International Apparel Sourcing show records 30pc rise in Chinese participates

The International Apparel Sourcing Show which began on Tuesday in New York attracted more than 600 Chinese companies and about 1,000 companies from more than 20 countries, which are displaying products including clothing, fabrics and home textiles. A record number of Chinese companies participated to establish new niche markets in the United States. This year the show has witnessed 30 percent increase in Chinese participates from last year. In fact, hundreds of China’s textile and apparel makers helped to kick off this event successfully.

Sun Ruizhe, vice-chairman of the China National Textile and Apparel Council said that this year more of Chinese brands are on display. Most of them used to focus on the domestic market earlier have now diverted their focus on the US market. They are supposed to offer more good options for the US business partners.

Sun said that China’s textile and apparel industry has been restructuring in recent years, and more Chinese companies are starting to focus on the overseas market, in part due to the relative saturation of the market in China.

Zhang Qiyue, Chinese consul-general in New York, said that she was glad to see the big presence of Chinese companies at the show, which indicates promising prospects for China-US trade and economic cooperation in the textile and apparel industry. She is confident that the trade show will facilitate cooperation.

China’s textile and fabric industries significantly contribute to US-China bilateral relations. From 2000 to 2014, bilateral textile and apparel commerce grew from $6.2 billion to $46 billion.

This year is particularly important for China as well as the United States, as President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to the US in September, Zhang said. This visit will build sustainable results and take bilateral ties to an even higher level.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, exports from China to the US increased slightly from January to May. In April, exports of textiles and apparel to the US increased by 7.8 percent. However, industry insiders said that the business in the US is in a rough patch.

Zhao Miaoqi, manager of a Ningbo fabric company, said that its US orders shrank by 30 percent in 2014. Zhao’s company started doing business with European brands like Zara and Adidas in the 1980s. They like doing businesses with the US as the market is usually steady and people can be trusted.

Deng Zhijuan, an officer from a Shanghai company, said that as business is not as easy as before, customers are becoming savvy and even picky about prices and services. They have to upgrade services and offer new products more often to retain customers.

The demand for high-priced fabrics such as silk has decreased, while synthetic fabrics like viscose and rayon polyester are more popular in the US market.

Winter collections were also showcased at the show. Jiangsu Sainty Fortune, a State-owned company, has brought its winter collection to New York.

The US and Canada now contribute more than half of their business as Europe’s economy is going down … and the US economy is picking up, the market is more significant for them.

The show, in its 16th year, is jointly organized by the China National Textile and Apparel Council, CCPITTEX and Messe Frankfurt US was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan is on till Thursday.