Prêt-à-porter in China!

Autumn is the time for business activity, when traditionally Foreign Economic Relations Dep of the LRCCI organizes business missions to promote businesses of Saint - Petersburg and Leningrad region abroad.

From October 20 to October 25, 2016 Foreign Economic Relations Dep of the LRCCI within the framework of the activity of Leningrad Regional Integrated Center in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Collaborating Centre organized and conducted business - mission in China on the occasion of the 20th international exhibition of clothes, accessories, jewelry, machinery, Ningbo International Fashion Trade Fair (IFFAIR). The Fair brought together more than a hundred international trade companies, thousand national trade companies, and many business delegations from different countries of the world in Ningbo.

Ms. Liliia Arakelova, Head of Foreign Economic Relations Department of the Leningrad Region CCI, accompanied a business mission to China. Ningbo, where an exhibition was held, is located in the northeast of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It was no coincidence that this city was chosen as the exhibition venue, because today Ningbo is the largest center for the production of clothing, accessories and machinery. It produces 12% of China's textile, there are more than 16,000 garment manufacturing companies.

IFFAIR is one of the largest and most influential professional exhibition of the fashion industry. In 2009, the exhibition has been recognized by the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), the leading global association in the field of professional exhibition industry. Thus, today IFFAIR is a professional exhibition №1 in East China and number 4 in all of China.

The main guidelines for IFFAIR are the international market, brand promotion, professionalism, prosperity and provision of information. Organizers underline that for its long history the exhibition transformed several times and now presents 4 major platforms:

- a platform to further explore the market, to accelerate the restructuring and to support its growth;

- a platform to facilitate the implementation of the plan for the further development of the fashion industry;

 - a platform to promote regional and international cooperation and exhibitions of fashionable clothes;

- a platform for the transformation of Ningbo in the center of the fashion industry.

At the the event participants of the business - mission acquainted with a wide range of men's and women's apparel, textiles, fabrics, accessories, automated systems for design and modelling, equipment for the production of clothing and textile products, and participants had the opportunity to find new suppliers and long-term partnership. A wide range of natural silk and cashmere fabrics and products made of them was presented at the Fair. A participant of the trip and the Head of the Fashion House Iya Yots conducted several business meetings and negotiations on the organization of supply of fabrics and narrow section of equipment for the needs of the company. It is worth noting that there is an improvement of the quality of Chinese clothing and textile products. Companies are adopting advanced international standards of quality, intensify production process by introducing advanced equipment, many manufacturing companies place orders outside of China due to increase in the overall standard of living. Group of entrepreneurs from Russia conducted an interesting and fruitful work at the exhibition.

Ms. Liliia Arakelova as a part of her visit to China met with the leadership of Ningbo Chamber of Commerce to discuss prospective projects in various fields. The city of Ningbo is the largest port city in China. The proximity to the sea makes it attractive for the development of trade relations. So, the bulk of industrial goods produced Ningbo and Hangzhou are transported through the port Beilun. A sea port of Ningbo is one of the busiest cargo ports in the world (the fourth place), the annual volume of turnover exceeds 100 million tons.

Many experts estimate that Ningbo is one of the most promising cities for investment throughout mainland China. In the Forbes rating, the city occupies the seventh place as one of the best cities in China to do business. According to the UN classification, Ningbo is one of the most promising cities in China.

Nowadays, Ningbo is recognized as one of the strongest cities in China, and its economy is considered to be the most prosperous in the region. The leadership of the Ningbo CCI configured to cooperate with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and expressed willingness to support the initiative of the LRCCI and the LRIC for cooperation projects.

During this trip, there were also organized and held business meetings in nearby cities and organized sightseeing in Ningbo and Shanghai.