North Korean clothing importers in Hyesan are rushing to catch up on fall fashion preparations after trade disruptions delayed their usual sample showcases, causing a ripple effect through the country’s apparel industry.
Speaking anonymously, a Daily NK source in Ryanggang province said, “Clothing importers in Hyesan have been showing off samples of fall clothes.” He said the importers started late this year “as trade was blocked due to the Supreme Leader’s (Kim Jong Un’s) field guidance visit to Samjiyon.”
Apparel importers usually started showing their samples to wholesalers in early July and began full-scale imports of items for distribution in early August. This year, however, the importers started with the samples a little later because of the trade blockade.
Trade was temporarily suspended due to Kim Jong Un’s on-site inspection in Samjiyon. Trade has only recently normalized after floods hampered its resumption, allowing garment importers to bring in samples to show to wholesalers, the source said.
Garment importers bring about 10 samples of different garments, from underwear to outerwear, and show them to wholesalers. After the wholesalers place orders, they import the items.
However, since the sample work started a little late this year, importers have been busy working with wholesalers not only in Ryanggang province, but also in inland cities such as Hamhung, South Hamgyong province, and Pyongsong, South Pyongan province.
“The recently imported samples of Chinese-made clothing include men’s and women’s underwear, fall outerwear and pants, and cost between 20 and 300 Chinese yuan,” the source said. “However, demand is inevitably low due to the slow purchase of expensive clothes.”
Apparel makers navigate uncertain market amid supply delays
Marketplace apparel merchants are having a tough time because fall apparel has not arrived on time, the source said.
“Merchants say that summer clothes don’t sell well from August and complain that no one will buy anything if they display summer clothes,” the source said. “When there isn’t a lot of goods like today, people with some capital can make money by getting goods first, but merchants who have lost the trust of wholesalers because they have no capital and can’t pay their consignment debts can’t get goods and have a harder time making money.
“The samples that the apparel importers have brought in are having an impact on apparel manufacturers nationwide. Items that are in demand are likely to become this fall’s trends, so garment manufacturers are watching what’s going on and producing items that are likely to become trendy.”
In other words, because apparel makers have often lost money producing clothes without a real sense of market demand, they study which items are likely to catch on when importers bring in their samples. Only then do they start production.
But even garment makers are finding it harder to make money because the delayed samples prevent them from producing garments in time for peak sales.
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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