Textile exporters take new approach

Workers at a spinning workshop in Nantong, Jiangsu province. [Xu Congjun / For China Daily]

Lei Shengzu, manager of China Textiles (Shenzhen) Co, said he is planning to set up a New York office by the end of 2015.

"It is supposed to better cater to the US market, which is expected to expand by 20 percent," Lei said. "Now orders from the US are still in small quantity, and we are striving to seek and develop a long-term partnership in the US market so as to get big orders."

The company also has invested more in research and development and set up a department to focus on innovation.

"The role of the department is growing increasingly important in the company," Lei said. "Previously, clients loved to bring some product samples of big brands and asked them to copy and sell at a lower price. We were very negative and passive, as we always had to wait for others' products."

Chinese companies are also starting to pay more attention to research and development. Instead of copying the big brands' designs, they are trying to develop new products to lift their own label awareness.

Although so far no Chinese company has succeeded in building an internationally renowned brand, industry professionals have started to work on creating a high-end label in the overseas market. "We have to upgrade services and offer new products more often to retain customers," Deng Zhijuan, an officer from Shanghai-based High Fashion Textile and Manufacturing Co, said.

The wide range of products and innovative material has increased raised in fabrics made in China, as designers are eager for inspiration from new designs.

"I have got many great ideas when walking past booths," said Vanessa Andrews, an independent designer. "The products are beautiful, and I've found some locket-like buttons, which would be suitable for my next collection."

Boris Litvinov, CEO of Active Line Corp, an apparel and fabrics business, said he has two suppliers from the mainland and four from Taiwan.

"For us, quality is more important than price," he said. "In recent years, the quality of Chinese products is getting much better.

"What China doesn't have now is the quality consistency from order to order, which is the key for Chinese suppliers to opening up the US market," he said.