On the evening of November 30th, Louis Vuitton’s new menswear creative director Pharrell Williams brought the Pre-fall 2024 show to Hong Kong at Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui. With handprints of film stars from Bruce Lee to Michelle Yeoh, the Avenue is the Walk of Fame of the “Hollywood the East”. The location is close to K11 Musea mall, as the K11 Group also co-hosted the fashion show.
Being Louis Vuitton’s first men’s pre-fall show, the theme of the event is travel, or “Hawaii to Hong Kong” to be specific. The show draws inspiration from the jet-setting businesspeople Hong Kong used to be known for, travelling between Hong Kong and Hawaii. The collection itself is informed by both resorts and sailing, which both locations are known for, while incorporating elements from the surfing community to 1950s sailors.
On Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent, several topics related to the show made appearances on the Hot Search list. The official “LV pre-fall 24 Men’s Show” (#LV早秋24男装秀#) reached number 25 with 270 million views, while the Weibo Fashion channel hosted “The LV show” (#LV大秀#), garnering 710 million views, topping the list.
LVMH’s Dior has also announced that it will host its men’s pre-fall 2024 show in Hong Kong next year. Luxury in Asia (excluding China) is forecast to see a 20% increase in 2024, while retail in Hong Kong has grown 13% year-on-year in September. As tourism returns, luxury retailers including Dior, Hermès and DFS’s T Galleria are investing in Hong Kong by refurbishing their stores.
Hong Kong faces new competition from nearby regions such as Hainan and Shenzhen, as Chanel has just hosted its latest show in Shenzhen and Hainan is becoming completely duty-free in 2025. However, Hong Kong offers unique shopping experiences, fine dining, as well as art and cultural attractions, which may prove advantageous for tourism and luxury retail.
