Accessories from Asia to the world

The big story this year when it comes to manufacturing is: Is made in China good enough for the world? Given that Mattel recalled almost 21 million toys that were made in China, and other toy producers like Thomas & Friends yanked toys off store shelves due to lead content, the answer is still “yes” — if you go by the number of buyers that attended the recent China Sourcing Fairs: Fashion and Accessories and Underwear and Swimwear.

Organized by Global Sources, a business-to-business media company and facilitator of two-way trade with China, the fairs provide sourcing information to volume buyers and integrated marketing services to suppliers with a community of over 635,000 active buyers in over 230 countries.

Held at the Hong Kong Asia-World Expo in October, the Fashion and Accessories show featured over 800 booths, a 16 percent rise over last year’s numbers, while the Underwear and Swimwear show had over 250 booths, up by 32 percent from its first show held in April this year.

Buyers from global companies included Esprit, Marks & Spencer, Carrefour, Jockey, Metro Group, Nike, Sears, Tommy Hilfiger, Triumph, Victoria’s Secret, El Corte Ingles, Kingfisher and Dairy Farm.

Global Sources executive director Sarah Benecke said, “We are rapidly expanding our services for buyers and suppliers. The China Sourcing Fair: Fashion Accessories is now the only specialized fashion accessories show in the world that takes place five times a year in three different locations — Hong Kong, Dubai and Shanghai.”

The booths featured accessories like handbags, jewelry pieces, hats, caps, belts, hair accessories, ties, scarves, umbrellas, shawls, footwear, gloves and mittens, sunglasses, travel bags and luggage.

Reacting to questions about the recall issue, Global Sources chairman and CEO Merle A. Hinrichs said, “The only suppliers that will be successful are those that invest; those that don’t will not improve their standards and it’s very important that they meet the different safety and quality standards of each country they export to.” On the buyers’ side, he said it’s important that they communicate very well what they expect from manufacturers.

The company Agentrics, which represents 17 of the top 30 retailers around the world with more than $1 trillion in annual sales, was represented by CEO Christopher K. Sellers. He echoed Hinrichs’ sentiments, saying the product safety issue is “a good thing” because it means quality across the board will improve. The criteria for buyers in deciding whether they will do business with a supplier or not is based on the products’ quality, availability, design and, lastly, price.

“We’re 10 years past the time when we were buying for price,” he emphasized. “Apart from these, buyers also look at a manufacturer’s CSR (corporate social responsibility) record, its environmental practices, child labor, respect for copyright and intellectual property rights. There is a constant turnover of suppliers. Many are dropped because they don’t improve their quality, change their design or price.”

Representing more than 1,000 buyers, Agentrics’ work in searching for suppliers on behalf of buyers is made easier with fairs mounted by Global Sources. “By the time we get here, our work is done. It’s time for buyers to buy.”

The Philippines was well represented at the Fashion Accessories Show with 10 local manufacturers, nine of them from Cebu. The province has carved a niche not just in the international furniture industry but also in accessories thanks to its unique products.

Exhibitors from the Philippines were Ibaan Craft, Anjo Accessories, JVT Bags and Luggage, Blue Planet, Keymart, Zuleika International, Futura Group, RFR Gifts and Crafts, Enpekei International and W. Wesley International.

What’s in store for the coming season in fashion accessories? Filipino exhibitors have different takes on what will be big in department stores abroad, but most agree that natural materials will dominate the runways and stores.

Since they were selling for the spring-summer collections, our manufacturers concentrated on seashells, carabao horn and bone, wood, fish scale, abaca and other fibers, coco wood, shell, seeds, sand, banana bark and eggshells. These materials are mixed with fabrics or Swarovski crystals and some of them ingeniously molded into resin.

For inspiration, many of the Cebu manufacturers didn’t need to look far. The happy colors of the sea, of tropical fruits and fiestas found their way into the factories — bursts of pink, fuchsia, aquamarine, orange, red, green and purple — while some of the more subtle pieces were elegantly monochromatic in black, white and natural wood.

Futura, which had one of the most colorful booths in the fair, featured such bright, happy colors that the pieces practically looked like candies. Made of resin and plastic, they looked so cheerful and fun to wear. 

Some of the outstanding costume jewelry we saw were Blue Planet’s fun necklaces, which incorporate illustrated fabrics and miniatures — such as baskets, chairs and fruits — into the necklaces; very youthful designs with a great personality to take young girls from the school to the clubs.

These whimsical pieces are designed by general manager Loida Motesclaros. The company president, Richard Fourteau, says they sell mostly to importers so they really don’t know which stores their products end up in, but he’s seen them around the necks of people on the streets in Europe and on TV.  

Zuleika, which has been manufacturing fashion accessories for 15 years, is known for its bangles — and with good reason. The more you stare at a piece, the more interesting it gets. The resin bangles are inlaid with all sorts of things ranging from mongo seeds to tiny shells, white sand, leaves, crushed eggshell, straw, ribbon and even wallpaper. These bangles are all handmade and it takes about two to three weeks to make one.

Elizabeth Tiu, owner and president of Zuleika, says they roll out between 200 and 300 new pieces for each show (they participate in about four international shows a year). “In 2004 shell was really big, in 2006 it was resin, for 2008 buyers seem to prefer wood.”

Elizabeth used to be a sub-contractor for an exporter until she put up her own company. She started and maintains a tight operation of about 10 in-house workers and hires an additional 20 when there is a big order.

Like Elizabeth, what was a hobby became a business for Anjo Accessories vice president Josefina Lim. She was inspired by a subcontractor and, with power tools from her husband’s hardware store, she made accessories at home, combining them with semi-precious stones. Now her products, which can be as native as Cebu’s robles wood to as global as Swarovski crystals, can be found from Europe to the Caribbean.

Somewhat different in terms of material is Ibaan Craft, which uses clay for its jewelry. It’s not commonly used in jewelry making, says Isabelita Causapin-Endaya, because it is a bit expensive and the process takes long.

For young couple John and Jenny Bustos, success for the business that was started by Jenny’s parents in Marikina is in the bag — literally. JVT Bags & Luggage makes corporate and promotional bags for local clients such as Smart, HSBC, Slazenger and Coke.    

Keymart and RFR exhibited handbags embellished with seashells, cocowood and even stingray. Their bags and home accessories are retailed in Russia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Mexico and Dubai.

Attending a sourcing show like this makes you realize just how small the world is — at least when it comes to manufacturing, buying and retailing — and that not everything is made in China (though almost 70 percent is!).

Blue Planet president Richard Fourteau says that though their products are made in Cebu, they are not sold in the Philippines as is the case for most export items. They are exhibited in shows abroad, then bought by importers from six continents, who then sell them to retailers around the world, and amusingly enough, a European store opened recently in Cebu carrying, among other accessories, Blue Planet pieces.

You could say Blue Planet’s pieces washed back to Cebu’s shores after going around the planet for a season. 

Now, that’s global sourcing.