Date: Aug 17 – Sep 8, 2007 (Total 23 days)
Country: England, France and Monaco
Host: Hello, Candy! Welcome back to Hong Kong. I have heard that you had a wonderful study trip in Europe. Could you tell us what cities have you visited?
Candy: Sure. My study trip is amazing. I have traveled from Manchester, Leeds, Harrogate, Liverpool, Cambridge, Bath, Portsmouth, Eastbourne, Brighton, Bexhill, Southsea, London, Paris, Lyon, Vienne, Marseille, Cannes, Antibes, Monte Carlo to Nice… 20 cities in 23 days.
Host: Wow… that’s a lot of traveling. How did you cope with it?
Candy: Personally, I think traveling is fun. I woke around 7 o’clock in the morning, had my breakfast in hostel and took the train to the next destination everyday. Most of the cities I have visited were closed together in distance. Usually, I traveled less than two hours by train per day. I always spend my waiting time on reading travel guidebook, talking with passengers and taking nap. Therefore, I did not feel rush at all.
Host: You have mentioned about Hostel. What is it about?
Candy: Hostels1 provide accommodation where guests can rent a bed, sometimes a bunk bed in a dormitory and share a common bathroom, kitchen, and lounge. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex. Private rooms are increasingly available too. It is much cheaper than the hotels and people are very friendly there.
On the other hand, Pioneer Elastic Co. Ltd. granted the traveling scholarship to me before the trip. The money was sufficient for me to stay in a nice hotel, go shopping in department stores and ride on taxi for a week in Lyon. On the contrary, living in cheaper accommodation, going grocery shopping in the local supermarket, riding on the train and hanging out with the local could let me see the real Europe and experience their culture in a comparatively longer period.
Host: Great strategy. What was your goal of this trip?
Candy: The main goal of this trip was to observe the consumer behavior toward the intimate apparel products in Europe. Europe is a fascinating place and many fashion trends were started there. By pursuing this goal, I went lingerie shopping from the local boutiques to major department stores, attended the Harrogate Lingerie show and Lyon Fair… the most effective way was to talk with people about what they wore, their fitting issues and expectations to the future products. It’s very important to understand customer’s needs in order to design lingerie that could be suitable for them to purchase and wear.
Also, I wanted to share what I learned from ACE Style Institute of Intimate Apparel. It’s always interesting when I saw my new European friend’s feedback about my current studies and they felt quite shock at the beginning especially to guys.
Host: What type of people do you choose to talk? Do you just talk with people randomly?
Candy: As you know, starting a conversation with stranger is not easy. Especially, I was not the local and did not know if that person was nice with no harm. Therefore, I tried to talk with people that I was comfortable with and find topics which could relate to them.
I remember that there were three teenage girls with very cool looking waiting for friends in front of the Manchester Cathedral.
“How do teenagers shop for their first bra in Europe? When? With who?”
“What type of style do they like?
“How much could they afford?”
“What will they buy if money is not an issue?”
… a few questions were pop up in my head.
Therefore, I took a deep breath and introduced myself to them. They were shy at first, but slowly they opened up and were wiling to share their bra shopping experience. It was a sweet.
Host: How do they shop for underwear?
Candy: English teenagers go shopping with their mothers in specialty stores. The staffs always provide bra-fitting service to them before trying on the bras. However, teenagers do not like to hang out with parents in shopping centers nowadays. They usually ask their mothers to buy exact styles. Also, they prefer sports bra because they feel more comfortable with the soft fabric and the design without the wire. They do not really like the padded bra because they are worried to draw wrong attentions among their peers.
So, if I design bras for teenagers next time, their comments will be considered beside the technical and trend aspects.
Host: Their shopping style is quite different than the Hong Kong teens. Do you have any other interesting conversation?
Candy: Yes. This trip gave me a chance to visit my host family in Eastbourne. I stayed with them for a vacation night years ago. My host mom told me this time that she had a breast removal surgery fifteen years ago. I was surprised and did not notice that at all.
Besides, she complained that there were limited selections right after her surgery. Most of the mastectomy bras were made by white plain cotton with the patient look. They were very boring, not sexy and very hard to find. Comparing to this special market now, she said that there were more style, affordable and much more accessible to the public.
Host: You have attended two major lingerie trade shows during the trip. How were they?
Candy: Harrogate Lingerie & Swimwear Exhibition, Interfilliere and Lyon Mode City (a.k.a. Lyon Fair). They were great opportunities for me as a student to see the latest lingerie trend and meet the professionals.
Harrogate Lingerie & Swimwear Exhibition is one of the important trade events for intimate apparel & swimwear in UK. It is usually held during summer and before the Lyon fair. The target visitors are Lingerie buyers and distributors. The numbers of exhibition is comparatively smaller than Lyon Fair, but I have found that the exhibitors are approachable since they are seeking suitable distributors for their products. They are friendly to explain the product natures, marketing strategies and competitive edges.
Moreover, the fashion show was very lively and products were innovative. A few DeMonfort Graduates had presented their work in the fashion show along with other manufactures. The organizer allowed me to take photos during the fashion show after presenting the ASIIA student magazine.
Lyon Fair has been held for twenty years and become the global benchmark shows for people in the beachwear and lingerie industries. From trend forecast, material sourcing, machinery, manufacturing, product testing to distribution… it covers every aspect of the intimate apparel. People from all over to world come here to make new contact and discuss new business deal. On the other hand, there were seminars, workshops, fashion shows and conferences available to visitors to attend. Personally, I enjoyed the Lyon Fair very much.
Host: That sounds very interesting and I would like to attend both of them. What have you learnt after the study trip?
Candy: I have learnt more about myself. This study trip is not only about learning more about the intimate apparel industry and seeing new things and making new friends. It is a self-discovery. When I spent time alone, my memories of internship, classroom interaction, friend and family member’s faces, conversations and songs would pop up in my head… Then, I thought how could I do it in a better way. And sometimes, when people asked me about my past, studies, life and future plan… I thought through and answered. I realized I have grown this year.
Host: So, what is your future plan?
Candy: First, I have to focus on Foam of Sports Bra- my final year project. It’s a very meaningful topic and I hope to find out more characteristics of foam so that the performance of sports bra could be improved. Second, I am planning to find my dream job in another countries after graduation. I am still young and should take a challenge. Believe me, I am ready.
Host: Candy, I am so glad to spend this quality forty-five minute interview with you. Your adventure was remarkable and surely could benefit for the newcomers. Thank you very much!
Candy: You are welcome and it’s my pleasure to share. Goodbye.
Host: Goodbye and wish you every success in the intimate apparel industry.
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