Twenty leading global apparel brands will gather in Thailand in June to participate in business matching with Asean textile and garment manufacturers in a bid to promote Southeast Asia as a fashion hub.
The project is under the Source Asean Full Service Alliance (Safsa), aimed at encouraging development of Asean fashion industries. It will also make Asean a manufacturing base for international textile and garment suppliers.
Asean itself has great potential to become a global supplier of garments and textiles, thanks to tariff elimination under the Asean Free-Trade Agreement.
Asean Federation of Textile Industries president Phongsak Assakul said the project would allow manufacturers both in Thailand and throughout Asean to partner with global brands.
"We hope 20 Asean companies can match with 20 leading brands," said Phongsak.
Well-known brand names scheduled to attend include Marks & Spencer, H&M, Mango, Polo Ralph Lauren, Guess and VF. Asean partner manufacturers will come mainly from Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Vietnam.
The pilot project was introduced to strengthen development of Asean's textile and garment industries.
Asean is fully capable of becoming a major international supplier of fashion goods, thanks to its downstream and upstream industries. The business matching will increase trading opportunities and boost international recognition of Asean products, said Phongsak.
The global garment industry is experiencing dramatic change. In the past, a factory that shipped a decent product on time and at a reasonable price was assured a customer. However, these attributes are now no longer competitive advantages, but rather minimum requirements.
Buyers prefer factories that offer one-stop service, particularly a speed-to-market plan, from a designer's first sketch until delivery to a customer's warehouse.
The goal of the three-year Safsa project is to integrate the various textile and garment services within Asean.
National Federation of Thai Textile Industries chairman Pilan Dhammongkol said it would also be a pilot project for the integration of other Asean industries.
Tighter cooperation among Asean countries in the area textiles and garments will not only help develop the industries, but also reduce any weaknesses they have in competing with others, he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Export Promotion (DEP), in collaboration with the private sector, will host the Bangkok International Fashion Fair and Bangkok International Leather Fair 2010 (BIFF & BIL) from April 1-4 in Challenger Halls 1-3 at Impact Muang Thong Thani.
DEP director-general Srirat Rastapana said this year's theme would be "Asean Integration: Textiles-Apparel-Leather". Some 20,000 local and international traders are expected to visit the fair, along with another 20,000 buyers.
About 1,000 exhibitors from within Asean and other countries will attend.
The value of Thailand's fashion exports are expected to reach US$20 billion (Bt654 billion) this year, up from $17.6 billion last year.
