Apparel & Clothing Industry News

	Innovative technique at the fair.

The conference, in the Paris Le Bourget Exhibition Centre, attracted 642 companies from 28 countries (compared with 656 last year) and some 14,000 visitors.

The Chinese mainland had by far the largest representation, with 200 companies registered, while Hong Kong had 33.

Despite the recent worldwide economic downturn, the mood was surprisingly upbeat at the 8 to 11 February event.

Design from Hong Kong's Evergrowth.

"The crisis is not over, but we have hit the bottom and can be positive about the future," Sherpe concluded.

Texworld General Manager Stephanie Keukert added that the overall impression at the event was that exhibitors felt the economic situation was recovering, and buyers were prepared to take some risks.

European markets beckon for pastoral styles

For many Hong Kong exhibitors, Texworld was seen as an opportunity to expand into Europe.

Stephen Au, Executive Sales Manager for Everget Group Limited, said he attended to develop new markets.

	Opportunities in Europe.

"It's a good exhibition, an international fair, useful for sales to all of Europe," he said. Au brought new Spring/Summer 2011 but also Autumn/Winter 2010 collections to the show. He believed that the economic crisis was over.

According to Au, new ideas in textiles and fashion come from Europe, especially from Italy, but sometimes the products were too expensive. Asian companies could produce similar items more cheaply.

As for styles, "the coming season is more grey, melange grey, not solid," Au said, indicating a row of soft, luxurious sweaters in shades of grey. A typical piece, a sweater with a nylon and spandex blend for softness and easy fit, sold for Euros7, with a minimum order of 500 pieces.

Addressing a forum on the first day of the show, Gianni Bologna gave a presentation titled Apparel Yarns and Fabric Trends. Bologna represented Filo, the annual yarns, fibres, woven fabrics and textiles fair held in Milan.

Coming fashions would lie between rustic and elegant, a provincial elegance far removed from cosmopolitan bling, which was now outmoded, Bologna forecast.

Au: ideas at a better price.		Mak: handmade clothing.

Exhibitor Joanne Mak, Director of Hongtex Hong Kong Limited, agreed. "People are getting tired of mass production, of cheap brands. Styles swing from modern to vintage and back, but now people who understand fashion want to go back."

Clothes are generally made with sewing machines, but Hongtex has them handmade in a village in China, where every family is involved in production.

This season, fabrics were also going back to the old days and ways, said Mak, with the popularity of many natural fibres such as linen and ramie, with a vintage finish, as well as some silk.

Hongtex was selling hand-embroidered, 100% cotton blouses for Euros20, with a minimum order of 300 pieces. A classic black party dress with tiny black decorative stones stitched in individually was priced at about Euros29, and the company would make a minimum order of 50 dresses.

The environment is stand-out issue

Environmental concerns featured prominently at Texworld. Sandra Castañeda, Business Development Manager for Organic Exchange, a non-profit, membership-based organisation representing an eclectic group ranging from farm groups to retailers, told a Texworld forum that the industry was becoming more aware of environmental problems.

Environmental concerns along with fashion.		Visitors more engaged in environment issues.

Investors, consumers, the media and public administrators were pressuring retailers to be more environmentally aware, she said. "This is the right time to do this, not just dream about it," said Castañeda, comparing a decade ago, when the issue had yet to surface.

"Eco" label increasing in demand.

Customer demand for sustainable cotton had risen from Euros180 million in 2001 to Euros2.5 billion in 2008, with 1,500 brands and retailers around the world involved, Casteñeda said.

Organic cotton was not just used in basic T-shirts now, but a lot of new designers were being more creative with it, according to Castañeda. These types of clothes were now sold by many major retailers, including C&A, Marks & Spencer, Tesco, H&M, Wal-Mart and Galeries Lafayette.

Hong Kong's role in textile innovation

Several Hong Kong companies are on the cutting edge of new textile development. Apro Industrial Limited, whose motto is skin to skin, presented new fabrics from ramie, or China Grass. Apro Technical Director Larry Poon said the company had created a technology that retains the unique characteristics of ramie, without blending spandex or other synthetic materials.

	Poon: new technology.

The fibrous plant consumed few resources, grew in poor soil with no chemical fertiliser and could have up to five harvests a year, so it produced an eco-friendly fabric, said Poon.

Natural ramie was anti-fungal and reduced bacteria by being very absorbent, so it helped to alleviate skin problems, especially in tropical countries, said its promoters.

European companies buy the fabric from Apro, have articles manufactured in China, then shipped to Europe. The company manufactures some underwear and socks, mainly to illustrate how it can be used, but its main aim is to sell the fabric.

Selling at Euros16 per kg with a minimum of 500 kg per order, per colour, it is slightly more expensive than cotton. European buyers are interested in the fabric, as are Japanese, Korean and Brazilian producers.

If French designers could create an outer garment in this material, it would have a good market, predicted Poon.

Another innovative, environmentally-aware Hong Kong company, Aadmix Ltd, sells jeans and T-shirts made from organic cotton, or cotton made from remnants. The company also works with major brands, such as Paul Smith, Mark James, Ralph Lauren and Gap, all of which are starting to use recycled cotton.

Lee with jacket made from plastic bottles.

However, its most unusual products are jackets made from recycled plastic bottles, using a system it developed in Hong Kong.

The material was mainly used for the shell, explained Senior Merchandiser, Creamy Lee.

One of Aadmix's jackets uses between 15 and 20 large plastic bottles in the manufacturing process. The jackets sell for between Euros8 and Euros11, with a minimum order of 600, or Euros14 each for jackets with nylon liners.

The company wanted to introduce something new, but some customers still didn't like the idea, said Lee. There was still some resistance to the bottle fabric.

Sadie Liu, Business Manager of Evergrowth Industrial, a Hong Kong manufacturer of ready-made clothing, introduced a new line of T-shirts to Texworld. The company's major customers are Scandinavian, French, German and Polish.

"We design and manufacture to our own specs, but some customers change the design," she said. Some were interested only in the fabric, from which to fashion their own designs.

An elegant 100% silk twill dress especially made for the Texworld show by Evergrowth was priced at Euros36, with a minimum order of 200.

Adam Chan, Director for Hop Sang Lung Industrial Ltd, which manufactures high quality products, said his company used all types of fabrics, from natural to artificial fibres, low- to high-end, and it also mixed materials.

People were looking for delicate products at reasonable prices, said Chan. Some buyers focused on design, others on the material. For example, a stylish, basic black ladies wool suit with lamb and leather trim , sold for about Euros58, with a minimum order of 100 pieces.

Top by Evergrowth.		Ho with diamante jeans.

Gareth Limited, which specialises in jeans, is established in the UK market, but wants to spread to Europe. Everyone had at least one pair of jeans, and they were looking for a similar style, said Jacqueline Ho, Merchandising Manager.

European design firms used to buy through the UK, but wanted to buy them direct, so this was a good opportunity for Hong Kong producers, she said.

Ho reckoned that customers were looking for new styles such as skinny jeans, or leggings, which were the coming style for women and would be on the street next summer.

A pair of flashy, very slender leggings glittering with diamante, was priced at Euros11, with a minimum order of 1,000.

Men would be looking for washed fabrics. One pair of jeans, with a shiny, black surface, was also priced at Euros11. It showed that for some buyers, denims are forever.

from special correspondent Garry Marchant, Paris