VOA标准英语2009年-As Fashion Exports Drop, Hong Kong Refocus

Hong Kong aims to be Asia's fashion center, but the Chinese territory has seen a big drop in clothing exports as the global economic crisis drags on. Now, the government is stepping in to stimulate¹ the local fashion industry.
　
Models wear fashions designed and made in Hong Kong

Hong Kong's Fashion Week features the usual parade of models on catwalks showing the latest designs, many of which end up in stores worldwide a year later. But as the global economic crisis lingers, exports of Hong Kong fashions are down more than 75 percent for January through April, from a year ago.

Felix Chung is chairman of the Hong Kong Apparel Society. He says that in the past, Hong Kong was a manufacturing center, but factories moved north to mainland China where costs are lower.

"All the manufacturers are changing their business model, from traditional manufacturing to design and manufacturing," said Chung. "They decided² Hong Kong is the only city that has the ability to be the Asia Fashion capital."

Hong Kong's twice-a-year fashion weeks are mostly trade shows - bringing buyers and sellers together. In cities such as Paris and New York, fashion weeks are crammed³ with runway shows - where high-priced designers show off their work to celebrities⁴ and fashion journalists as well as to buyers.

Hong Kong mixes runways shows with trade shows

Chung says Hong Kong needs more runways shows to put the focus on designers.

But runway shows, with their models, music and lights, cost thousands of dollars. Designers sometimes seek sponsors to offset⁵ the price.

Hair, makeup⁶, shoe and accessory companies sponsored some designers at Hong Kong's recent spring/summer 2010 event. On the catwalks, designers showed slim-cut pants and bold-shouldered jackets and tops mostly in red, blue, purple, gold, white or black. Some garments had elements of traditional Asian clothing, while others were more like fanciful costumes.

Some designers at the Hong Kong Fashion Week say they are cutting their clothes more for Asian customers, who tend to be shorter and slimmer than Westerners.

Grace Lam, senior fashion style editor of Vogue⁷ magazine in China, says domestic demand for locally designed garments is slowly rebounding⁸. And she says designs from China and Hong Kong are starting to get known around the world.

"It has got its own statement with its own history, obviously a very long history, but I think street-wise they're still influenced by Europeans or by Americans' labels," said Lam. "And they like to wear the labels a lot."

Government put $1.3 million to promote fashion business

Even so, the global economic slowdown has undermined sales of Hong Kong and Chinese fashions.

To reinvigorate the fashion industry, the Hong Kong government says it will spend $1.3 million on promoting city's creativity.

This includes putting on a reality TV show centered on a design competition, similar to the popular U.S. show, Project Runway.

Hong Kong's newest crop of designers is at the forefront as fashion becomes more driven by entertainment.
　
Hong Kong's Fashion Week is more of a trade show, but some want it to add more runway shows

Among them is Max Lam, who studies at the Hong Kong Design Institute. He won the Creativity Award at a recent student fashion show. He also published a glossy⁹ magazine, featuring his makeup, styling and design work.

During the recent student show, Mr. Lam strutted¹⁰ the catwalk with his model, taking bows and reveling in the limelight.

His model was painted black and wore a tiny black bikini top, a red wire skirt and platform shoes. Black banners embroidered¹¹ in red silk draped over each of her arms. Mr. Lam says he styled his model's hair and makeup like a character in a Chinese opera.

"Because my design, this has come from China. You can see it is China style," he said. "The Chinese cage is a bird cage. My theme is constraint¹²."

Even though Hong Kong's fashion industry is in a slump¹³, Felix Chung, the Apparel Society chairman, says all of the city's graduating fashion students this year are finding jobs because of the new emphasis on design.

1 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 crammed   

adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)

参考例句：

• He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
• All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。

4 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

5 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

6 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

7 Vogue   

n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的

参考例句：

• Flowery carpets became the vogue.花卉地毯变成了时髦货。
• Short hair came back into vogue about ten years ago.大约十年前短发又开始流行起来了。

8 rebounding   

蹦跳运动

参考例句：

• The strength of negative temperature concrete is tested with supersonic-rebounding method. 本文将超声回弹综合法用于负温混凝土强度检测。
• The fundamental of basketball includes shooting, passing and catching, rebounding, etc. 篮球运动中最基本的东西包括投篮，传接球，篮板球等。

9 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

10 strutted   

趾高气扬地走，高视阔步( strut的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The players strutted and posed for the cameras. 运动员昂首阔步，摆好姿势让记者拍照。
• Peacocks strutted on the lawn. 孔雀在草坪上神气活现地走来走去。

11 embroidered   

adj．绣花的

参考例句：

• She embroidered flowers on the cushion covers. 她在这些靠垫套上绣了花。
• She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. 她在连衣裙的正面绣花。

12 constraint   

n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物

参考例句：

• The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。
• The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。

13 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。