Only one tenth of clothes sold in Finland are domestic

China main manufacturer of clothes available in Finland

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Currently, only one out of every ten garments sold in Finland are manufactured in this country.
      The majority of clothes bought by Finnish consumers are made in Chinese textile factories. By comparison, in 2005 one third of the clothes worn by Finns were made in China.
     
China is the leading import country for clothes sold in Finland. In 2005, the value of Chinese clothing imports was EUR 317.4 million.
      The second largest importer of clothing to Finland is Estonia, with imports of EUR 84 million.
     
The total value of clothing imports to Finland was EUR 1.1 billion in 2005. In one year the imports grew by more than EUR 700 million. For example, part of the clothes imported from Sweden and Denmark were actually made in China.
      With clothing manufacture increasingly focusing on Asia, the number of workers in the field has declined in Finland.
      Currently, the sector employs some 9,400 persons, while in the prime period of the 1970s, the number was as high as 70,000. The trend has continued also during the current decade.
      For example, only 18 out of the 130 exhibitors at this year's Helsinki International Fashion Fair were Finnish clothing manufacturers. The others were either importers or foreign manufacturers.
      However, according to Matti Järventie of the Federation of Finnish Textile and Clothing Industries, most of the Finnish enterprises that are left are healthy and prosperous companies willing to take risks and create new modes of operation.
     
One example of new modes of operation is a group of Finnish companies who are setting up export to Russia.
      "The export requirements for Russia are complex, but the export group will handle the logistics and customs together and have a joint Russian agent", Järventie reports.
      Another way to cope with the competition is branding. For example the large Finnish clothing manufacturer Nanso hired a new well-known designer to create an entirely new image for their clothes after many stagnant years.
      Nanso's image is Finnish, even though a major part of its clothes are sewn outside Finland. However, the design and printing of the fabrics take place in Finland.
      Another Finnish clothing manufacturer Pola imports its material, while the clothes are designed and made in Finland.
      While many Finnish companies have adopted the slogan Made in Finland, not all customers necessarily demand it.
      "The young people buy cheaper clothes, while the older buyers ask for good quality, but neither group demand domestic origin", notes Minna Pirttiaho-Timonen of Stockmann's department store.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish clothing manufacturers increasingly rely on Chinese factories (17.1.2007)

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