TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Culture (MOC) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) will co-host "Taipei Fashion Week" in November, in a cross-departmental collaboration that seeks to inject Taiwan’s cultural elements into the local fashion industry, MOC Vice Minister Lee Lien-chuan (李連權) said in a report by CNA.
Wearing a shirt designed by "Just in Case" designer Justin Chou and inspired by Chinese-French painter Sanyu’s animal-themed paintings, Lee made the announcement in a pre-show press event for “Creative Expo Taiwan 2018.”
To foster Taiwan’s fashion industry, MOC and MOEA teamed up to launch a flagship program last year aimed at incorporating the country's fashion, audiovisual, and music industries at a budget of NT$1.6 billion (US$54 million).
Unlike fashion week events in other countries that are mostly funded by the private sector, the government of Taiwan will spearhead the effort to organize Taipei Fashion Week, which will later develop into a fashion feast held by a private commission, modeled on the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, Lee pointed out.
The commission, he added, will be comprised of members from government, industry, and academia, and will be responsible for determining the themes for each Taipei Fashion Week event.
Lee stressed that buyers from around the world will be invited to attend the events, seeking to increase the local fashion industry’s international profile.
MOEA and MOC will assume different roles in promoting the local fashion design business, the former responsible for the incorporation of textile, fabric, and other upstream industries of the fashion supply chain, the latter in charge of design, logistics, and marketing through audiovisual platforms.