Meeting Aesthetic Needs
Clothing styles can mirror social change and development. In human history, clothing has changed from the tools that people used to cover their bodies and keep them warm to something which reflects their personality and meet their aesthetic needs.
This phenomenon is more apparent in China. In late 1970s, owing to the lack of material supply and low income of people, blue and grey tunic suits dominated the country; in the 1980s and 1990s, jeans became increasingly popular. In the 21st century, the Chinese people are in tune with the world fashion trends as they have more diverse preferences for what they wear. More importantly, thanks to social development and increase of disposal income, they have more choices, and are pursuing tailored designs for their clothes. Along the way, China has developed from an impoverished nation to a moderately prosperous society. People are no longer satisfied with uniform clothing, and prefer different styles for different occasions, like sporting suits, leisure suits and business suits. With the increase in spending power, people are no longer reluctant to spend time and money on their clothes.
With rising demand in the domestic market, Chinese clothing companies have also risen from being followers to the leaders of the world fashion trends. More importantly, China has the world’s best long-staple cotton species, which is widely grown in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. This can ensure the supply of high-quality material.
China boasts a reputed textile industry with long history. In 1980s, numerous small-sized textile companies emerged in many townships in coastal provinces in east and south China like Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong, laying a solid foundation for the growth of the clothing industry in China.
In 2001, China joined the WTO, which has greatly opened China’s textile and clothing market to the world. On the one hand, a large number of world-class luxurious brands entered the Chinese market, enriching Chinese people’s options; on the other hand, the world market also witnessed the influence of Chinese clothing brands.
China’s clothing industry has amazing production capacity, owing to the increasingly stronger demand from the domestic and international markets. Statistics from 2020 Annual Report on Scientific and Technological Innovation in the Garment Industry recently issued by the China National Garment Association show that during the four years between 2016 and 2019, China’s clothing companies produced nearly 180 billion pieces, equivalent to providing 25 pieces of clothing for every person living on our planet.
Changes in people’s clothing styles and preferences reflect the social development along the years, as well as inject impetus to the development of the Chinese clothing companies. Fashion models wearing China-made clothes are gracing the catwalks around the world. Chinese people are also walking more confidently on their path to prosperity. CA