Issue 21

 

 

As major Thai fashion brands expand their business overseas, the Thai Garment Manufacturers Association organizes trade shows and training projects to encourage entrepreneurs in the fashion industry to develop their products to catch up to the demands in the world market.

The Thai garment industry is one of the main sectors in the country’s export economy. In 2014, Thailand’s total garment exports were worth US$2.8 billion, with the USA, the EU and Japan the top three export markets.

Yuttana Silpsarnvitch, Secretary General of the Thai Garment Manufacturers Association (TGMA), says that the DITP and TGMA have had a long-standing relationship. “The DITP (then DEP) was one of the founders of the TGMA, and we have collaborated on numerous projects for twenty years,” says Silpsarnvitch.

Much of their recent work has focused on the Japanese market. “In January, the DITP, with the TGMA, brought fifty Thai entrepreneurs to join the Japan trade mission in Osaka for the fourth consecutive year, with huge success, as our members negotiated with over 300 Japanese buyers,” says Silpsarnvitch. “Every year the trade show gains more attention and achieves higher trading value.”

 Silpsarnvitch highlighted the “Matching Integration” service, where Thai textile and garment manufacturers are partnered together in order to offer one-stop-shop services to Japanese buyers, as receiving positive feedback from participants at the trade show.

“Thailand is chosen as one of the garment suppliers to Japan due to the variety of Thai products, its quality, and price,” says Silpsarnvitch, “Thai manufacturers are also capable of producing in smaller quantities that cater to the demands of the buyers.” He added that the Thai companies participating in the trade show were chosen due to the quality and style of their products and their readiness to export overseas.

Over the last five years the TGMA has focused on increasing the level of competitiveness for small- and medium-sized Thai enterprises in the fashion industry. The Fashion Product Development Centre (FPDC) is one example of the services offered by the TGMA to help Thai designers and garment manufacturers develop their products.

“At the FPDC, we have fashion design software, a fashion studio, and classes aimed to add value to Thai garments,” says Silpsarnvitch. “With our centre as a pilot project, we have assisted entrepreneurs in learning how to bring innovation to their products and we hope that they will set up their own R&D centres as well.”

Silpsarnvitch says that many of TGMA’s members will participate at the Bangkok International Fashion Fair and Bangkok International Leather Fair 2015 at the IMPACT Arena Bangkok from March 11 to 15. “The BIFF&BIL 2015 will focus on showcasing the design and creativity of Thai brands,” he says. “This year, products will be divided into zones according to their styles, therefore, buyers and shoppers can get every piece of garment in a certain style by visiting that exhibition zone.”

The opening of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will also demonstrate Thailand’s advantages in this sector, according to Silpsarnvitch. This is due to the industry’s strengths in its abundant supply chain, world-class production facilities and know-how, and its location at the heart of ASEAN which offers logistical advantages to both manufacturers and exporters.

For more information, visit http://www.thaigarment.org or http://www.biffandbil.com
Words by: Sirinuch Borsub