Despite the increasing production cost and shift in orders by global apparel and textile buyers from China to other Asian countries, several global clothing and textile brands are still sourcing major portion of their clothing from China.

“Uniqlo has been operating in China since September 2009 and around 70 percent of clothing for the brand is manufactured in the country,” says the spokesperson of Uniqlo in an interview with fibre2fashion.

When asked about the trade relation of the company with other South Asian countries, he says, “For Uniqlo, Asian region continues to be an important market. We have opened stores in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.”

According to the spokesperson of Hema retailers, an international retail organization, China is an important market for outsourcing apparels.

Mr. Dongming XU, head of foreign trade department – Wuxi Tianxiu Textiles, one of the leading textile manufacturers in China, says, “Chinese textile sector is a major source for international buyers due to the Chinese industry’s advancement in technology, efficiency in providing full range sourcing and professional service.”

When asked about the major challenges faced by the textile and clothing sector, he says, “One of the major challenges faced by the Chinese textile and apparel sector is the increasing production cost and the textile and garment makers should reduce dependency on labors,” he says.