Submitted by Megan Blissick on the 2015 winter session program in Hong Kong sponsored by the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies…
Week two in Hong Kong was a lot of hard work. We hit the ground running on Monday with visits to the PVH and Esprit Hong Kong offices, and continued into Tuesday with a meeting at Li and Fung, where we were able to tour the various showrooms. At PVH, our group got to meet the SVP of Technical Design, VP of Raw Material, Executive VP of Global Supply Chain, and Technology Director for CKU (Calvin Klein) Intimates. These fashion industry leaders took us through their entire supply chain!
The work didn’t end in Hong Kong; on Wednesday, we went over to Shenzhen, China to tour the KTC Factory and the Gore Plant. This experience was beyond invaluable; seeing the entirety of a factory is not a common happening, even for buyers or marketers affiliated with a factory. It was amazing, meeting the workers and sharing lunch with them. They were all so friendly and very happy to be working at a factory that prides itself on compliance and sustainability.
This week also held a platitude of cultural experiences. The culture shock of Hong Kong was nothing compared to China. It was explained to me that many people in Shenzhen are from Northern China, and have never seen a Westerner in their lifetime. It went from people attempting to sneak pictures to people walking up and asking us to take a picture with them. Never before have I received more smiles and waves from absolute strangers!
Another extreme difference from Hong Kong: very few people in China speak English. In the restaurants, malls, and on the streets, it was extremely uncommon to come across another English-speaking person. The hotel workers spoke some English, but very little at that. For the first time, I felt a little lost in a foreign country.
A great cultural experience possible in both Hong Kong and China was Dim Sum. A traditional Chinese dining experience, Dim Sum is best enjoyed when each person orders two or three dishes, and the entire table shares their meal together. Everyone gets a taste of every dish, and usually there’s enough for seconds if someone likes a specific item. Depending on the area, the Dim Sum can be vegetarian, spicy, seafood, or meat, or a mix of everything. All I know is that I absolutely love it!
