| China is famous for its "Made in China" products and notably the clothing export trade. After the financial crisis in the European market demand for Chinese clothing exports have reduced dramatically. Clothing manufacturing, one of China’s primary exports, has become a "sunset industry." Only a few Chinese manufacturing enterprises survived through implementing a strategy of transformation or upgrading. This offers us an opportunity to identify and reevaluate the development of China’s foreign trade in the clothing business.China has traditionally relied heavy on the OEM trade for manufacturing business and lacks the development experience for designing products. The reevaluation of the RMB and the reduction of export products have left Chinese enterprises with little competitive capacity. The Chinese model must urgently begin to design products internally to save the clothing manufacturing market. This study is based on the cases of Spanish fashion brand ZARA that started as a manufacturing business, the Japanese fashion brand UNIQLO that has developed their business since Japan’s asset price bubble, and the authors own industry experience. Through these cases and the author’s experience this study documents the tested operational processes of self-development for clothing foreign trade manufacturing.Comparing domestic brands made in China with foreign brand made in China, the foreign branded products have a big difference that includes analyzing target demographics, product development time, processes, etc...The products produced during the author’s industry experience are not only made for one brand or one style but various brands and styles. The so called "multi-collection" law, which is various styles and elements that must coexist when designing and developing, has turned out in the author’s practice and study makes it possible to develop and design clothes for different brands and various styles at the same time. This practice and study includes,(1) Forecast of development processes, cycles, plans, and demonstrations;(2) Latest trends with the specific use of experience in previous design and demonstration;(3) Specific product development and demonstration.After the advancement of product development in foreign-trade manufacturing, the author’s practice, and study on product development of clothes there was a new method of collaboration with foreign customers endeavoring to negotiate product pricing and expanding the profit margins of clothing products. There is also a beginning to introduce the Chinese design to the world. This is useful to make a new image of "Designed in China" for the future. This design research provides the following conclusions:(1) Apparel products are designed and developed in order to meet the market demand and the pursuit of the ultimate sales profits but through the author’s practice and study has concluded that when compared with the domestic brands products development the development of China’s foreign trade in the company’s product processes, cycles, and plans are very different;(2) Fast fashion brand includes the product development process and speed in the design criteria that are applicable for a development mode for multi-brand and multi-style design in a foreign trade clothing company in order to develop products independently. The author’s study shows results that self-development has increased the number of products both in quality and quantity;(3) Quality products should always be the core competitiveness of an enterprise instead of making a low-price strategy. The development of designing a product is groundbreaking for garment enterprises of China’s foreign trade. This is accomplished by increased funding into research and development. This increases the value of the clothes and the profitability of products and is a sustainable means to our traditional export products. New product development is a prelude to the internationalization of Chinese brands in the future. |
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