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| Greater Czech trade with Asia |
With some 82 Chinese mainland manufacturers attending the Styl and Kabo fashion and leatherware fairs in Brno for the first time (the largest overseas delegation at the shows), there seemed to be flesh on the bones of Czech Republic Prime Minister Jan Fischer's wish to cement greater trade relations with Asia. Fischer visited Hong Kong earlier this month on a regional tour aiming to stimulate greater trade volumes with Asia.
Some Mainland exhibitors offered to manufacture OEM goods according to customers' designs. One, Chen Ruishi, Business Manager for Shishi Wangzai Dress Computer Embroidery Co Ltd, said his and other companies were from Fujian Province, intending to present themselves as partners with particular interest in emerging markets in Eastern Europe.
For their part, Central European buyers are used to Asian suppliers, with brand producers such as OP Prostějov, Hannah, Humdrum and ZAJO placing very substantial orders in Asia. But, with greater demand for up-to-date fashion featuring quality materials, they are becoming more selective.
Outdoor wear producer Rejoice said it had to cancel orders with a Chinese mainland supplier even though Rejoice was overextended and unable to manufacture all required inventory in Europe. The Mainland supplier had not produced sufficiently high quality goods, with the result that its products had to be offloaded in down market shops, said CEO Libor Venkrbec.
Others were more satisfied with their results from contact with Chinese mainland producers, as they expressed in interviews at Styl and Kabo from 25 to 27 August.
Vik, owner of Viking, buys and sells knitted garments. He visited the Canton Fair with an order for hundreds of different designs for sweaters and vests. He said he has been very satisfied with the deals made and has since ordered all the company's inventory in China, with very successful sales in Europe.
Slovakian company AST Design, which produces women's ready-to-wear fashions under the Andrea Martiny brand, said it would be very willing to work with Hong Kong partners although its product portfolio was relatively small in scale and therefore supply volumes would be limited.
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| Business and casual in equal measures. |
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| AST Design representative Milos Baco. |
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AST Design was founded by a group of young designers in 1999 and designs and produces skirts, trousers, blouses, shirts and business wear, along with formal gowns. For Autumn and Winter 2009 it offers sports jackets, fashionable synthetic wadded jackets and elegant woolen coats. Its collection is breezy, stylish and inventive, aiming at mid-to-upper market sales.
Consignment volumes seemed to be the concern of several Czech dealers where it came to Asian supply chains, while some claimed to have problems translating Asian fittings to Eastern European sizes.
But as Czech Prime Minister Fischer explained in Hong Kong, the territory could be the solution to two-way trade due to Hong Kong's experience in dealing with and accommodating overseas firms intending to tap opportunities in the Asian region.
Strategically significant fairs
Beautiful Brno's Exhibition Centre attracted some 8,700 visitors, with 744 new collections from 400 exhibitors at Styl and 137 at Kabo.
Styl concentrates on fashion, textiles and fabrics, with all kinds of garments for young and old, underwear, swimwear, branded jeans and children's clothing, along with accessories and costume jewellery. Kabo was for mainly footwear suppliers and buyers aiming to pick up contacts to provide products for Eastern European stores and Western European suppliers.
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| Shirt and tie sets among features. |
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| Award winning bag and shoes. |
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The worldwide economic downturn caused some programme changes and both fairs were organised as purely business events. Nonetheless, there were 43 fashion shows presenting products in all three halls, with traditional competitions for fashion designers.
The fairs have long been international events, with exhibitors from 21 countries taking part this year, with traders from traditional neighbours, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary. Companies from South Africa, Italy and Portugal took part.
Styl and Kabo presented new fashion trends. Slim but comfortable silhouettes dominated the shows with a trend towards sleek applications and, more specifically in fashion, for Greek tunic styles.
As for the sport and outdoor products, well known brand names prevailed and functional gimmicks played an important role.
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| Towelling robe for bath and swimming. |
At Kabo, the shoemaking industry presented a very wide selection, ranging from high heels and platforms to formal footwear, soft shoes with thin soles, the latter very often in the shape of moccasins with round tips.
Outdoor shoes were mainly aimed at comfort, with colours and choices of material playing an important role. Both the clothing and shoemaking industries have been trying hard to find the right match and balance between natural and synthetic components.
New technologies and very sophisticated materials were used in producing sporting and work outfits. As far as colours were concerned, these were bright and vivid - greens, blue-greens, yellow and red were in abundance - but there were also subdued tones appropriate to Spring and Summer 2010 collections.
Patterns seemed to be slightly suppressed this time for fashions, but exhibitors introduced many types of printed fabrics, announcing their comeback into the market mainly as flowers, geometrical designs and fantasy ornaments.
Producers aim higher
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| Casual wear of all kinds at Styl. |
Vývoj from the Czech city of Trest is a company with a long tradition. It offers both classical and fashionable suits, jackets, trousers and coats. For younger consumer, it sells outfits with a pronounced casual style, but it offers formal evening suits as well. The company also dresses fire fighters, police officers and rescue workers, for whom they manufacture uniforms. Moreover, in line with its tradition, the firm makes bespoke handmade suits.
The company's designers regularly visit fairs in Italy, especially for its Pitti, Imagine and Uomo brands in Florence and the influence of Italian haute couture is evident in production.
The choice of top quality fabrics, well designed systems and cutting and perfect finish are the main reasons for the success of this co-operative, with exports representing 80% of production.
"Our collections sell well, because they serve all who want to be well dressed regardless of their age," said Vitezslav Salanda, Business Manager. Only one part of production - for uniforms - is suited for Asian manufacturing.
Jitka Komarova runs a company that deals mainly in export and import and manufacturing, specialising in knitwear, shirts and ties for men. She participates in the Styl fair on a regular basis.
Products such as pullovers, sweaters and vests are often inspired by sports such as tennis and golf, including stripes and plastic decorations. Komarova buys both in the Czech Republic and in Italy, but she has some of her products manufactured in the Middle East and Asia. "Conditions for trade are not simple, especially in the textile industry, but we are defending our position in the market."
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| Zaboj with button selection. |
Button Manufacturing Cooperative is a company from the village of Studena in Bulgaria and follows a century-old tradition in the region. Originally it used genuine mother of pearl buttons and cut the holes into it manually. In the later half of the 1950s it formed a co-operative that continues to be prosperous.
Though buttons represent the majority of production, it also manufactures buckles and haberdashery. The company regularly takes part in fairs in Paris and it offers a very wide range of patterns and colours, together with buttons for uniforms, said Business Manager, Frantisek Zaboj.
Good quality and design are the main distinction of Veba from the Czech city of Broumov. Best cotton and other materials, impeccable finishing together with modern and simple design work have contributed to its well known brand, even overseas.
Miluse Houskova, Business Manager, said linen damask, terry knitted fabrics, jacquard terry towels with bathrobes, bath mats and face cloths in perfectly co-ordinated sets are the major sellers.
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| Houskova with bathing models. |
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| Veba products. |
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from special correspondent Jana Castkova and
Prague Consultant Ivona Taborska, Brno
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