According to industry representatives, the clothing sector may witness positive growth in 2013 mainly due to strong supply chain, but it may remain stuff in Europe

In an interview with fibre2fashion, president of Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), Mr. Rahul Mehta said, “We are expecting that we will end the year with 10-12 percent growth over last year.”

Mr. Philip Roebuck, director of China-based Dishang Group, says, “China will remain the number 1 apparel supplier by value and volume. We anticipate around 8 percent growth in Chinese garment exports for 2013.”

“However, we expect the volumes to fall in relative terms as the values per unit rise driven by the increase of production of higher price garments as cheaper commodity items fall away to Bangladesh and other duty free locations,” he opines.

According to Mr. Miguel Mendes, the spokesperson of A. Sampaio, the textile and apparel manufacturers in Portugal is expecting a good fortune this year.  “In Portugal, we have a fantastic know-how with a good textile supply chain and we understand the need of our customers. So we are able to deliver good products and good service in a short time,” he continues.

“We believe that more customers value a strong and trustful supply chain as we have in Portugal,” he mentions.

However, the European clothing sector may not witness good prospects this year because of the ongoing economic crisis.

Mr. Paul Kendrick, marketing director of UK-based JD Williams Group, says, “In Europe, we believe the economic outlook of apparel retailing will remain tough throughout 2013-14 impacting consumer’s shopping patterns.”

“We do not expect prospects to materially improve as compared to last year, but retailers who have a strong product offering, clear customer proposition and loyalty, will continue to win share and be better positioned for the future,” he adds.