| Globalization of Fashion
Industry |
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| Author: Chao-Chiung Huang (Dept. of Textiles and
Clothing, Fu Jen University) |
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| Photo supporters: |
Mr. Cheng-Chung Tsou (Totem Empire website) |
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Madam Cecilia Chen (Cecilia Arts) |
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Mr. Ching-Lin Chen (Natural Dye
House website) |
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| Presented: International Conference for Korean Society
for Textile and Clothing, |
| Daegu,
South Korea, October 2004. |
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| Abstract |
| The fashion industry of Taiwan provides a professional
OEM manufacture services in the past 40 years. The OEM garment manufacturers
do not emphasize on design but to produce the products according to the
buyer’s needs. This production system neglects to develop the research and
design environment needed to increase design service and upgrades the competition
strength of the fashion industry to face the wide changes on garment factory
location and labor cost. To fight for the survive of manufacturer is to
develop a work team with strong design and management abilities and to produce
unique products based on special techniques and innovations stemmed from
traditional culture design resources. |
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| In this paper, the status of Taiwan textiles and
fashion industry are to report in four topics as following: |
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| (1) |
Design resources of Chinese traditional patterns,
Totem Empire website(圖騰帝國):http://www.China56n.com. |
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| (2) |
The innovation of cultural and creativity
industries, Taiwan natural dyeing research and promotion center, Natural
Dye House website（天染工坊）：http://home.kimo.com.tw/natural_dyehouse/
and women’s needlework of Cecilia Arts（中國女紅坊）. |
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| (3) |
Fashion activities, The Taipei International
Textiles and Apparel Show (TITAS) and Taipei Fashion Week (FUSE).
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| (4) |
Functional, high-tech textiles
are coming into Taiwan fashion. |
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| I. Introduction |
| 1. |
The fashion industry- its’ hardship and its’
breaking
Facing the dramatic change of the industry structure and the international
market competition between nations, fashion production industry in
Taiwan has to seek new trend to provide the industry a new direction
that is profitable and long lasting. Putting efforts in creative designing
and researches for new products are the main strategy adopted by the
industry. But what more important is to broaden the international
markets and obtain industry’s own brand. It is inevitable that we
need a global view to conduct an international management. But how
to get out of bottle neck and transfer the traditional labor industry
to the high profit scientific application, the industry require an
overall planning and a properly adjusted management pattern needed
for the business. |
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| 2. |
Design elements of Culture art and its’ application
on costumes
Taiwan’s fashion design in its concept and style are profoundly effected
by Chinese culture which is the most precious resources for designers
in its’ abundant and elegant patterns. Totem Empire website with its
rich Chinese folk art collections offers great informative resources
for the people who are in fancy for arts all over the world. But only
those who could make skillfully use of the culture art elements and
conceive out new creative products of unique local characteristics
are able to endure the difficult competition and extend out its competent
power in market competitions.
Indigo blue always retains its beautiful
hue even when it grows paler. Taiwan’s traditional indigo dyeing
clothes have long made good use of the local natural dyeing resource
and combine with the traditional plant tint technique with the folk
design pattern to form its unique style. The promotion of Taiwan’s
traditional indigo clothes is to be expected as a potential culture
creative industry.
Women’s needlework embodies all the handmade
needle works. The combination of traditional Chinese patterns, modernism
style, deft craftsmanship, and the using of indigo batik and hand
woven fabrics, has produced fashion which is classic, elegant, modern,
and practical with high qualities. They are the representative products
in Taiwan’s fashion industry business.
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| 3. |
Fashion activities in Taipei
The Taipei International Textiles and Apparel Show (TITAS), with a
view to respond to the current and future developing trend of the
fashion industry has made changes in 2004. The application categories
of the textile products have been reclassified to two sections, the
Function Plaza and the Fashion Plaza. In function plaza there are
exhibitions of functional textiles for apparel, home and decoration,
and industrial use. Special zones are also provided for R&D alliances
and textile inspection and certification in this section. Garments,
garment trimmings and accessories, fashion accessories, and fashion-related
products and services are displayed in fashion plaza.
The Industrial Bureau notices the swiftly
booming of the fashion industry in Taiwan. In order to accelerate
the steps to the international fashion stage it has generated FUSE
Taipei fashion activity. 2004 FUSE will effectively become the main
thing to influence the fashion trend of Taipei and this activity
will also help designers of different field share their aspirations
and experiences with each other and through mutual study and communication
between designers are instrumental in helping designers of high
creative talent to move forwards to the international stage.
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| 4. |
High-tech textiles and its’ application
in costumes
Sporting style is becoming globally relished and the combination of
sport and fashion is to be the main trend. In function plaza, TITAS
2004 has put out displacement including functional textiles for apparel,
home and decoration, and industrial use. The purpose of the exhibition
lies in the idea that the products of special materials and its high
value-added will provide concepts for the designers to create new
products and enhance the integrated effect on the high-tech costumes. |
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| II. The status of Taiwan fashion industry
and its’ globalization |
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The culture creative industry
is by accumulation of creativities and culture and through the application
of intellectual property to provide the opportunities to increase
economy and employment and in the same time enhance the entire living
environment. Fashion new brand in design is one part of its scope.
Following are four culture creative industries and their globalization. |
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| 1. |
Design resources of Chinese traditional patterns,
Totem Empire website（圖騰帝國）:http://www.China56n.com. |
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China has long history of profound culture
and rich civilization and possesses vast land and boundary. China
with her 56 tribes settled in different parts has formed her unique
culture and artistic style. China also contains uncountable art treasures
especially in her plentiful folk arts varieties that few countries
in the world have her equal. This website Totem Empire, comprises
five categories, mainly (1) weaving, embroidery, printing, and dyeing,
(2) shadow plays, (3) papercuts, (4) woodblock prints, and (5) others.
Its contents, which are rich and exquisite, will provide worldwide
services for the general people, artists and designers. It is also
Totem Empire’s purpose and desire by teaching the traditional crafts
and commercializing products and through promoting and globalization
to build an information resources center for the Chinese folk arts.
In academic researches, deep plowing will
yield more fruits. The internet will provide “resources sharing”.
Designers, researchers, and students etc. could cooperate with the
collectors and the pictures provided or pay for what needs for researches
and designs. Academic articles can be published on the net for the
use of learning and reference to achieve fluent circulation of resource
sharing.
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| 2. |
The innovation of cultural and creativity
industries |
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| A. |
Taiwan natural dyeing
research and promotion center, Natural Dye House website（天染工坊）：http://home.kimo.com.tw/natural_dyehouse/
Natural Dye House gives a curriculum for the dying lessons,
combining the contents on environmental protection, understanding
nature, art and crafts, and traditional crafts in folk art.
It also provides programs for schools to promote the learning
of folk arts. The goals of the Natural Dye House are:
a. Structure the research foundation of the natural dyeing
and by degrees to promote its activities.
b. Advocate the learning motivation for the natural dying
to enable people to recognize the sound traditional environmental
conservation culture.
c. Provide good and efficient learning environment to create
proper learning procedure.
d. Unite people with same interests in natural dying and share
with each other the working experience and problem solutions
on materials.
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| B. |
Women’s needlework of Cecilia Arts（中國女紅坊）
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Women’s needlework embodies all needlework
handmade by women, such as weaving, sewing, embroidery. Cecilia
Arts was established to revive and promote these disappearing
traditions. All the products are made with loving care, true
to the spirit of these mothers’ arts. The categories of commercialized
products contain： |
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(1) Brooch: goldfish, butterfly, and
peony and vase style.
(2) Name card holder: deer, monkey, rabbit, and rooster.
(3) Dou dou pouch: made of printed cotton fabric and Shantung
brocade.
(4) Treasure pouch: crabs, roosters, and persimmons.
(5) Eyeglass and cell phone case: cat and butterfly, and flowers.
(6) Accessories: good luck persimmons, lucky fish, China tots,
and fortune ball.
(7) Auspicious fruits: pomegranate, Buddha’s hand, and peach.
(8) Handbag: using embroidery and quilted technique to made
elegant and practical handbag with traditional Chinese elements. |
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| 3. |
Fashion activities |
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| A. |
The Taipei International
Textiles and Apparel Show (TITAS)
Increased labor costs have made the apparel industry lose
some of its competitions and have driven many manufacturers
to move their operations overseas to China and ASEAN countries.
Imported raw materials and imported clothing and accessories
gradually share an increasing market while fashion consumption
remains stable with an increase in demand for quality in Taiwan.
TITAS was organized in 1991 and from
1997 was held every September. It has been expanded and has
changed from export-orientation to being a bridge for both
imports & exports since the late 1990's. The numbers of
foreign exhibitors and seminars have increased. The organizer
of TITAS expects Taiwan to be a competitive market for fashion
retailing. A new TITAS fashion plaza and function plaza is
to activate synergy in 2004. Global competition for the lowest
prices and products with high value-added in the textile market
are the strategy for textile and fashion industry. The production
of high value-added and multi-functioned textile products,
technology and know-how are the keys to success. |
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| B. |
Taipei Fashion Week (FUSE) |
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2004 FUSE Taipei Fashion Week emphasizes
on teamwork to create the fashion image of Taiwan. Photograph,
music, and multi-media arts are all adopted by the design stylist
to put out creative works shown in different spaces.
FUSE is a new concept for the Taipei fashion activities. FUSE
will be greatly influential to the trend of Taipei fashion.
Sponsors are pragmatically planning to cultivate designers with
mind of globalization fit to the requirement of the industries
to enhance the textiles and fashion level and keep abreast with
the international fashion track. |
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| 4. |
Functional, high-tech textiles are coming
into Taiwan fashion
Taiwan is the world's third largest producer of synthetic fibers overall,
the world's largest producer of glass fiber and polyester-process
silk, second in the world in nylon production, and Asia's largest
exporter of finished garments. Thus Taiwan proudly holds a key position
in global textile production.
Taiwan's textile technology is well known by the world and has already
become one of Asia’s leaders in the development of functional textiles.
Buyers can look forward to seeing Taiwan's textile industry developing
synergy with the information technology industry. It will jump over
low-price competition from places with low-cost labor, and become
an important link in the global textile and apparel supply chain.
2004 TITAS show has continued to highlight
high-tech textiles even at a time when the international economy
is in slumping, and it has consistently been highly regarded by
international buyers.
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| III. Conclusion |
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The current status of Taiwan
textiles and fashion industry are transferring from OEM to ODM. Great
efforts are devoted to develop international new brand names. Innovations
of functional high-tech textile materials, local resource and its
characteristics are the essential elements to form the culture creative
industry in fashion. Creative fashion industry depends more on culture
and its globalization to fertilize its growth and only by joining
these two can Taiwan’s fashion industry endure the competition in
the world. |
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| IV. Acknowledgement |
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The author would like to express
sincere thanks to Madam Cecilia Chen,
Mr. Cheng-Chung Tsou, and Mr. Ching-Lin Chen for their supports and
assistances. |
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| V. Reference |
1. Jenny Balfour-Paul, Indigo, British Museum Press,
UK, 1998.
2. National Historical Museum Editorial Committee, Affectionate Handworks:
Traditional Chinese Women’s Art, Taipei, 2004.
3. Brochure of Cecilia arts.
4. http://www.China56n.com website.
5. http://home.kimo.com.tw/natural_dyehouse/ website.
6. http://www.titas.com.tw website.
7. http://www.2004fuse.com.tw website.
8. http://www.tcdm.fju.edu.tw website.
9. http://www.tpc.gov.tw website.
10. http://www.cca.gov.tw/ website. |
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