Exceed Company Ltd : China Apparel Company Spotlight April 2011

Exceed Company Ltd. designs, develops and engages in wholesale of footwear, apparel and accessories under its own brand, XIDELONG, in China. Since it began operations in 2002, Exceed has targeted its growth on the consumer markets in the second and third-tier cities in China. Exceed has three principal categories of products: (i) footwear, which comprises running, leisure, basketball, skateboarding and canvas footwear, (ii) apparel, which mainly comprises sports tops, pants, jackets, track suits and coats, and (iii) accessories, which mainly comprise bags, socks, hats and caps. Exceed Company Ltd. currently trades on Nasdaq under the symbols "EDS", "EDSWW" and "EDSUU".

Check out the product brand website at http://www.xdlong.cn/brand_station/.

They are traded on (NASDAQ: EDS).

Learn more about this China Apparel Company and others on Apparel Search.

American Eagle Outfitters

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., through its subsidiaries, (“AEO, Inc.”) offers high-quality, on-trend clothing, accessories and personal care products at affordable prices. The American Eagle Outfitters^® brand targets 15 to 25 year old girls and guys, with 929 stores in the U.S. and Canada and online at www.ae.com.  Aerie^® by american eagle offers apparel and intimates collections for the AE^® girl, with 148 standalone stores in the U.S. and Canada and online at www.aerie.com. The latest brand, 77kids^® by american eagle^®, is available online at www.77kids.com, as well as at nine stores across the nation. The 77kids brand offers small sizes and great big style for kids 0-14. AE.COM^®, the online home of the brands of AEO, Inc. ships to 76 countries worldwide.

Learn more about American Eagle Outfitters on Apparel Search.

Apparel Industry Struggles : Discuss Solutions at the fashio forum discussion area on FIN

During the past few years, apparel retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers have been confronted with complex challenges.  At the same time that speed to market and overall supply chain efficiency remain as crucial concerns, the cost of doing business has dramatically increased.  If you are an apparel manufacturer, you are well aware that cotton and other fibers and materials have gone up significantly in price.  Also, the growth in once highly competitive labor markets is driving the price of production higher and higher.  So, what should an apparel business do to stay competitive?  Should we raise prices to our customers or will this force them to walk away from us an purchase product else where?  Well, if the cotton prices have risen for everyone, doesn't that mean our competitors prices also must increase. 

 

You can discuss these issues and others in the forum discussion area of the Fashion Industry Network.

Textile and Apparel Industry India Report

Today I have come across a government study (US Goverment study) regarding the textile and apparel industry in India.  This is NOT new news because the report is from March 2001.  Yes, that is 2001 NOT 2011.  Anyway, although the info is out dated, it is still interesting to see the study from a decade ago.  It is good to compare what was stated back in 2001 compared to the reality of the India apparel and textile industry of today.

If you are really interested in India fashion, you may want to check out the India Fashion Week section on Apparel Search and also visit the India Apparel Industry section.

Below is a brief portion of the textile and apparel industry India report from March 2001 : Publication 3401.  You can find the full textile and apparel industry India report at http://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/working_papers/pub3401.pdf

Learn about apparel industry reports on Apparel Search.

The views expressed in this staff study are those of the Office of Industries, U.S. International Trade Commission. They are not necessarily the views of the U.S. International Trade Commission as a whole or any individual commissioner.

The study examines India’s textile and apparel industry in terms of its structural anomalies and other key factors inhibiting the growth of the industry, competitive strengths and weaknesses of the industry, government programs designed to help improve the competitiveness of the industry, tariffs and other market access barriers impeding growth in trade and investment, and product sectors that offer opportunities for growth in U.S. trade and investment.

Industry Structure

The textile and apparel industry is one of the leading segments of the Indian economy and the largest source of foreign exchange earnings for India. This industry accounts for 4 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), 20 percent of industrial output, and slightlymore than 30 percent of export earnings. The textile and apparel industry employs about 38 million people, making it the largest source of industrial employment in India. The study identifies the following structural characteristics of India’s textile and apparel industry:

• India has the second-largest yarn-spinning capacity in the world (after China), accounting for roughly 20 percent of the world’s spindle capacity. India’s spinning segment is fairly modernized; approximately 35 to 40 percent of India’s spindles are less than 10 years old. During 1989-98, Indiawas the leading buyer of spinning machinery, accounting for 28 percent of world shipments. India’s production of spun yarn is accounted for almost entirely by the “organized mill sector,” which includes 285 large vertically-integrated “composite mills” and nearly 2,500 spinning mills.
• India has the largest number of looms in place toweave fabrics, accounting for 64 percent of the world’s installed looms. However, 98 percent of the looms are accounted for by India’s powerloom and handloom sectors, which use mostly outdated equipment and producemostly low-value unfinished fabrics. Composite mills account for 2 percent of India’s installed looms and 4 percent of India’s fabric output.
• The handloomand powerloomsectorswere establishedwith government support, mainly to provide rural employment. These sectors benefit from various tax exemptions and other favorable government policies, which ensure that fabrics produced in these sectors are price competitive against those of composite mills.
• The fabric processing (dyeing and finishing) sector, the weakest link in India’s textile supply chain, consists of a large number of small units located in and around the powerloom and handloom centers. The proliferation of small processing units is due to India’s fiscal policies, which favor small independent hand- and power-processing units over composite mills with modern processing facilities.
• The production of apparel in Indiawas, until recently, reserved for the small-scale industry (SSI) sector, which was defined as a unit having an investment in plant and machinery equivalent to less than $230,000. Apparel units with larger investments were allowed to operate only as export-oriented units (EOUs). As a result, India’s apparel sector is highly fragmented and is characterized by low levels of technology use.

Competitive Position of India’s Textile and Apparel Industry

India’s share of global exports of textiles and apparel increased from 1.8 percent in 1980 to 3.3 percent in 1998. However, India’s export growth was lower than that of most Asian countries during that period. The study identifies a number of competitive strengths of the Indian textile and apparel industry :

• India has a large fiber base, and ranks as the world’s third-leading producer of cotton, accounting for 15 percent of the world’s cotton crop. India produces a wide variety of cotton, providing operational flexibility for domestic textile producers. In themanmade fiber sector, India is theworld’s fifth-largest producer of polyester fibers and filament yarns and the third-largest producer of cellulosic fibers and filament yarns.
• India is theworld’s second-largest textile producer (after China), and is diversified and capable of producing awide variety of textiles. The spinning segment is fairly modernized and competitive, accounting for about 20 percent of world cotton yarn exports.
• India’s textile and apparel industry benefits from a large pool of skilled workers and competent technical and managerial personnel. India’s labor is inexpensive; hourly labor costs in the textile and apparel industry average less than 5 percent of those in the U.S. textile and apparel industry. The study also identifies the competitive weaknesses that have impeded the growth of India’s  textile and apparel industry:
• Policies of the Government of India (GOI) favoring small firms have resulted in the establishment of a large number of small independent units in the spinning, weaving, and processing sectors. Sources in India claim that GOI policies have provided competitive advantages for the small independent units over the generally larger composite mills, discouraged investments in newmanufacturing technologies, and limited large-scale manufacturing and the attendant benefits of economies of scale.
• Sources in India also claim that because of the GOI policies, small units have significantly lower production costs than the composite mills, use low levels of technology, and producemostly lowvalue-added goods of lowquality that are less competitive globally.
• India’s textile industry depends heavily on domestically produced cotton. Almost two-thirds of domestic cotton production is rain fed, which results in wide weather-related fluctuations in cotton production. Moreover, the contamination level of Indian cotton is among the highest in the world. According to sources in India, the cotton ginning quality is poor, contributing to defective textile products.
• The GOI policy reserving apparel production for the SSI sector had restricted the entry of large-scale units and discouraged investment in new apparel manufacturing technologies. As a result, most Indian apparel producers do not benefit from economies of scale.
• The competitiveness of India’s apparel sector is adversely impacted by an inadequate domestic supply of quality fabrics. Fabric imports are subject to high duty rates and other domestic taxes that increase the cost of imported fabrics. Another major weakness of the Indian apparel sector is a lack of product specialization which, along with a limited fabric base, has limited India’s apparel production and exports to low value-added goods.
• India has high energy and capital costs,multiple taxation, and lowproductivity, all of which add to production costs. As a result, textile and apparel products from India are less competitive than those of China and other developing countries in the international market.

Read more of the textile and apparel industry India report.  Also, you can learn more about the textile and apparel industry on Apparel Search or join in the discussion about the fashion industry at the Fashion Industry Network.

Learn more about the apparel industry and the textile industry.

You can discuss textiles in the textile group discussion at FIN.

Read news about India fashion and textiles.

You may want to check out the Indian Textile Association website as well.

VLOV Apparel represents Victory and Love, a reflection of a successful life.

VLOV represents Victory and Love, a reflection of a successful life.
VLOV, Inc., a leading lifestyle apparel designer based in China, designs, sources and markets VLOV brand fashion-forward apparel for men ages 18 to 45. As of December 31, 2010, VLOV products were sold through 526 points of sale operated by independent distributors across northern, central and southern China.

VLOV, Inc., a brand manager, engages in the design, development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of casual apparel and clothing products under the brand name VLOV in the People's Republic of China. The Company offers its apparel and accessorries through distributors to middle class men 20 to 45 in tier II and tier III cities. VLOV, Inc. sells its products through distributors in 12 provinces. As of August 12, 2010, its distributors owned and operated 519 points of sale across the People's Republic of China, including counters, concessions, free standing stores, and store-in-stores. The Company is based in Xiamen, the People's Republic of China.

 

Learn more about apparel companies from China on the Apparel Search website.

Learn more about clothing, fashion and fabrics on the Apparel Search directory.

If you have a men's fashion company, you can list your company on Apparel Search and also at the men's fashion directory website.  Both are different directories and can benefit your menswear business.

Stone Rose Mens Apparel : Apparel Company Spotlight April 2011

Stone Rose is an intelligent line of fine fit men's apparel, inspired by the day-into-night lifestyle.  Designed for the contemporary man, the versatile collections offer vibrant color combinations and high thread count luxury cotton woven shirts and blazers.  The successful brand has taken the men's industry by storm and expanded to international markets including Canada, the Bahamas, the United Kingdom, Germany, Central and South America, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.  Coming soon will be an offering of knits and accessories to compliment the line. 

Learn more about Stone Rose Mens Apparel.

Learn more about men's apparel on Apparel Search from the men's clothes guide section.

Learn more about other apparel companies.

Here is some news about Stone Rose men's apparel company from April 1st, 2011.  Read more fashion news at the Fashion Newspaper.

On Tuesday, March 29, 2011 teens and fans lined up to snap a shot with Justin Bieber's hair to raise money for charity.  The free and open-to-the-public event, produced by Miami-based Stone Rose men's apparel, benefitted Operation USA, who will donate the $4,000 raised to Japan's Tsunami disaster relief.