US apparel experts call for specialised manufacturing

The Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) in collaboration with ASCEND (American & Sri Lankan Corporate Executives Nurturing Development), presented a seminar on 'How to penetrate the US West Coast Apparel Market' recently at the Trans Asia Hotel. The seminar was well-attended, and was patronised by a number of leading exporters.

This was one of a series of events arranged by JAAF to assist exporters in entering the US West Coast Apparel Market, which absorbs 2/3 of the garment imports into the USA. The seminar focused on California and Los Angeles.

The main speakers at the seminar were Ilse Metchek, Executive Director of the California Fashion Association (CFA) and Bruce S. Berton an apparel industry executive and consultant.

Metchek currently serves on the U.S. Department of Commerce Exporters' Textile Advisory Committee, on the Advisory Board of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and is on the Board of Directors of the World Trade Center Association.

Bruce has been an apparel industry executive and consultant with diverse manufacturing, retail and importing expertise. His services include production sourcing evaluation, manufacturing and retail operations; legal and customs issues; financial and budget planning.

He stressed the need for competitive costing, great quality and on time delivery as the most important ingredients, all three of which need to be delivered in total, not just two. 'You could conceivably be the holder of style and the shipper of fashion under our or even your own brand' Ms. Metchek told local manufacturers.

She said that although there is a lot of business the winning formula would be specialised manufacturing, creativity, quick turn around and high quality, for ever changing styles at cheaper prices.

Sri Lanka's exports to California, are currently negligible. It remains hitherto an almost untapped destination, not fully exploited by the Sri Lankan Exporters. It is the home of most Pacific Rim companies and supplies over 10% of all apparel sold in the USA. California itself stands as 'the Gateway to the Americas' and its fashion influence has been intensified with the increased role of new technologies in design and fashion specific communication technology. Both speakers warned that the one trillion dollar business in that part of the world is changing just as fast.

'The fight for space isn't necessarily for high fashion either. Just 12 to 15 percent of consumers in age categories ranging from 10 to 59 buy the top five brands. About 85 % of people are buying something else; there is a lot of business out there.'