Industrial Cluster: Zhili Town Is The Main Production Place Of Children'S Clothing In The World

Fashion depends on Paris, while children's clothing depends on weaving. Zhili Town, located in Wuxing District, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, is a major producer of children's clothing in the world. It produces 2 billion pieces of children's clothes every year, with a sales volume of nearly 100 billion yuan. Children's clothes are exported to 165 countries and regions.

From a 0.8 square kilometer "Biandan Street" to a modern town with a 25 square kilometer area today, Zhili's children's clothing market has evolved for eight generations over the past 40 years, completing the magnificent transformation from a street to a town, and from a town to a "Chinese Children's Clothing City" with the integration of industry, city and people.

In mid spring, when walking on the street in Zhili Town, Wuxing District, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, children's clothing retail stores are full of colorful spring clothing. Summer clothing in wholesale stores has already been on the market, while children's clothing factories have "rubbed their hands" for autumn and winter clothing orders.

The picture shows the panorama of Zhili Chinese Children's Wear City. Shen Jizhong

   Big industry selected by "Biandan Street"

More than 40 years ago, in order to support their families, a group of weavers produced some bedspreads and pillowcases by relying on old crafts such as weaving and embroidery, and sold them in the town. "One shoulder pole and two bags make people travel far and wide" is exactly the portrayal of many Zhili people who traveled far and wide in the early 1980s.

In this process, some people embroidered the scraps of cloth used to make pillowcases into children's dresses. Unexpectedly, these unintentional children's dresses are more popular than pillow cases. As a result, the number of people turning from embroidery products to children's clothing production gradually increased, and the children's clothing industry in weaving began to start.

By the 1990s, the children's wear industry in Zhili had become a little famous in China. With the establishment of Zhili Economic Open Zone, the number of children's clothing processing households in Zhili has increased significantly, and the children's clothing industry has gradually moved towards cluster development.

"When we started making children's clothes in 1990, there were only six sewing workers, and they used old-fashioned foot stepping sewing machines." Zhu Yuanbing, the head of Zhejiang Zhuangzhenghu Clothing Co., Ltd., recalled that in the early days of their parents' entrepreneurship, they mainly used cotton clothes, which were simple and plain in style, without too many textures.

From scissors to electric scissors to electric cutting machines; From foot mounted sewing machines, to electric sewing machines, to full-automatic high-speed sewing machines, the evolution of Zhu Yuanbing's factory equipment is a vivid epitome of the booming development of the children's clothing industry in weaving.

Around 2000, the children's wear industry cluster in Zhili grew rapidly, and large-scale children's wear enterprises gathered in the children's wear industrial park, further establishing the regional brand and professional market advantage.

The picture shows the scenery of Zhili. Shen Jizhong

   Find your own track

Zhili China Children's Wear City, officially opened in 2010, covers an area of 600 mu. In the Children's Wear City, there are numerous merchants from all over the world. Consumers and purchasers can purchase children's wear of various styles and brands in one stop; Outside the children's clothing city, there are endless logistics vehicles to transport packed children's clothing to all parts of the country

Around 2015, a performance clothing similar to school uniforms produced by an enterprise exploded unexpectedly, which added a new track to the competitive children's clothing weaving - school uniforms. Today, the company's school uniforms range from British style to sports style, from cotton and linen flannelette to new three proofing fabrics, with an annual output of more than 3 million pieces (sets). In Zhili Town, there are more than 1000 school uniform supply chain enterprises, with an annual production of more than 80 million school uniforms and sales of 14 billion yuan.

The picture shows the school uniform exhibition hall of McAston. Photographed by Lin Guangyao, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

Zhu Yuanbing's strong tiger children's clothing focuses on children's clothing jackets. Zhu Yuanbing said: "All styles are designed by ourselves, and each one contains the team's understanding of fashion trends and industrial development."

"In the increasingly competitive children's wear market, only by making your own style can you survive for a long time." Zhu Yuanbing said that the company's design team has grown from scratch to more than 10 people. Every year, more than 500 new products are developed and designed, and the annual revenue has exceeded 80 million yuan.

One by one, the struggle stories leading to specialization have activated the industrial vitality of children's clothing in weaving. From a single dress to multiple sub categories such as school uniforms, coats, underwear, etc., the children's wear industry in weaving lining has blossomed and flourished in an all-round way.

The picture shows customers purchasing children's clothes in Zhili China Children's Wear City. Photographed by Lin Guangyao, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

   In the first half, "out of the circle" and in the second half, "out of the sea"

With the continuous development of the Internet and cross-border logistics industry, "going to sea" has gradually become the most popular topic in Zhili children's clothing circle.

Wu Jianhua, the general manager of Huzhou Jingling Clothing Co., Ltd., has recently been busy building the company's cross-border e-commerce broadcast room. "At present, a total of three live broadcast rooms have been set up for wholesale customers, customized customers, and baby and child dresses."

As a foreign trade enterprise established in 2019, Jingling Clothing achieved a sales volume of 20 million yuan through the Middle East children's clothing market in the year of its establishment. In 2024, the enterprise's turnover will further expand to about 70 million yuan.

"Focusing on cross-border e-commerce and achieving brand development is the goal of the enterprise this year. We are stepping up the registration of trademarks overseas and considering opening offline children's clothing collection stores overseas." Wu Jianhua introduced that actively "going to sea" is becoming a new direction for more and more children's clothing weavers.

"At present, more than 1000 children's clothing business entities in Zhili have opened foreign trade business, and it is preliminarily estimated that the export of children's clothing in 2024 will be 4.23 billion yuan, an increase of about 15%." Zhu Pei, deputy director of the Children's Clothing Industry Development Center in Wuxing District, Huzhou City, said that Zhili is actively attracting overseas buyers, trying to expand cross-border e-commerce channels, strengthening docking with resources of overseas foreign trade associations, and promoting the "going abroad" of children's clothing industry Take a new step.

(Source: Xinhuanet)