to city
- Event first pre-fall show with superstar singer and director Pharrell Williams at helm as creative director of design house
Thousands of people gathered near Hong Kong’s famous waterfront Avenue of Stars to catch a glimpse of international stars at the city’s first runway show by luxury style brand Louis Vuitton.
The star-studded guest list for the exclusive event on Thursday night included Korean actor Song Joong-ki, Japanese singer and actor Sho Hirano and Hong Kong stars Aaron Kwok Fu-shing, Chow Yun-fat, as well as members of boy band Mirror.
Hundreds of fans, equipped with banners and LED boards, started to queue up near the venue as early as the morning in the hope of catching a glimpse of the celebrities at the high-security, invitation-only event.
Most of the crowd, which included secondary school pupils who came after classes, was made up of fans of mainland China and Hong Kong stars.
Evan Jing travelled with a friend from Shenzhen in Guangdong province to Hong Kong to catch their favourite mainland boy band Teens In Times.
“We came to Hong Kong just to see them and also to explore the city,” the 21-year-old student said. “It’s such a huge event with so many stars.”
The pair said they would return to the mainland on Thursday night and estimated they had spent just HK$200 (US$26) on food during the trip.
But Jing said she was sure such a prestigious and large-scale event would help promote the city as a tourist destination.
The luxury fashion powerhouse debuted its men’s pre-fall collection against the stunning backdrop of Victoria Harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui, transforming the promenade into a fashion runway.
It was also the first pre-fall collection by star Pharrell Williams since he took over as Louis Vuitton’s creative director in February.
A major section of the esplanade was turned into a runway with a beach theme and guests were given Hawaiian-style LV T-shirts and plastic shoes for a seaside vibe.
But the event also attracted scalpers keen to prey on fans eager to get closer to the heart of action.
Several men outside the nearby Salisbury Garden approached fans hours before the show started, including a Post reporter, and offered what were claimed to be all-access employee passes to the event.
One scalper quoted a price of HK$5,000 (US$640) for a pass and said they had already sold a dozen to people who entered the venue at 4pm.
“Part-time staff are selling their passes to those who want to go in,” the man said. “You can walk around as you like, just say you’re a crew member.”
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Another scalper offered an employee pass for HK$4,000.
Police said four men from the mainland were arrested for allegedly selling fake passes for the show. A police spokesman said the men, aged 34 to 39, were stopped by officers in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The force said hours earlier that it had received multiple reports of victims duped into buying fake tickets to the show and that officers had also seized multiple “all access” passes near the Avenue of Stars around 7pm.
A spokesman said the force had put out a notice on Monday to warn people not to be tempted to buy fake tickets.
The alert added that the event was invitation-only and that there were no tickets available to the public.
The Post has contacted Louis Vuitton for comment.
Some analysts said major fashion events such as Louis Vuitton’s were significant for Hong Kong’s reputation as a global fashion centre and for the economy.
The Post learned that the company brought in about 300 crew members from overseas for the event, as well as the VIPs invited to come to the city for the show.
“The presence of such mega fashion events elevates Hong Kong’s status as a global fashion and luxury hub, attracting international attention and fostering a vibrant fashion ecosystem,” Eric Yim Chi-ming, the chairman of the Hong Kong Design Centre, said.
“These events contribute to the local economy by generating substantial revenue through increased tourism, hotel bookings, dining and retail spending.”
Yim said Hong Kong’s strategic location at the junction of East and West made it a gateway to the massive Asian market.
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“Our well-established business environment and vibrant retail scene make it an attractive destination for luxury brands to expand their presence and tap into the affluent consumer base in the region,” he added.
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau was responsible for providing government help for the show.
Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, the CEO and executive vice-chairman of New World Development and the man behind the nearby K11 Art Mall, was credited by sources for pulling strings behind the scenes to help bring the show to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is traditionally one of the biggest luxury markets in the world because of its strategic location near the mainland and in Asia.
The city’s free port status and lack of customs tariffs on imported goods is also a major factor.
But some top fashion labels have shut down their Hong Kong operations or turned to the mainland and Southeast Asia since the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the economy from 2020.
Italian style giant Prada shut its 15,000 sq ft flagship branch in Causeway Bay’s Russell Street, once the most expensive retail street in the world, in June that year.
But Pietro Beccari, the CEO of Louis Vuitton, told the Post earlier he still believed in the importance of the city as a regional fashion hotspot.
“Hong Kong is having a second youth,” he insisted. “I believe very much in the renaissance of the city.
“Pharrell and I wanted to do something in Asia and Hong Kong is in our heart and is having a sparkle, so that combination of things led us to have a show in Hong Kong.”
Additional reporting by Danny Mok
