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UPDATED: August 1, 2011 NO. 31 AUGUST 4, 2011
Fabric Fair
Massive textile show in New York brings U.S. and Chinese apparel industries closer together
By CHEN WEN
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A BARGAIN: A staff member of Homex Soft Furnishings (Hangzhou) Ltd., introduces his company's products to a buyer in New York City on July 19 (CHEN WEN)

While New Yorkers were busy scouring department store aisles for the best summer sales bargains, executives from major U.S. fashion houses and brands did some shopping of their own.

Walking purposefully around New York City's enormous Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, representatives of leading U.S. retail outlets such as Chico's, Gap and Urban Outfitters were also looking for bargains and value for money at Texworld, the largest apparel fabric sourcing event in North America.

Three exhibitions ran simultaneously at the center from July 19-21: Texworld U.S.A., the International Apparel Sourcing Expo and the Hometextiles Sourcing Expo. The exhibitions were co-organized by the Textile Industry Sub-council of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT TEX) and Germany's Messe Frankfurt Inc.

Around 600 firms from 17 countries and regions including China, the United States, Egypt, India and Pakistan participated in the exhibitions.

The majority of exhibitors were from China, with 79 Chinese companies displaying ready-made apparel, 102 presenting in the Hometextiles Sourcing Expo and another 142 promoting garment-related materials.

Chinese exhibitors held a textile show in New York every year from 2000-10. The fair, organized by the CCPIT TEX, was known as the China Textile and Apparel Trade Show.

In 2010, the CCPIT established a partnership with Messe Frankfurt Inc. to merge its show with Texworld U.S.A., another major fabric expo. They also launched the International Apparel Sourcing Expo and the Hometextiles Sourcing Expo together.

"The three shows provide a good platform for those engaged in different sections of the textile industry's supply chain to communicate with each other and explore enhanced cooperation," said Wang Tiankai, Vice President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), speaking to the press after the event's opening ceremony.

Lucia Chen, Merchandiser for Lenzing Fibers (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., a sub-office of the Austrian Lenzing Group, told Beijing Review the scale of the exhibition allows her to guide buyers, who are interested in Lenzing's fabric, to other manufacturers who are already using Lenzing products. "It's a one-stop sourcing venue which is very convenient," she said.

Redefining 'Made in China'

The textile industry is one of China's traditional pillar industries. CNTAC figures show about 20 million people are currently employed in the textile industry in China. In 2010, China exported $206.53 billion worth of apparel.

"The Chinese apparel industry has already formed clusters of enterprises operating in every part of the industrial chain, from making small buttons to producing finished products," said the CNTAC's Wang.

"The low cost of production has won Chinese textile companies orders from all over the world. But with the rising cost of raw materials, labor and energy, plus the constraints of limited natural resources and pollution, the Chinese textile industry is facing pressures and challenges," he added.

Neal Lei, a sales manager of Nature Holding Group Co. Ltd., a knitting company based in east China's Zhejiang Province, said his company is striving to find ways to lower costs.

Lei's firm has begun adjusting its manufacturing techniques to increase output and improve administrative efficiency. The company is a fabric material provider mainly for European and U.S. retailers including Gap and Walmart.

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