Background
The manufacture and marketing of garments is one of
the most basic and most competitive industries in the
world. Whereas the country of manufacture has
continually changed over the years as companies sought
to reduce costs, the marketing of garments has become
a very specialized activity due to changing national
and fashion trends within the buying nations. Not
only do low costs need to be maintained, but
constantly changing market requirements also need to
be met.
Objective
The overall objective of this program is to help
garment manufacturers “know their customers” in the
U.S. marketplace. Only by experiencing the U.S. marketplace first-hand and meeting retailers and
wholesalers in the U.S. will garment manufacturers be
able to truly understand how their industry works and
to help them anticipate changes. They will learn
commonly used marketing techniques and be able to
adapt them to their particular situations.
How can the CEI program help?
This economic development mission will help
participants gain valuable market insights into the
U.S. marketplace. The U.S. is a massive market for
garments, and this program will help countries with
low wage rates as they seek an ever-increasing share
of this market.
Expected program benefits
Garment manufacturers will be able to see the latest
practices used in the U.S. and will be able to discuss
practices with industry leaders. This will enable
them to improve services and products to current and
future clients and will enable them to become aware of
the latest industry trends. This will help
participants and their companies to increase their
competitiveness and productivity in a worldwide
market.
Many of the companies visited in the U.S. will have offices in countries throughout the world.
Visiting the U.S. companies can open doors in these other offices
in Western Europe and elsewhere.
Topics to be covered
Topics to be covered include:
-
Expectations of U.S. clients and consumers.
-
Needs that overseas suppliers are and are not
currently meeting.
-
Improved opportunities for overseas suppliers.
-
Management and marketing trends in the industry.
-
Identifying cost-effective practices
-
Organizing marketing programs for the industry
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Garment design
-
Industry trends
-
How buying houses work
-
Bringing new marketing applications to the
marketplace
-
International trade issues, particularly those
arising from use of the Internet and information
technology
Where will the CEI mission travel?
The mission will visit companies specializing in the
garment industry, predominantly in the U.S. East and
Midwest. Participants will tour buying offices,
wholesalers, retailers and designers targeting
different age, style and cultural groups. In addition,
they will visit manufacturing plants, trade
associations, market research companies, and other
sectors of the garment industry. They will meet with
industry executives to discuss and learn successful
strategies and tactics for marketing to garment
wholesalers and retailers.
The mission may study organizations such as:
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