娱乐英语新闻:Quality, not bargains chased at Copenhagen Fashion Week

COPENHAGEN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A mixed message is emerging from Northern Europe's major fashion event: consumers will pay for luxury clothes, but only if they last a lifetime.

Copenhagen Fashion Week (CFW), which runs from Feb. 2 to Feb. 6, is happening at a time when the luxury goods industry is recovering from the effects of the global economic recession. But it is the rich, who are making most of the purchases.

The rest of us are likely to buy a designer handbag, jeans, or coat only when it provides timeless elegance at a decent price.

"I see that consumers are still seeking luxury, but maybe more sustainable luxury," CFW chief executive Eva Kruse said. "We want to buy things that are lasting, that we can keep and carry for many seasons."

Fashion designer Maria Buccellati said the reduced purchasing power of fashion-lovers presented new challenges for designers.

"I think you should have very sellable pieces as it's not all about the glamour and the showing-off," she said.

FUR RETURNS

Given the focus on classic, quality fashion, perhaps it is not surprising that fur garments and accessories made a strong appearance at CFW.

"Fur should be an integrated part of fashion, and it is," Kopenhagen Fur managing director Torben Nielsen said.

"We (Denmark) are the world leader in fur," he said, adding that "we produce over one third of the total mink production in the world, so fur is a billion-dollar business in Denmark."

"We have a record turnover and record high prices," Nielsen said. "There is a very good demand for fur."

According to Buccellati, who presented a series of fur accessories at CFW's prestigious opening show, the material is particularly suitable to the current economic times, because it conveys quality without being extravagant.

"It doesn't have to be bling-bling," she said. "You see the richness in the quality of the piece. You see it in the detail, the handwork, the mixture of the material."

"If you keep your fur coat well, it will last for 30 years. So, I think we will see people buying luxury, which has a long-lasting value," Kruse said.

A retailer from Canada, who did not wish to be named, said the economic crisis meant people only wanted to pay for innovative quality, style and durability.

"If people are spending money, they do it on unique things," the retailer said. "If it is different and they love it, they will buy it even if it is more expensive."

She said that, with the focus on fur, fine print and classic style, the Nordic designers were providing a refreshing alternative to current fashions.

Ditte, a student at a fashion and design school based in Denmark, said: "I noticed there was lots of fur. Maybe people are buying it because they want something that lasts for 20 or 30 years."