Fashion industry pushes for regional collaboration
Thailand will continue to support integration in Asean's fashion and leather-goods industries to make it easier for regional firms to explore new markets and compete against the long-established fashion capitals of Europe and North America, on the strengt
To support the plan, the 30th Bangkok International Fashion Fair and Bangkok International Leather Fair 2012 (BIFF & BIL), the region’s biggest and most prestigious joint fashion and leather goods exhibition, will be held on June 27-July 1 this year at Challenger, Muangthong Thani.
Nuntawan Sakunta-naga, director-general of the International Trade Promotion Department, said yesterday that closer collaboration among Thai and other Asean enterprises would support fashion industry growth. The exhibition is an efficient forum for matching businesses and providing opportunities for enterprises to learn more about global fashion trends and to update their technology, Nuntawan said.
The fashion industry, including textiles, garments, leather goods and footwear, generates annual income of more than Bt80 billion for the country, and is expected to grow about 15 per cent this year.
At the event, fashion designers, leather manufacturers, importers and buyers from Japan, India, Korea, China, Taiwan, the Middle East, and Europe will also come to share ideas, buy, sell and network. Nuntawan said that more than 1,500 traders are expected, while 40,000 visitors are expected on retail days. Nauvarat Songswaddi-chai, president of the Thai Leather Goods Association, said leather exports are expected to grow by 15 per cent this year from US$1.6 billion (Bt50.8 billion) last year.
To promote the growth of the industry, she said that enterprises will focus more on developing their own brands and adopting new technologies to capture more of the high-end market.
She said enterprises must urgently increase value-added to offset the impact of the imminent raising of the minimum daily wage to Bt300, and of higher production costs.
“If enterprises can develop their products with more value-added, they will not have to worry about higher retail prices, as consumers will be willing to pay for premium goods,” said Nauvarat.
However, the shortage of labourers is one problem obstructing the industry’s growth. More than 800,000 labourers are in the industry, but more than 1 million are required to support the industry’s growth.
Pranee Kuruvelukorn, president of the Thai Tanning Industry Association, said that Asean and Asia would be the priority market for leather exports this year. She called on the government to promote farmers to increase the supply of cows, as the industry is facing a raw-materials shortage.
