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This year, more than half of the foreign buyers participating in the International Children' s Fashion Exposition (EIMI, in Spanish), hosted in Bucaramanga, will be there for the first time, and they are driven by the benefits of the many free trade agreements in effect.
" We' ve confirmed the participation of 62 business owners, and 35 of them are first-time visitors: that is 56.4% of the mission," explained PROCOLOMBIA President, María Claudia Lacouture.
She added that " the interest is because Colombia' s manufacturing industry is becoming stronger and betting on added value and innovation. The free trade agreements are also providing competitive advantages."
For that reason, PROCOLOMBIA' s invitation extended to some of the countries that have FTAs with Colombia, including the United States. This year' s American delegation is the largest with 23 business owners, 17 of whom are attending the fair for the first time.
Visiting American companies include Global Beginnings, which has 30 years experience in the children' s sector, and Red Ant Productions, with its Blu Pony Vintage line, which is positioned in the U.S., Europe and Asia, but is looking to expand through new sourcing options.
A total of 11 countries are participating. Besides the U.S. delegation, there is Ecuador' s with 10 business owners (four are first-time visitors), and the Caribbean delegation with nine (three first-timers). There are also business owners who had never visited the fair from countries such as Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Venezuela, Salvador, Peru, Costa Rica and Panama.
Buyers are looking for providers of children' s apparel in athletic wear, formal wear, swim wear, casual, pajamas, linens, hosiery, footwear, accessories, stuffed animals, leather goods, and apparel for special occasions.
PROCOLOMBIA has identified business opportunities for the children' s apparel sector in 14 markets: Canada, the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, the United States, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, Switzerland and Venezuela.
For instance, in the U.S., there is a demand for garments for baptisms, first communions, formal and casual wear, and footwear, specifically apparel with added value like hand-knitted and hand-embroidered garments.
Special outfits are also sought by European countries, including Spain. Others, like the United Kingdom, demand soft fabrics manufactured in eco-friendly processes, like organic cotton, and they favor plenty of design.
