The children's garment industry in Zhili Town in east China's Zhejiang Province has been experiencing rapid development, as local enterprises and government are working to enhance garment quality, style and sales channels.
Home to more than 14,000 children's garment enterprises, Zhili boasts a complete industrial chain covering design, production, sales, storage and logistics.
The town sold over 1.5 billion pieces of children's clothing in 2023, accounting for two-thirds of total sales in China.
A children's garment exhibition is currently taking place in Zhili, drawing in buyers and consumers from across the country.
"I came from Guangdong Province, and today we are primarily looking for summer clothes. Our overall growth is about 20 percent higher than last year," said Zhang, a buyer.
"They have everything I am looking for. They have casual and comfortable options, as well as fashionable ones. The price is attractive, and the quality is excellent," said Xu, another buyer.
Shi Yibing, the owner of a local children's garment shop, reported strong sales this year, particularly during the National Day holiday when his shop had its highest single-day turnover on record.
"Our highest turnover could reach 60,000 to 70,000 yuan (about 8,434 to 9,839 U.S. dollars) in one day, a year-on-year increase of 10 to 15 percent from January to September this year. We sell children's garments all year round, and we have a full range of products," he said.
A buyer from Azerbaijan said he is a regular visitor to Zhili's children's garment market. He established his own trading company in the town in 2021 to export children's garment to countries across the Middle East and Russia.
"There are many new styles emerging every day. The variety is overwhelming, and the designs are beautiful. Currently we sell about 7,000 to 8,000 pieces of clothing to the overseas market every day, generating around one million U.S. dollars annually," he said.
"At present, we produce 1.5 billion children's garments every year, with the annual sales volume exceeding 80 billion yuan, accounting for more than two-thirds of the national market. There are more than 14,000 children's garment production and operation entities across the town," said Ma Yaojing, a local industry official.
Zhili's children's garment industry has traditionally focused on the domestic market, with domestic sales making up 90 percent of total sales. In the past two years, many companies have begun to explore overseas markets. Data shows that in the first nine months of this year, Zhili's children's garment exports exceeded three billion yuan.
As companies expand sales channels, local authorities are also taking steps to help the clothes reach international markets. The government launched an overseas marketing center in Bangkok, Thailand in late June this year, attracting 45 children's garment companies from Zhili to participate. In the past two months, these companies welcomed a total of 160,000 overseas buyers with intended transactions worth more than 27 million yuan.
"In June and July this year, the slowest season in China, we still saw over 1,000 buyers visiting Zhili for direct purchases. Each buyer generally spends between 50,000 to 100,000 U.S. dollars on clothing," said Hu Bingfeng, chairman of the overseas trade branch of Zhili Children's Garment Chamber of Commerce.
Children's garment industry developing rapidly in China's Zhili Town
