Scottish cashmere on the rack
The Apparel Analyst - November 29 2006
The knitwear industry in the Scottish border region of the UK is one of the most skilful knitwear manufacturing hubs in the world with its high value products retailing at some of the world’s most prestigious luxury venues.But in recent years the industry has come under threat from the arrival in the UK of super cheap cashmere garments retailing in major stores such as Tesco for as little as £25.00. This market penetration has helped the Chinese cashmere industry to generates annual sales — including wool and finished articles — of $1 billion (£524 million), but traditional cashmere makers in Scotland say they can still resist this onslaught because consumers desire quality cashmere garments. James Sugden, the managing director of Johnstons of Elgin, which owns Johnstons Cashmere said that even some Chinese millionaires preferred European products. “They don’t want luxury brands from China,” he said.
However, as we went to press, Hawick Cashmere took the decision to lay off more workers. This was just as the company had spent around £0.7 million on new Shima Seiki WholeGarment knitting machines, and after it had hired the Japanese designer Masayo Urano to create its first fashion ‘seamless’ cashmere collection. The collection is set to launch next season in Milan, Paris, Berlin and New York. [more]
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