Philippines costume jewellery exporters target Middle East markets

'One of the exciting aspects of the fashion jewellery and accessories industry is the comparative freedom it enjoys in terms of the materials used to create items and its sources of inspiration,' said Emad Al Hawai, Managing Director, International Expositions, organisers of IFJA. 'Since costume jewellery is not bound within the limits of the rarity of precious metals and stones, nor the norms of acceptable design formats, which is normally the case with precious jewellery, the freedom to experiment with material and designs invariably produces beautiful, unique pieces of jewellery. Ranging from the exquisite to outrageous, this jewellery has unlimited potential as an expression of the personality of the wearer.'

'This is one of the aspects of the fashion jewellery and accessories industry that IFJA seeks to highlight. The fair will ensure that the trade buyer can to find a large selection of designs to suit his needs, no matter what his target market might be,' added Hawai. 'The Fair will also provide a forum for the designers and manufacturers entering the market to keep abreast of the trends and evolving preferences of the buyers.'

The costume jewellery industry in the Philippines has evolved over two decades with a tradition of innovation in design and raw material. Despite the highly competitive global markets, the jewellery sector has become the Philippines' top exporter because of the high demand for its designs and high quality crafting. According to data provided by the Philippines Bureau of Export Trade Promotion, earnings from this sector have grown almost 300 per cent in the period between 1997 and 2002. From an export earnings figure of US$ 13.64 million, the industry achieved export earnings worth US$ 36.96 million at the end of 2002. While the United States of America remain the single largest market, with a 35 per cent share of the global market for Filipino costume jewellery, the industry also has important markets in Japan, England, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Australia and Holland.

'While most jewellery designers use conventional materials like gold and silver for their pieces, Filipino designers decided to defy the norms and break out of the mould. From producing shell crafts, the industry has since matured to producing materials made out of coconut shell, wood, horn, stone, fibres, bone, leather, metal, paper and resin,' said Josefina Capistrano, President, FAME Foundation. 'Filipino manufacturers are also aware that innate creativity has a lot of potential, which is why they are very choosy when it comes to designs, materials and colour and texture mix.'

'The Middle East promises to be an exciting market for us to enter. It is a very large market in terms of volumes of sales, with very individualistic and mature market trends. On the other hand, the cosmopolitan nature of cities like Dubai provides a microcosmic reflection of the global market trends,' said Capistrano. 'At the IFJA, we will showcase our products which are in high demand globally, as well as take the opportunity to study the market and structure are future creative and marketing strategies to satisfy this demand.'

IFJA, which is to be held at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre along with the International Watch and Clock Fair (IWCF), has already registered strong global participation from designers of fashion jewellery, accessories, watches and clocks designers and traders from Hong Kong, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, India, Iran, Philippines, China, South Africa, France, Korea, Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia and the UAE.