Showcasing domestic Chinese brands to boost cultural confidence in the industry

By CCPIT TEX

Sept 17， Paris local time： as an important platform to implement the“Export Growth Action Plan for Domestic Chinese Brands”by Ministry of Commerce， the 20th China Textile and Apparel Trade Fair （Paris）/ Apparel Sourcing Paris （CTAF/APP Paris， hereinafter abbreviated as the “CTAF AUTUMN EDITION”） opened at Hall 2 of the Paris Le Bourget Exhibition Center.

Hosted by the China National Textile and Apparel Council， co-organized by the Sub-council of Textile Industry of CCPIT and Messe Frankfurt， this years CTAF AUTUMN EDITION welcomes over 600 exhibitors from 17 countries and regions， including France， Germany， Switzerland， China， Hong Kong， India， Bangladesh， Pakistan， Cambodia， Sri Lanka， and Vietnam. The China pavilion includes over 500 exhibitors.

Held during the same period as Texworld Paris， the CTAF AUTUMN EDITION leverages the vertical industry chain to provide a one-stop shop for European buyers. In total， over 1，200 Chinese companies took part in at least one of the two trade shows， a nearly 10% growth from last year. In addition， with five major trade shows being held during the same period at the same location， including Apparel Sourcing， Shawls& Scarves， Texworld， Texworld Denim and Leather World， this years show has once again solidified its status as Europes premier destination for fashion sourcing. In the next 4 days， the show will once again attract major European fashion buyers and sourcing companies.

Statistics show that in 2017， Chinas textile and apparel export to the European Union was at 48.862 billion USD， a 1.08% decrease year-on-year， slower than the 2016 drop of 6.83%； while the textile and apparel import from the EU reached 3.572 billion USD with an 11.94% y-o-y increase. Trade shows are an important channel for market expansion， and the Paris Fair has increasingly become a reputable platform recognized by companies and the mainstream European trade and business community.

Since last year， a new approach has been adopted to promote domestic Chinese brands， disrupting the stereotype towards Chinese products traditionally held by many professional European buyers， and providing great incentives to Chinese companies to actively participate in the trade shows. At this years CTAF AUTUMN EDITION， as many as 49% of Chinese companies were previous participants， reaching an alltime high.

The participating companies come from over 15 provinces， cities or autonomous regions including Zhejiang， Jiangsu， Fujian， Shanghai， Guangdong and Shandong. The main products on show include formal wear， casual wear and accessories； finished garments in the categories of childrens wear， fashion accessories， womens wear， mens wear， scarves， undergarments， lounge wear， etc.， can also be found at the show.

In China， with the rise of the middle class and the trend of consumption upgrading， local brands with rich cultural significance and spiritual heritage are increasingly favored by the market； Chinese domestic brands are also taking on a new mission of promoting “cultural confidence”. This years CTAF AUTUMN EDITION continues to feature a Chinese Brand Gallery as a concentrated platform to showcase and promote Chinese companies and their brands， communicating the message of“cultural confidence + industry confidence” as the key to building strong Chinese brands. A special event for Chinese domestic brands was held to discuss the sustainable development strategies of the Chinese textile industry and European sales channels for Chinese brands； building on last years overseas promotion efforts for Chinese brands， the show continues to connect Chinese brands with overseas end-customers.

Chinese textile brands are now appearing on the international stage with the brand-new positioning and image of “technology， fashion and environmental-friendliness”， and this CTAF AUTUMN EDITION is a prime example. It is especially worth noting that over a dozen Chinese domestic brands had an impressive showing at the Chinese Brand Gallery， including Fanric （Dalian）， Oriental Secret， Nikky （Ningbo）， Hodo （Jiangsu）， Top（Ningbo）， Dishang （Shandong）， etc.； the proprietary design， ingenious craftsmanship and reliable quality offered by these companies has established a new image and reputation for made-in-China products， and given a new competitive edge to Chinese brands.

For Dishang， a company from Shandong Province， proprietary design is seen as the key to gaining agency in the market place and building its own brand. On the one hand， Dishang is leveraging experienced design resources from overseas by opening design companies and studios in 6 countries including France， Spain and Germany； on the other hand， it builds platforms to attract the best designers from China and abroad by setting up the China Apparel Design Innovation Center and the Dishang Apparel Designers Co-creation Space. Dishang has now recruited inhouse design teams for each of its nearly 50 business units in China， and has also formed a global information network； with a comprehensive industry chain extending from market feedback， design， manufacturing to the sales of products， the brand is truly in control of the design process.

In addition， a number of Chinese brands focusing on premium qual- ity have also attracted the attention of international buyers. For instance， the Fanric brand， positioned as Haute Douture， has received great recognition from clients for its premium fabric， artisan craftsmanship and trend-setting design.

The Nikky brand， while also focusing on bespoke suits and cashmere coats， adopts premium fullycanvassed technique， pursuing ultimate quality on par with even the most high-end mens wear brands in Europe. With its excellent quality and competitive pricing， Nikky hand-made bespoke suits have successfully entered high-end international department stores.

In order to fully showcase the cultural significance of Chinese brands and demonstrate the new image of the Chinese textile and apparel industry， during the trade show， a series of events will also be held， including innovative and highly-anticipated dynamic model shows， as well as road shows and briefings by companies and brands. Moreover， during the show， a number of industry forums and talks will be held on the following topics： the overall status and prospects of the Chinese textile and apparel industry， the challenges and opportunities brought to Chinas textile and apparel industry by the countrys “the Belt and Road Initiative”， the sustainable development strategy of Chinas textile and apparel industry， fashion trends of apparel fabrics， and the import/export of textile and apparel between China and the EU， etc.

The CTAF AUTUMN EDITION has not only provided a wonderful opportunity for European buyers and Chinese companies to connect， but can also serve as a playbook for cultural development for the Chinese textile and apparel industry； it is also a perfect bridge for Chinese apparel brands going global.