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Party Time
Festival Item & Party Favours
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| Indispensable items for parties or carnivals, masks from Tai Heng Co come in a variety of designs and colours such as black, white and gold |
Fads and fashions come and go, but traditional festival products such as party hats and masks can always be counted on to liven up that special occasion
Whether as enduring traditions or simple good-time holidays, festivals are eagerly anticipated the world over. For example, bright colours, lush fabrics and fanciful designs are taking partygoers and revellers by storm this year - and Hong Kong offers all of these and more in huge variety and at competitive prices.
This includes the boas featuring genuine turkey, peacock, ostrich, duck and cock feathers that have been the speciality of Feather Novelty Mfy for almost 35 years.
"Halloween is the most popular occasion for our products, but we also make items for Christmas, St Patrick's Day, Mardi Gras and New Year," says Sales Manager James Leung, adding that the firm also offers masks, costumes and hats.
Masks are the company's biggest selling line, with some 2,000 designs for men, women and children accounting for about 50% of the firm's total sales. Masks sell for US$8-30 per dozen FOB Hong Kong.
"Italian Renaissance masks are in demand right now. They have more gold and velvet and use more deluxe feathers," Mr Leung advises.
Also popular are DIY masks, including one introduced by Feather Novelty this year. "We supply the various parts in a bag so that people can assemble a mask of their choice," Mr Leung says.
"We launched these products in Australia and we are now expanding into the US and Europe," he adds, noting that DIY masks cost about 20% less than fully-finished models.
Feathers used by the firm - all coming from birds that were slaughtered for their meat - are treated with acid and then processed at high temperature to kill any germs. "Sanitary certificates from Chinese mainland health authorities are supplied for each shipment," Mr Leung says.
Catering to a different niche is Atlantic Ind Enterprises, which draws upon 22 years of experience manufacturing party wigs, beards, moustaches, ponytails and hair and wigs for dolls.
"We make wigs that people wear for Halloween or at carnivals, such as those for witches or devils, but also fashion-type wigs in black or brown colours," says Export Manager Y.C. Suen. "Wigs in bright red, blue and green have been popular sellers recently."
Glow-in-the-dark wigs have become a fast-growing trend, and Mr Suen says that the company has developed an extensive range in this category since starting with fluorescent wigs for witches.
With more than 2,000 wig designs currently constituting 85% of the firm's sales, Mr Suen says he hopes to see increased turnover for other products, such as beards, moustaches and wigs for dolls. "We use many types of materials, including PP, synthetic hair and synthetic fibres," he notes.
Europe and the US are Atlantic Ind's major markets, while the firm sees potential in Asia because of the region's increasing interest in such Western cultural traditions as Christmas and Halloween.
Another major manufacturer is Po Hing Plastic Mfy Ltd, which makes a wide range of PVC masks, hats and wall decorations made mostly by the vacuum-forming process. "Vacuum forming is cheaper than injection moulding, and the end product is thinner and more comfortable to wear," explains Director Edwin Lam.
Silk-screen printing, hand-painting or spraying is used to apply various designs, depending on the appearance desired. "We finish an item by hand if we want it to look more realistic and employ silk-screen printing when a more uniform look is required," Mr Lam notes. "Masks are typically hand-painted or sprayed."
He claims that the 40-year-old OEM supplier concentrates on licensed items. "We do a lot for characters from Star Wars, for example, in addition to several TV and cartoon characters and several models for Halloween."
FOB Hong Kong unit prices start from HK$2 for masks and from HK$1.50 for hats, and these two categories account for 80% and 20% respectively of the 300,000 items turned out by the manufacturer each month.
"Although still in the early stages, plans are in the offing to add small plastic containers for cookies or slices of cake to our inventory of party items," Mr Lam reveals, noting that the UK, the US and Australia are major markets.
Another industry veteran is Perfectech Int'l Trading Ltd, which offers "thousands" of PVC party hats and masks. "We make all the basic styles, with Halloween and Christmas our biggest sellers," says Export Sales Manager Ronald Leung.
The OEM/ODM firm offers a variety of party hats featuring silk-screened colours. Some may be decorated with glitter. Hat prices range from HK$10-50 per dozen FOB Hong Kong, while masks cost HK$4-20 per dozen.
Europe is the firm's largest market, where there is more demand for darker colours such as purple and black. "But we have begun to actively explore new markets in Eastern Europe and South America because they have many of the same holiday traditions," Mr Leung observes, noting that the firm enjoys annual sales of HK$450m.
It is clear that the fun may be over when the music stops and tired revellers go home - but for Hong Kong manufacturers in the business of making festivities fun, the party never really ends.
TEXT BY PEARL KINCAID
FAST FACTS
| Atlantic
Ind Enterprises Shop 117 Lincoln Centre 20 Yip Fung St On Lok Tsuen, Fan Ling New Territories Hong Kong Tel: 852-2677-9728 Fax: 852-2657-1869 Email: at117@netvigator.com Web: http://home.netvigator.com/~at117 |
Date Established: 1985 |
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Champion Carnival Ltd |
Date Established: 2000 |
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Feather Novelty Mfy |
Date Established: 1973 |
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Party Products Mfg Ltd |
Date Established: 1992 |
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Perfectech Int'l Trading Ltd |
Date Established: 1978 |
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Po Hing Plastic Mfy Ltd |
Date Established: 1967 |
|
Tai Heng Co |
Date Established: 1971 |
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