Advertising Feature

A decade ago, few leaders in the apparel industry would have predicted the high level of technical expertise, quality, and design sophistication we are seeing in China’s knitwear business. While opinion once held that Italian and British knitwear were unsurpassed, recession in the West and compressed supply chains have resulted in a more level playing field. Today we are seeing exciting new alliances and collaborations between Chinese spinners and their European counterparts, which will serve growing Asian markets as well as the West.

“Chinese spinners are now at the level of Italian spinners, but we are always learning from them,” explains Xiaotian Zhou, Director/General Manager of Zhejiang Xinao Textiles. Founded in 1991, this spinner of extrafine Merino and cashmere began hiring Italian professional technical personnel to improve the company’s spinning and dyeing as long ago as 2002, and last year bought venerable Italian cashmere spinner Loro Festa.

Manufacturing worsted and woollen fabrics, specialty polymer materials, and high-end worsted and cashmere yarns, Chinese textile giant Ningbo Consinee Group formed a joint venture with renowned Italian novelty spinner Lineapiu in 2005. Specializing in mohair, the Topline division became a model for the production and trade of yarns that are “designed in Italy, made in China.” In 2010 the joint venture was acquired and restructured by Consinee, with a new investment of USD 80 million.

Another example of China-Italian collaboration is that of Jiangsu Lugang’s Lanificio La Malpenga subsidiary. The Biella-based company’s two brands, Sinfonia and Armonia, are managed and designed by Italian designers and technicians, and produced in China. Several members of the team were originally part of the Lineapiu/Topline Joint Venture.

Ningbo Zhongxin Wool Textile Group’s Vice General Manager, Bao Ma, agrees that while the machines and production in China are “first class,” there is an ongoing need for market intelligence on an international basis. The company’s design team pays close attention to trend inspiration from its customers and brands, as well as from Paris, Italy, and shows such as SPINEXPO. According to Mr. Ma, Zhongxin is open to developing an alliance with an Italian spinner.

First established in 1990 as Suzhou Jinxiang Spinning, Yarns & Colors is now an international spinner, dyer, and knitwear manufacturer selling to high-end customers in Europe, the US, and Japan. According to General Manager Carlo Marinoni, the company’s strength lies in its specialty yarns and fine counts. With offices in Biella, Italy and Taipei, Taiwan, the company’s design team keeps tabs on international trends, and develops two seasonal collections and their own special colour card for SPINEXPO.

In 2009 one of the best-known British names in knitwear, Dawson International’s Todd & Duncan, became a subsidiary of Ningxia Zhongyin Cashmere. As China’s largest vertically integrated cashmere business, Zhongyin’s investment in maintaining the heritage and craftsmanship of Scotland-based Todd & Duncan, with the potential to accelerate its market share in China and the West, has proven to be sound. According to Director Ning Zheng, Zhongyin’s future plans for the Todd & Duncan brand includes retail outlets in New York, with garments manufactured in China and Scotland.

Germany’s Südwolle was one of the earliest European spinners to invest in China, establishing Yangtse Spinning in Zhangjiagang in 1994. Two more spinning mills were added in 1998 and 2002, along with a dyeing factory in 2004. Today the world’s largest worsted spinner produces nearly half of its capacity of 21,000 tons of yarn in China.

Sharing administration, management, and production practices ensures that the yarns produced by Yangtse Spinning and Südwolle’s European production sites are standardized, with the same quality produced for the internal Chinese domestic, Asian, European, and American markets. “We are here in China with our customers, offering service and technical assistance,” explains Yangtse General Manager Manfred Heinrich.

Based on collaboration rather than copying, this cross-pollination of design and manufacturing skills between Chinese and Western spinners will benefit their customers. “This will be a very important business model for the textile field,” believes Donald Lok, pointing out that the collaborative model has worked successfully for the automobile industry and other businesses.

SPINEXPO

SPINEXPO is the indispensable meeting place for ready-to-wear brand manufacturers with collections of flat-bed and circular knits, wovens, hosiery and new warp seamless knits. The exhibition features fibres and yarns for knitwear, weaving and hosiery, as well as knitwear collections from the leading international knitwear manufacturers.

SPINEXPO brings to New York and Shanghai the most complete and selective international offer in the field of creative yarns and fibres.

Upcoming shows

SPINEXPO – Shanghai

22nd edition 

Shanghai Pudong Expo Centre – China

3-4- 5 September 2013

201 He Huan Road – Crossing Ying Chun Road, Pudong New Area District, Shanghai 201314

www.spinexpo.com

SPINEXPO – New York

5th edition

Featuring Autumn/Winter 2014/15 Collections

International Textile Exhibition

Yarns – Fibres – Knitwear & Knitted Fabrics

Innovative Software for Textile Machinery & Creative Trend Developments

16-17-18 July 2013

Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, New York NY  10011

www.spinexpo.com