Snickers Workwear TITAS 2012 Exchange of Cross-Strait Textile ...

TITAS 2012 Exchange of Cross-Strait Textile Enterprises
In O c t o b e r 1 6 - 1 8 , Ta i p e i
Innovative Textile Application
S h o w ( T I TA S 2 0 1 2 ) w i l l b e
held at the Taipei World Trade
Center Nangang Exhibition Hall.
During the three-day event, in
addition to the exciting programs,
the organizer has also invited
delegations from Household Textile
Industry Association of Yuhang
and Haining Household Textile
Industry Association to attend
the event. Yuhang is named the
"City of Chinese Fabric Art", while
Xucun Village is known as the
"Town of Chinese Fabric Art". The
overall structures of household
textile industry in these two cities
are well-established. Both are not
only the manufacturing centers of
household textile products, they
are also strategic locations for the
export of textile products.
The Household Textile Industry
Association of Yuhang operates
in the Yuhang region, Zhejiang.
It mainly manufactures drape
and curtain, upholstery fabrics,
linen, electrostatic flocking, fancy
yarns and more. For TITAS 2012,
the association has organized
One-on-one Business Meetings with
Wuhan Garment Business Leaders
Following a first visit to TITAS
by Wuhan Garment industry
last year, a larger delegation of
leading textile manufacturers has
been organized to attend TITAS
this year to expand the interaction
with Taiwan's manufacturers
and to explore more business
opportunities.
T h e c o m p a n i e s i n t h i s
delegation include: Scuniform
Group, one of the top ten leading
b r a n d s i n C h i n a ' s u n i f o r m
manufacturing sector, also the
official uniform maker for Ministry
of Public Security in China and
other government officials; Honrn
Apparel, one of the key companies
assisted by the government in
Wuhan City that has been listed
in "Top 100 Companies in Apparel
Industry" for 8 consecutive years
(2003-2011), named "Leading
Brand in China" and "Well-known
Business Label in Hubei Province";
Wu h a n Z h o n g z h i I n d u s t r i a l ,
a company that consolidates
Taiwan Garment Industry Association
Showcasing the Versatile Looks of Taiwan's Apparel Industry
The Taiwan Garment Industry
Association, led by Chairman
Walter Huang, actively promotes
a l l a s p e c t s o f t h e a p p a r e l
industry supply chain, pursuing
business opportunities that play
to the industry's strength such as
integration and exports.
TITAS 2012, organized by
the Taiwan Garment Industry
Association, is just one example
of its excellent work, highlighting
cooperation a new era for the
Taiwan garment industry.
This year, the association has
invited four members: Ginnaan
Co., Ltd.(www.ginnaan.com),
Minkwood International Co., Ltd.(
www.minkwood.com), Oemec
(Taiwan) Corporation ( www.
Freudenberg & Vilene Nonwovens
(Taiwan) Makes its Debut in TITAS
Fr e u d e n b e r g & V i l e n e
Nonwovens (Taiwan) Co., Ltd.
is a joint venture of Freudenberg
Group and Japan Vilene Company.
As a part of Freudenberg Filtration
Technologies organization, the
company dedicates to provide
s u p e r i o r f i l t r a t i o n s o l u t i o n s
and improve the quality of life
through reliable success stories
a n d t e c h n i c a l / e n g i n e e r i n g
collaboration globally. There are
air filters which include coarse and
fine filters complied with EN779,
HEPA/ ULPA filters complied with
EN1822. The applications include
Turbo machinery, HVAC, surface
treatment and clean room; the
dust removal filters for emission
control which are super light
(240g/sqm) bag filters and media,
filter cartridges and filter plates
for laser cutting machines. The
liquid filtration has coolant filters,
membrane support, food and
beverage filters. The cabin air filters
owns a worldwide brand micronAir.
The gas phase filtration is made
to protect the electric/ electronic
equipments in the control room
for pulp/ paper and petrochemical
industries. The intake air solution is
about viledon engineering.
(Booth No: L318)
a special delegation led by Mr.
Wang, Secretary General of the
association to further explore
functional household textile
products in Taiwan, particularly in
yarns and filaments, upholstery
fabrics, fabrics for drapes and
curtains, and block-out fabrics.
Similarly, Haining Household
Te x t i l e I n d u s t r y A s s o c i a t i o n
with main products that include
curtains and upholstery fabrics has
organized a delegation led by Mr.
Cao, President of the association
in the hope to better understand
the potential of collaboration
knitting, dyeing and processing,
embroidery, and manufacturing of
apparel; Wuhan Lovegod, one of
the few large private fabric group
in central China, named "Leading
Brand of Wuhan", "Leading Brand
in Hubei", "Well-known Business
Label in Hubei Province", "Leading
Brand of Knitting" and "Leading
Brand in China".
The garment industry leaders
in Wuhan highly acknowledge the
quality and quantity of Taiwan's
oemec-taiwan.com.tw), Texma
International Co., Ltd.(www.texma.
com.tw), to presenting the soft
power of Taiwan's fashion apparel.
D A . A I Te c h n o l o g y C o . ,
L t d . ( w w w. d a a i t . c o m ) , E V E R
SAFETEX CO., LTD.( www.tsw.
com.tw), Ping Yang Enterprise
Co., Ltd.( www.ping-yang.com),
Tex-Ray Industrial Co., Ltd.( www.
between Haining and Taiwan's
manufacturers.
textile products, and they hope to
explore more protective, cooling
fabrics and fibers during this visit.
They also hope to establish longterm
working relationship with
Taiwan's suppliers.
texray.com), to feeling the solid
verve of Taiwan's sports & casual
garments.
(Booth No: M519a)
Associations working together
Peak Perfomance
Re p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f P e a k
Performance, Per Odqvist
and and Staffan Thomasson made
their first visit to TITAS this year.
Odqvist said, "I am looking forward
to seeing more. I like what I have
seen so far."
Peak Performance manufactures
sports and outdoor apparel and
accessories. They are known
for their constant innovation and
striving for technical perfection.
Duribility Comes first for
Snickers Workwear
First time visitor to TITAS and
representative of Snickers
Workwear from the UK, Bjorn
Kronke, had high expectations for
this year's show. "As you can see
the day has only just begun so I
haven't had time to see everything,
but I had a quick look around and I
am already excited about some of
the textiles I have seen."
Kronke is at this year's show
on a search for technical fabrics.
Since the company's inception
in 1975, Snickers has aimed to
make high quality workwear with
excellent functionality. At that time
it was unique in the marketplace.
Since that time, the competition
h a s i n c r e a s e d b u t S n i c k e r s
commitment to durability hasn't.
"As you can see, our design is
fashionable and people often wear
Nanjing’s Leysin
Loving Taiwan
Functional Textiles
Returning for their second TITAS
show, Cari Gong and Selena
Wang of Leysin, are busy as bees.
Their cubicle was overflowing with
suppliers as they enthusiastically
chatted, finding it difficult to fit their
meetings in their schedule. Selena
Wang said, "Sorry if we are running
a bit late. There is just so much to
talk about."
Leysin was founded in 1997 and
has three high-quality design and
R&D centers as well as a large
modern garment factory. Leysin
specializes in outdoor wear and
the pair of representatives are on
the hunt for more functional fabrics.
According to Wang, "We want the
best and the latest. It is hard to
think of a better show than TITAS
for what we need."
Sponsoring Authority
Putting More Trust in Taiwanese Suppliers
When asked what they are looking
for, Thomasson said, "we are
looking for functional fabrics, of
course, but we always keep our
eyes open for anything unusual
or special." They were particularly
looking for fabrics for their Winter
2014 collection.
In the past, Peak Perfomance
worked mostly with Japan, but now
it works mostly with Taiwanese
suppliers. "Over the last ten
our clothes for sport or fashion,
but at the heart of it, everything
we make is extremely durable and
suitable for intense work."
K r o n k e l i k e d t h e w a y t h e
interview system was set up at
TITAS. "I think this setup is quite
nice. I can take my time to get
to know the suppliers. It is early,
so we shall have to see how it all
works out, but I have high hopes."
When asked about the meeting
format, Gong said, "I really like the
way TITAS has set up meeting with
suppliers. We can relax and have
plenty of time to meet everyone we
want to see. The only down side is
that there are so many companies
we want to spend time with."
When asked what they liked best
about the Taiwan textile industry,
Wang said, "We love that there are
so many choices of high quality so
that we can freely compare price."
Organizers
years, the ratio between Japan
and Taiwan has almost entirely
switched. Now the great majority of
our suppliers are from Taiwan."
Odqvist and Thomasson said
that it is interesting to see how
far and how quickly Taiwanese
companies have come. Thomasson
said, "Taiwan manufacturers have
now reached an acceptable level of
quality so of course we are happy
to work with them. Once our quality
Castelli
Although this is the second
visit to TITAS for Castelli
representatives Lena Kiremitjian
and Jessica Szabo, it is their first
time they actually intended to
come. According to Kiremitjian,
"last year, I happened to be in
Taiwan talking to a supplier and
I heard about the show, so I
came and met a couple of other
companies that ended up being
textile suppliers for us. So this
year, we had to come back.
Castelli is a world famous
brand for its cycling apperal and
accessories. The company is also
known for its constant innovation in
terms of materials and technology.
The Castelli representatives hope
to find fabrics and trims at this
year's show. Kirermitjian said, "We
have high hopes for this show
standard has been reached, price
becomes important. It is difficult to
beat Taiwan suppliers' prices."
Hopes to Find Innovative Fabrics in Taiwan
H y a l i t e e q u i p m e n t i s a n
employee-owned company located
in the mountain town of Bozeman,
M o n t a n a U S A . T h e c o m p a n y
creates gear for activities powered
by the human body. Arriving at
the TITAS show for the first time
representing the company were the
president, Greg Garrigues and the
product manager, Josh Wise.
Garrigues said that they were in
town looking mostly for functional
textiles and "things we haven't
seen before." They particularly
liked textiles with new high visibility
strategies and high durability.
He added that he believed high
durability was the best way to be
eco-friendly. "If your clothing lasts
forever, there is no need to use any
materials to replace it. Good gear
equals less waste."
and are looking for a little bit of
everything."
Szabo said she liked the new
show and the meeting setup. "I like
the way we can choose who we
want to meet with and that we have
more time to find out how we could
work together. We have 30 minutes
for each meeting rather than just
dropping by their exhibition booth."
She also felt that it saved them
from having to walk around all day.
Hyalite Equipment
Brings Their Hunt for Supreme Durability to TITAS
When asked what they would
like to see more in the future, Wise
said, "I would like to see more
accessories, more trim, clips, and
buckles. You have lots of narrow
woven but nothing to put on it."
Garrigues added that he felt some
of the textiles were extremely light.
"Our customers actively use our
clothing and gear so we demand the
best quality possible. Fashion is not
our primary goal, functionality is."
Sponsor

COCA Leading China to Outdoor Success
Jerry Lee, representative and
secretary general of the China
Outdoor Commerce Alliance made
his second trip to TITAS this year
leading a contingent of mainland
Chinese outdoor wear company
representatives.
Lee said that he was having a
great time at this year's show and
that he had a two-fold mission.
"First, I want to find the newest and
most functional fabrics. I want to
see the best innovation available
in terms of fabric and technology.
Second, I want to see all the areas
that Taiwan does very well and
see what we can learn from that
so that we can raise our overall
standards. I hope we can possibly
arrange more exchanges between
mainland Chinese companies and
the companies here."
COCA is an alliance of Chinese
outdoor product manufacturers.
At the end of each year, the
association gets together to meet,
exchange ideas and cooperate.
When asked about his feelings
about this year's TITAS, Lee said
that three areas had left deep
impressions on him. "First, I like
the new trends in innovative
fabrics. I like the eco fabrics like
VF Asia Comes to Taiwan for Innovation
Having just completed a seminar
"VF Corporation: portfolio of brands
and purchasing strategy in the
upcoming season", representatives
of VF Asia Tony Yong and Jeb
Teh kindly sat down with us to talk
about this year's TITAS. Yong said,
"We are excited to be back. This
is one of our must-see show each
year."
VF Corporation was established
first as Reading Glove and Mitten
M a n u f a c t u r i n g C o m p a n y i n
Pennsylvania in October 1899.
Shares were sold to the public
in 1951. The H.D. Lee Company
was acquired by the company in
1969 and the corporate name was
changed to VF Corporation. VF is
making it the largest publicly-held
apparel company now.
the coffee fabric and the PET
bottle yarn. Second, I like the array
of lightweight fabrics. Some of
them are really amazing. Third,
I love the branding of various
yarns and textiles. It helps create
new branding and opportunities
at all levels of the manufacturing
process.
Lee said that after 10 years of
cultivation, outdoor life is accepted
by more and more people every
year in China. In 2011, the total
retail sales of outdoor products in
China reached 10.86 billion yuan,
an increase of 50.9% over the
previous year while the wholesale
Today, VF is a $9 billion apparel
and footwear powerhouse, with
an incredibly diverse, international
portfolio of brands and products
that reach consumers wherever
they may be. With their expertise in
both the art and science of apparel,
they have built a sustainable base
for continued long-term success.
The Asia-Pacific region plays an
important role for both consumer
product sales and VF's global
sourcing operation. VF's brands
are sold to retailers both directly
a n d t h r o u g h l i c e n s e e s a n d
distributors. VF's global sourcing
operation is based in Hong Kong.
In their search for innovative
textiles, Teh said that they were
very happy with the functional
fabrics available in Taiwan but
he felt they could improve a bit in
trims. "We still buy the majority of
our trims in Japan." Yong added,
volume increased 69.1%. He also
added that outdoor products were
no longer special items for outdoor
sports enthusiasts, but have
become popular for daily leisure.
"I hope Taiwan can continue to
innovate and spend even more
on R&D. I would like to see them
break new ground and start to
lead. I heard that a lot of Japanese
companies are starting to have
textiles produced here which
should lead to more technology
transfer which should be a good
thing for Taiwan."
Men, Clothes, and the Environment —
My Ultra-marathon Experience
- Kevin Lin,
Ultra-marathon Athlete
Newcomer Haski
This year's show experienced
a dramatic rise in attendees from
mainland China. One newcomer
to the Outdoor market is the Haski
brand which only began last
year. According to Development
Assistant Manager, Michelle Dai,
the product series is already selling
all over China despite only just
launching.
This was Dai's first trip to TITAS
and she was enthusiastic about the
experience. "So far, I have really
enjoyed what I have seen. During
these two days of the show, we
have found a lot of fabrics that we
were looking for and some others
that we would like to know more
about for the future."
According to Dai, the outdoor
market in China has really taken
off over the last few years. "It has
become very mainstream in China
to do outdoor activities and the
outdoor look has taken a hold on
the everyday consumer as well."
Dai said her company was most
interested in Taiwan suppliers
Here at TITAS for the first time
this year were Dan Horsham
and Stanley Shurk representing
Berghaus from the UK. The pair
said they were on a mission to find
"anything new" they could get their
hands on whether it is fabrics, style
or technology.
B e r g h a u s L i m i t e d i s a n
outdoor clothing and equipment
manufacturer headquartered in
Sunderland, England. It is based
in the North East of England
but distributes worldwide. It was
founded in 1966 by climbers and
Making Its Mark in China
because they were reaching
Japanese levels of quality while still
maintaining a lower price. She felt
that they had found a comfortable
niche positioned between China
and Japan. She hoped Chinese
m a n u f a c t u r e r s c o u l d l e a r n
from Taiwanese producers and
improve their technology through
cooperation.
She also said she hoped to find
the best functional fibers available
for the Haski brand, particularly the
Alpha series which was designed
for the most extreme outdoor use.
"We are happy we came. It has
been a fruitful visit, and I am sure
we will be back next year."
Sierra Designs Aims
Although this was his first trip
to TITAS, Martin Flora, creative
director of Sierra Designs has
been working with Taiwanese
mills for quite some time.
Flora said, "I have had great
experiences so far. It's good
to work with highly functional
mills."
S i n c e 1 9 6 5 , i n n o v a t i v e
products have helped Sierra
Designs to become one of the
most renowned outdoor brands
in the outdoor industry. With
over 40 years of experience
and an intense passion for
the outdoors they have been
able to create some of the best
performance products.
Flora is looking for functional
y e t a e s t h e t i c f a b r i c s . H e
was impressed with Taiwan
functional textiles, but felt
that the focus perhaps overly
emphasized outerwear. "I would
love to see more bottom weight
fabrics."
Berghaus Goes from Extreme to Everyday
mountaineers Peter Lockey and
Gordon Davison, initially as an
importer and distributor of outdoors
products. Lockey and Davison's
outdoor store in Newcastle-upon-
Tyne, UK, went by the name
of the LD Mountain Centre. In
1972 they began designing and
manufacturing their own product
for sale in their shop. They called
their brand "Berghaus" which is
a literal translation of "mountain
house" in German.
According to Horsham, they
came to this year's show for two
reasons. First, they wanted to meet
up with their spring and summer
suppliers to discuss how the
season went. Second, they were
looking for materials and ideas for
their winter 2014 collection. They
said they were quite impressed
with the innovative products
available at this year's show,
particularly the eco-fabrics such as
the coffee yarn.
Berghaus produces clothing and
equipment for the most extreme
outdoor professionals all the way
down to the casual daily wear
for Daily Functionality
When asked about the trends
in the industry, Flora said, "The
trend right now is toward daily
functional wear. People want
functional clothes that don't look
like functional clothes. They want
a pair of jeans that don't soak
up water when they get wet." He
also felt that this was an area that
Taiwan suppliers could improve on.
"Right now, Taiwan suppliers have
great functional textiles. I would
like to see them combine them with
more natural fibers for more natural
looking clothes."
consumer. Shurk said, "We are
always on the lookout for more
versatile fabrics that can be used
extensively throughout our various
lines."