A worker makes suits at Youngor in Ningbo, guided by an interactive system. [Photo by FANG AIQING/CHINA DAILY] With a heritage dating back to the early 20th century, the city's garment sector is now benefiting from an industrial upgrade, Fang Aiqing reports.
Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province has such a long dressmaking tradition that its tailors from the banks of the Fenghua River, known as hongbang ("red band"), have enjoyed enduring fame since the early 20th century.
The group initially gained recognition for making suits for foreigners before garnering acclaim for inventing the iconic Chinese tunic suit and setting up formal suit-making schools.
While some of the current generation of Ningbo's hongbang tailors have continued to specialize in customized suit-making, others have helped to turn Ningbo into one of China's main fashion cities through their integrity, innovation and entrepreneurship.
There are now over 16,000 textile and garment companies in Ningbo producing 1.5 billion items of clothing annually with a turnover of 110.8 billion yuan ($16.2 billion), according to Zhejiang Daily.
Government statistics show that 501 major enterprises contributed 13.9 billion yuan in added value in 2018, showing a growth of 5.2 percent year-on-year. The combined industrial output of these enterprises reached 55.1 billion yuan last year, an increase of 9.1 percent over 2017.
Fang Wei, deputy director of the economic and information technology committee of Ningbo, says the textile and garment sector accounts for 7.29 percent of the total industrial output of the entire city.
"Although the relative proportion (of garment companies) has gradually dropped, it's still a pillar industry," Fang says.
The garment sector has formed a complete industry chain, covering all sectors, according to Yang Jie, chairman of Ningbo Hixpo Conference and Exhibition Co Ltd and organizer of the annual Ningbo International Fashion Fair.
The sector, which started with menswear, has expanded to cover womenswear, children and outdoor clothing. Several local brands of womenswear have made their way to the New York and London fashion weeks.
Online sales of Ningbo brands have been rising for years, especially during the Nov 11 shopping festival, Yang says.
Ningbo's fashion industry has also become less labor-intensive, according to Fang.
To counter rising labor costs, many garment companies have shifted their factories to inland and border regions or to Southeast Asian countries.
The trend toward automated and intelligent production systems is also growing. The Youngor Group-a Ningbo-based top-500 Chinese private enterprise with a sales revenue of 87.9 billion yuan in 2018-has built a smart workshop that has increased its production efficiency by around 25 percent, according to chairman Li Rucheng.
The factory uses a system of suspended pipelines to automatically transport, distribute and match clothes made in different sections of the workshop.
Each of the 400 workers are guided by an interactive system that keeps track of every piece of fabric in the process and helps to optimize production efficiency, especially during peak orders.
The use of automated technology has shortened the time needed for cutting fabrics by one-third.
The firm has also been introducing industrial hemp fiber into its clothes and household textiles.
A staff member at the city's Cixing Co Ltd demonstrates automated products. [Photo by FANG AIQING/CHINA DAILY] According to Li, Youngor aims to cut back on real estate and investment to focus more on improving its core competitiveness.
Local automated sewing and intelligent knitting machinery suppliers such as Supreme and Cixing are also contributing to this industrial upgrading process.
Cixing has developed a flat knitting machine using 3D technology that can create a piece of seamless knitwear from colored yarn instead of the old method that needed several parts to make one sweater. A simply patterned item of knitwear can be made in an hour this way.
The company is also establishing a customer-to-manufacturer platform, which will connect its smart knitting machines with the internet of things and other industrial internet technology to provide support.
Major garment manufacturers in Ningbo today are more aware of the added value their brands and designs can potentially bring.
Romon Group, a leading domestic menswear manufacturer, has opted to explore international markets with its own brand, starting with Southeast Asia, chairman Sheng Jingsheng says.
The majority of its sales come from its 1,000-plus offline outlets and from online platforms like Taobao, JD and vip.com. It also produces around one million customized uniforms annually for different vocations, which accounts for around 20 percent of its revenue.
Having produced goods for foreign companies to sell under their own names for the past 30 years, the group is developing a midprice range for women. The company plans to approach internet celebrities and cooperate with big-name global designers to expand its brand visibility.
Another local enterprise, the Beyond Group, turned its idle workshops into an incubator for garment and internet startups.
So far, 63 companies have been set up there, including nine clothing brands-seven of which achieve annual sales of 100 million yuan each. The group is also looking into seed and angel funding.
By doing so, Beyond Group chairman Rong Juchuan has successfully redefined his company as a platform for innovation instead of a garment and textile company.
While Ningbo may not be as well known for nurturing design talent as major cities like Beijing or Hangzhou, the company is setting up internships for university and vocational school students.
The group is also exploring ways to expand their product ranges, by exploring niche markets like denim wear for motorcycle lovers, after successfully developing a range of lounge wear.
Some firms prefer to tap the potential of international markets. Zhou Huiming started his cashmere fabrics business focused on the North American market in Canada in 2003 and later entered the garment retail field after purchasing a local brand there.
In 2007, Zhou returned to his hometown of Ningbo and founded Yachu Fashion Co Ltd, establishing him as a garment manufacturer. In 2012, he finally started his own suit brand Nikky based in New York. Zhou and renowned Italian tailor Francesco Pecoraro plan to launch a tailoring school to leverage Pecoraro's technical know-how.
The future of the textile and garment industry in Ningbo depends on innovation in technology, management and ideas, says Yang.
And according to Ningbo's Party secretary Zheng Zhajie, the city's fashion, textile and garment sector is one of the key industrial clusters that the city is aiming to cultivate through investment over the next six years.
Contact the writer at fangaiqing@chinadaily.com.cn
A staff member at the city's Cixing Co Ltd demonstrates automated products. [Photo by FANG AIQING/CHINA DAILY] According to Li, Youngor aims to cut back on real estate and investment to focus more on improving its core competitiveness.
Local automated sewing and intelligent knitting machinery suppliers such as Supreme and Cixing are also contributing to this industrial upgrading process.
Cixing has developed a flat knitting machine using 3D technology that can create a piece of seamless knitwear from colored yarn instead of the old method that needed several parts to make one sweater. A simply patterned item of knitwear can be made in an hour this way.
The company is also establishing a customer-to-manufacturer platform, which will connect its smart knitting machines with the internet of things and other industrial internet technology to provide support.
Major garment manufacturers in Ningbo today are more aware of the added value their brands and designs can potentially bring.
Romon Group, a leading domestic menswear manufacturer, has opted to explore international markets with its own brand, starting with Southeast Asia, chairman Sheng Jingsheng says.
The majority of its sales come from its 1,000-plus offline outlets and from online platforms like Taobao, JD and vip.com. It also produces around one million customized uniforms annually for different vocations, which accounts for around 20 percent of its revenue.
Having produced goods for foreign companies to sell under their own names for the past 30 years, the group is developing a midprice range for women. The company plans to approach internet celebrities and cooperate with big-name global designers to expand its brand visibility.
Another local enterprise, the Beyond Group, turned its idle workshops into an incubator for garment and internet startups.
So far, 63 companies have been set up there, including nine clothing brands-seven of which achieve annual sales of 100 million yuan each. The group is also looking into seed and angel funding.
By doing so, Beyond Group chairman Rong Juchuan has successfully redefined his company as a platform for innovation instead of a garment and textile company.
While Ningbo may not be as well known for nurturing design talent as major cities like Beijing or Hangzhou, the company is setting up internships for university and vocational school students.
The group is also exploring ways to expand their product ranges, by exploring niche markets like denim wear for motorcycle lovers, after successfully developing a range of lounge wear.
Some firms prefer to tap the potential of international markets. Zhou Huiming started his cashmere fabrics business focused on the North American market in Canada in 2003 and later entered the garment retail field after purchasing a local brand there.
In 2007, Zhou returned to his hometown of Ningbo and founded Yachu Fashion Co Ltd, establishing him as a garment manufacturer. In 2012, he finally started his own suit brand Nikky based in New York. Zhou and renowned Italian tailor Francesco Pecoraro plan to launch a tailoring school to leverage Pecoraro's technical know-how.
The future of the textile and garment industry in Ningbo depends on innovation in technology, management and ideas, says Yang.
And according to Ningbo's Party secretary Zheng Zhajie, the city's fashion, textile and garment sector is one of the key industrial clusters that the city is aiming to cultivate through investment over the next six years.
Contact the writer at fangaiqing@chinadaily.com.cn
A staff member at the city's Cixing Co Ltd demonstrates automated products. [Photo by FANG AIQING/CHINA DAILY] According to Li, Youngor aims to cut back on real estate and investment to focus more on improving its core competitiveness.
Local automated sewing and intelligent knitting machinery suppliers such as Supreme and Cixing are also contributing to this industrial upgrading process.
Cixing has developed a flat knitting machine using 3D technology that can create a piece of seamless knitwear from colored yarn instead of the old method that needed several parts to make one sweater. A simply patterned item of knitwear can be made in an hour this way.
The company is also establishing a customer-to-manufacturer platform, which will connect its smart knitting machines with the internet of things and other industrial internet technology to provide support.
Major garment manufacturers in Ningbo today are more aware of the added value their brands and designs can potentially bring.
Romon Group, a leading domestic menswear manufacturer, has opted to explore international markets with its own brand, starting with Southeast Asia, chairman Sheng Jingsheng says.
The majority of its sales come from its 1,000-plus offline outlets and from online platforms like Taobao, JD and vip.com. It also produces around one million customized uniforms annually for different vocations, which accounts for around 20 percent of its revenue.
Having produced goods for foreign companies to sell under their own names for the past 30 years, the group is developing a midprice range for women. The company plans to approach internet celebrities and cooperate with big-name global designers to expand its brand visibility.
Another local enterprise, the Beyond Group, turned its idle workshops into an incubator for garment and internet startups.
So far, 63 companies have been set up there, including nine clothing brands-seven of which achieve annual sales of 100 million yuan each. The group is also looking into seed and angel funding.
By doing so, Beyond Group chairman Rong Juchuan has successfully redefined his company as a platform for innovation instead of a garment and textile company.
While Ningbo may not be as well known for nurturing design talent as major cities like Beijing or Hangzhou, the company is setting up internships for university and vocational school students.
The group is also exploring ways to expand their product ranges, by exploring niche markets like denim wear for motorcycle lovers, after successfully developing a range of lounge wear.
Some firms prefer to tap the potential of international markets. Zhou Huiming started his cashmere fabrics business focused on the North American market in Canada in 2003 and later entered the garment retail field after purchasing a local brand there.
In 2007, Zhou returned to his hometown of Ningbo and founded Yachu Fashion Co Ltd, establishing him as a garment manufacturer. In 2012, he finally started his own suit brand Nikky based in New York. Zhou and renowned Italian tailor Francesco Pecoraro plan to launch a tailoring school to leverage Pecoraro's technical know-how.
The future of the textile and garment industry in Ningbo depends on innovation in technology, management and ideas, says Yang.
And according to Ningbo's Party secretary Zheng Zhajie, the city's fashion, textile and garment sector is one of the key industrial clusters that the city is aiming to cultivate through investment over the next six years.
Contact the writer at fangaiqing@chinadaily.com.cn
A staff member at the city's Cixing Co Ltd demonstrates automated products. [Photo by FANG AIQING/CHINA DAILY] According to Li, Youngor aims to cut back on real estate and investment to focus more on improving its core competitiveness.
Local automated sewing and intelligent knitting machinery suppliers such as Supreme and Cixing are also contributing to this industrial upgrading process.
Cixing has developed a flat knitting machine using 3D technology that can create a piece of seamless knitwear from colored yarn instead of the old method that needed several parts to make one sweater. A simply patterned item of knitwear can be made in an hour this way.
The company is also establishing a customer-to-manufacturer platform, which will connect its smart knitting machines with the internet of things and other industrial internet technology to provide support.
Major garment manufacturers in Ningbo today are more aware of the added value their brands and designs can potentially bring.
Romon Group, a leading domestic menswear manufacturer, has opted to explore international markets with its own brand, starting with Southeast Asia, chairman Sheng Jingsheng says.
The majority of its sales come from its 1,000-plus offline outlets and from online platforms like Taobao, JD and vip.com. It also produces around one million customized uniforms annually for different vocations, which accounts for around 20 percent of its revenue.
Having produced goods for foreign companies to sell under their own names for the past 30 years, the group is developing a midprice range for women. The company plans to approach internet celebrities and cooperate with big-name global designers to expand its brand visibility.
Another local enterprise, the Beyond Group, turned its idle workshops into an incubator for garment and internet startups.
So far, 63 companies have been set up there, including nine clothing brands-seven of which achieve annual sales of 100 million yuan each. The group is also looking into seed and angel funding.
By doing so, Beyond Group chairman Rong Juchuan has successfully redefined his company as a platform for innovation instead of a garment and textile company.
While Ningbo may not be as well known for nurturing design talent as major cities like Beijing or Hangzhou, the company is setting up internships for university and vocational school students.
The group is also exploring ways to expand their product ranges, by exploring niche markets like denim wear for motorcycle lovers, after successfully developing a range of lounge wear.
Some firms prefer to tap the potential of international markets. Zhou Huiming started his cashmere fabrics business focused on the North American market in Canada in 2003 and later entered the garment retail field after purchasing a local brand there.
In 2007, Zhou returned to his hometown of Ningbo and founded Yachu Fashion Co Ltd, establishing him as a garment manufacturer. In 2012, he finally started his own suit brand Nikky based in New York. Zhou and renowned Italian tailor Francesco Pecoraro plan to launch a tailoring school to leverage Pecoraro's technical know-how.
The future of the textile and garment industry in Ningbo depends on innovation in technology, management and ideas, says Yang.
And according to Ningbo's Party secretary Zheng Zhajie, the city's fashion, textile and garment sector is one of the key industrial clusters that the city is aiming to cultivate through investment over the next six years.
Contact the writer at fangaiqing@chinadaily.com.cn
