In the first quarter of 2024, China's apparel industry maintained a positive recovery trend, with key indicators such as production, investment, and profitability showing a shift from decline to growth. According to the statistics released by the General Administration of Customs on April 13, the country’s apparel and clothing accessories exports, measured in RMB, increased by 6.7% year-on-year. The stability in China's textile and garment exports was hard-won, largely due to the efforts of leading Chinese apparel companies in enhancing quality and efficiency.

As a renowned apparel company focused on independent R&D, design, and manufacturing, HT Fashion has achieved stable operations since the beginning of the year, with significant investments in efficiency upgrades and sustainable development. The company is setting high standards to build a world-class ODM supply chain service system.

On March 29, the China Fashion Forum was held in Beijing, where HT Fashion was invited to participate. At the event, Chen Dapeng, President of the China National Garment Association, pointed out, "New materials, new technologies, and new manufacturing methods are intersecting and permeating, while digitalization, intelligence, and sustainability are deeply integrated. This is reshaping the value proposition, development boundaries, innovation models, and competitive advantages of Chinese apparel." This provided clear direction for the future development of enterprises.

Digital and intelligent integration has always been a key focus of HT Fashion’s innovation efforts. Last year, the company earned prestigious honors, including "2023 Digital Transformation Innovation Unit of Shandong Textile and Apparel Industry" and "Advanced Collective in the 2023 National Digital Transformation Labor Competition," reflecting impressive achievements and industry recognition.

This year, HT Fashion's largest production facility—HRX Fashion Wenshang Co., Ltd.—will implement a full intelligent warehousing system, featuring automated software-driven rail robots, which will save space and human resources while further improving production efficiency and data accuracy.

At the same time, HT Fashion’s R&D center will also be established and operated here, featuring several key sections, including a technology demonstration area, laboratory, sample development, and seamless bonding workshop. These efforts will bring together HT Fashion’s core technological strengths to tackle key process challenges and achieve technical upgrades.

Sustainable development has always been a core value of HT Fashion. During the China International Clothing and Accessories Fair held in Shanghai in March, HT Fashion was honored with the "Top 10 Sustainable Models of China’s Textile and Apparel Industry" award for 2023. This recognition stems from the company’s dedication to green procurement, logistics, and recycling, all of which align with its business philosophy of sustainability.

Currently, HT Fashion’s supply chain is fully certified, including GRS, Oeko-Tex, and Renewable Energy Certificates (I-REC). Since 2019, the company has consistently submitted IPE and HIGG environmental data on time and has continued to use large amounts of BCI and organic cotton, contributing not only to its own sustainable development but also to the textile industry’s energy optimization and low-carbon development.

In 2024, HT Fashion’s sustainability plan will continue to scale up, with goals including a 5% reduction in freshwater usage, the adoption of green energy across its three largest factories, and ensuring that wastewater from its printing plants meets pollution-free discharge standards. Through these initiatives, HT Fashion aims to gradually establish exemplary green factories at the municipal, provincial, and national levels. On the social responsibility front, the company plans to expand production capacity, increase its workforce, continuously recruit high-tech talent, improve employee benefits, and optimize job roles for female employees.

HT Fashion has now evolved into a fully integrated ODM supply chain service group with an independent closed-loop garment industry chain that includes design and R&D, 3D virtual sampling, lean production, printing and embroidery, and inspection and finishing services. In Shandong, it operates two major trading companies, four sample R&D centers, six apparel processing bases, as well as inspection and printing centers, and overseas offices. The company’s annual garment production exceeds 16 million pieces, with annual sales surpassing 1.5 billion RMB.

As HT Fashion continues to innovate and grow, we eagerly await the surprises it will bring in 2024.

HT Fashion: to build a first-class ODM supply chain service system | 2024-04-16 "Textile and Garment Weekly" article