Photo: Xinhua

Industry elites and style influencers from the US and around the world were thrilled to see a spectacular runway show by leading Hong Kong fashion designers Friday at the New York Fashion Show.

"Hong Kong fashion is spectacular. It needs to be in the mainstream," Dora Chu, a US fashion blogger famously known as Dora Spectacular, told Xinhua when asked her impression of the show staged by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) in America.

Ralph Chow, Regional Director, Americas, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, can agree no more.

"Hong Kong is well known for its unique culture, where both eastern and western culture can be reflected in our city, so you can find the uniqueness and also characteristics of all these design elements in the collections of fashion designers from Hong Kong," Chow said.

Designer Harrison Wong said it's his third time exhibiting on the New York runway. Wong's self-named collection is a contemporary apparel and accessories brand for urban men and women.

His current collection has many oversized sweaters and unisex-looking sweatshirts as well as boxy tops and bottoms made with high-end fabrics and clean lines.

"I would describe my style as understated elegance," said Wong, who received a master's degree from the London College of Fashion.

He said his pieces are made with the highest quality materials and craftsmanship but are also affordable to demonstrate that fine designs are not determined by a price tag.

Self-taught designer Annette Chan has been living in Hong Kong for decades and started her collection 11 years ago. She has since branched out on her own and now sees her clothes carried by Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong and Galeries Lafayette in Beijing. since 2013 she has been selling in the United States.

"I have a large number of customers here in New York. I want to reach out to more by attending the fashion week," she said.

As the theme of Chan's latest collection is L'Opera, the designs are conspicuously more glamorous and flamboyant compared to previous collections. Some unique characteristics include texturized leather that has been twisted or silk inserts to leather on dresses and skirts.

"The collection demonstrates my aesthetic through delicate application of different material combinations," Chan said, adding that she only use the finest lambskin leather with a touch of shearling and silk.

"Westerners used to think all the finest leather clothes come from Italy, now the situation has changed," she said.