Textile and Garment Industry: The Only Way from Manufacturing to Creation

Changing the mode of economic development is the keyword that runs through the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan”. While enjoying the fruitful results brought about by the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan”, how will China's textile and clothing industry develop in the next five years? Among the three connotations included in the transformation of economic development methods put forward at the 17th National Congress, “the transformation of input factors, from quantitative expansion to relying on knowledge, technology, and management, etc.” is the best answer.

Thirty years after the reform and opening up, some emerging industries such as IT, real estate, and even the automotive industry are far ahead of the creative world. It can be noted that in the modern economic system with high-tech information as the core, these Chinese companies in the field are winning the right to speak in an international environment through the power of creativity. In these fields, “intellectualism” has become deeply rooted in people’s hearts. In contrast, as the traditional Chinese textile and apparel industry, although it has long advocated “original” and some corporate brands have achieved certain results, overall, there is a large number of textiles based on manufacturing processes. In the clothing industry, it is not realistic to achieve the above-mentioned achievements in the above areas in the short term. However, the process from manufacturing to creation will not be short. Maybe the next five years will be a transition period of “intellectual creation.”

The cover article of "Digital Commerce Times" in May 2005 put forward the idea of ​​"Chinese companies need to make wisdom" for the first time in China with the theme of "Smart China". The rise of the concept of "Intelligent Creation" and "Intellectual Creation China" It is an important symbol of a new round of economic transformation in China.

With the influx of energy and raw materials prices, export-related policy adjustments, rising labor wage costs, the appreciation of the exchange rate, and the rise of intellectual property disputes, trade protectionism, and trade frictions, China's textile and clothing industry is undergoing reforms. The advantages of manufacturing technology, labor force, and production cost that have accumulated over the past 30 years of openness are facing severe challenges. At the same time, four levels of domestic innovation environment, innovative mechanisms, innovative talents and innovative markets are gradually maturing, attracting and prompting companies and brands to think, how to change their own development methods, and how to transform their value creation methods in a new environment. survive. One example worthy of attention is the "exception". As a representative of China's original clothing brand, it has already entered the "intellectual creation", and it will be conceivable how it will develop in the next five years.

With multinational corporations setting up R&D institutions in the domestic fields of information and communications, biopharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, and transportation equipment manufacturing, the developed countries in Europe and America’s garment industry are also adjusting their strategic deployment in China, with the exception of a large number of market outlets that occupy market shares. In addition, through the means of capital, the use of domestic abundant human resources to achieve the localization of foreign fashion, which is the "up and down" brand invested by Hermes is a typical, and its future development will also give inspiration to Chinese companies.

For the textile and apparel industry, the lessons that must be learned from manufacturing to creation are the memorable bubble period in the history of IT industry and network development. China, which has a weak foundation in the modern garment industry, must be calm in the process of creation. It must first achieve “intellectualism” and then “creation” through a painful transformation in a relatively long process. As an outsider, professionals from various aspects of foreign fashion agencies may be more aware of this.