Reliable exporters: find them and meet them

Hong Kong’s largest fashion sourcing event, Global Sources Fashion show, opened April 27 at AsiaWorld-Expo and runs till April 30. Led by Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce, almost one-hundred Xiamen suppliers attend the show. There are more than 20 exhibitors of sports brands and products which jointly put showcased a “Xiamen Sports Fashion Parade” at the show. 

Global Sources Fashion show attracts exhibitors from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and other countries and regions to attend with products ranging from apparel, footwear, bags and luggage to accessories.

Approximately one-fourth of the exhibitors are from Fujian province, of which around 100 booths are from Xiamen featuring bags and luggage, and sportswear including sport suit, swimwear and yoga wear.

The blue tone decoration of Xiamen Pavilion reflects its geographic location as a coastal city and the eye-catching “Brand Xiamen” fascia successfully drew attention from many overseas buyers. Peter and Konrad from Germany said they visited the show last October where they met some Xiamen manufacturers and were satisfied with the quality of Xiamen products. In fact, they were invited by Xiamen enterprises for a factory visit before coming to the April show. On their visit to the Fashion show, both of them went to the Xiamen pavilion to meet more exhibitors there. Global Sources has also arranged a dedicated fashion parade for Xiamen sportswear with around 20 brands participating. 

Livia Yip, President of Global Sources Fashion Group, mentioned that although some Xiamen enterprises were affected by the global economic downturn in the past few years, Xiamen exhibitors surprised her every time they have joined the show. She commented that Xiamen enterprises showed great improvement in terms of conceptualization and business development. This is well reflected by the fact that Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce leads more than 100 Xiamen enterprises to exhibit at the show with a dedicated pavilion to promote local products. This not only promotes the manufacturers there but also Xiamen city as a whole.

Xiamen Hondar Umbrella Co.’s General Manager Cai, was a “frequent” exhibitor at Global Sources Fashion show. He said despite the tough business environment in recent years brought about by macroeconomic situation, rising labor cost and the low-price strategies of overseas buyers, the company keeps growing, with 5 percent growth in export sales on average every year. Cai said they would not compete by price as thier counterparts do, as it simply results in biting off one's own head – once you lower your price, you cannot maintain the quality, resulting in the loss of customers’ orders.

Another frequent exhibitor at the show is Xiamen Tinzonc Fashion Company. Its representative, Fan said that their company has nearly a 20-year history with Global Sources. At the time when Global Sources launched small orders for buyers, they were somehow reluctant to accept these orders. However, as the market situation changed, they eagerly began taking orders of 300 or 500 pieces followed by good after-sales services. Under the current economic situation, suppliers require quick responses and closely monitor sourcing sites like GlobalSources.com. As long as there are buyers placing orders, they will accept it regardless of volume. Otherwise the businesses will have to shift toward a trading strategy.

Global Sources Fashion show features verified suppliers from major fashion manufacturing hubs where buyers can conveniently source fashion accessories, fabrics and apparel all under one roof. The event features a rich array of accessories, sportswear, footwear, bags, fabrics and apparel.   

Livia Yip, President of Global Sources Fashion Group, said: “In addition to showcasing a wide range of products and suppliers from across Asia, we are seeing growing participation from branded companies. In fact, we will host more than 500 exhibitors promoting their own designs and brands. Amazon and other online sellers will find a variety of products with more than 65 percent of exhibitors able to accept small orders.”