APLF’s special ASEAN edition will take place from October 19 – 21 October at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand. This is APLF’s second trade fair to be held outside its home base of Hong Kong due to compulsory quarantine requirements upon arrival.

APLF ASEAN will host more than 200 exhibitors with national pavilions coming from Brazil, France, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, and the USA, with groups from other major tanning nations such as Italy.

After APLF in Dubai in March this year, exhibitors requested the presence of more buyers from southeast Asia. As a result of this survey, the Organisers took the decision to hold APLF back in Asia, but this time in the heart of ASEAN, in Bangkok, Thailand.

For the first time since 2019, suppliers to the international leather industry will have the opportunity to meet buyers from Southeast Asia once again, face-to-face, in a professional business atmosphere.

M.E.E.T

At the fair, the M.E.E.T concept of Matching – Education – Experience – Trade Show will be employed to ensure that both exhibitors and buyers make the most of this unique sourcing and business opportunity in Bangkok, at the heart of ASEAN.

Business Matching and Seminars

There will be seven Business Matching sessions, each one focused on different types of leather and application. In addition, the trade show will be complemented by four or more Workshops concentrating on leather and trends, as well as educational seminars dealing with sustainability and environmental issues. Check out the full event agenda here

Top ASEAN Leather Goods Designers’ Showcases and Sharing Sessions

APLF has invited ten local and Indonesian handbag designers to display their iconic art pieces and share their entrepreneurial story and design concepts.

Renowned Thai designer such as Javamond Pavoradom of S’uvimol, whose family business is producing exotic skins, and Indonesian designer, Tommy Ambiyo, who has been featured in many fashion magazines, will share the love and creative use of leather.

Leather Courses for Fashion Professionals

Apart from the aesthetic side of leather, the technical side is something that should be learnt by all fashion professionals. 

During APLF ASEAN, designers and fashion buyers can sign up for four training sessions focusing on the fundamental knowledge of leather, sustainability and also how to apply the 23/24 Spring-Summer and Fall-Winter seasonal trends to develop their next collections.

APLF Colour and Material Trends

APLF Fall-Winter colours and materials trend for 2023/24 season will be unveiled during APLF ASEAN. The trends, developed by Olivier Guillemin [o,o] in collaboration with the Comité Français de la Couleur, has been a reference for the leather industry for many years.

Fashion professionals attending the exhibition will be able to touch and feel the leather first-hand and connect and make orders with the tanners directly to prepare for their upcoming collections.

L.E.D.

Then there is the L.E.D Project, which stands for Leather, Exhibitors and Designer. It is an industry support initiative, which offers designers the unique opportunity to create leather fashion goods using new leathers supplied by leading tanneries exhibiting at APLF. Selected designers will partner with their suppliers to produce a leather goods item to be displayed in APLF Dubai, in March 2023.

Next Leather Goods Designers

To support the local talents, the Next Leather Goods Designers project invites four Thailand institutes to join this onsite project which allows the students to gain invaluable experience in probably their first trade show participation. Apart from displaying their creations, the organisers will also invite the students to share their learning experience and design ideas on the last day of the event.

Design-a-Bag Competition

A new season of Design-a-Bag online competition will call for submission in APLF ASEAN. This annual competition has attracted bag designers from all around the world to unleash their creativity. In their designs, they use leather as the main material to create a design which will win them a trip to Dubai to compete as a finalist, and the winner will win a 5-week bag design course at Arsutoria School in Milan.

The combination of trade show with ancillary events related to the leather and fashion sectors guarantees an integrated exhibition covering business, technological, and education requirements.

With the ASEAN bloc now open for business, the special edition of APLF and its sister fairs in Bangkok will not only allow exhibitors to meet new contacts, but also reestablish and consolidate existing customer ties as the leather and fashion sectors advance into a post-covid world.