Leading apparel manufacturers and retail buyers, government officials, business associations, and diplomats gathered at the Embassy of the Republic of Botswana on April 29 for a reception on the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the upcoming pan-African apparel trade show, Source Africa, to be held in Cape Town June 9-11.
On April 16, the Trade Hub visited two footwear manufacturing companies in Durban, South Africa that have been invited to attend Source Africa 2015, the major textiles, apparel, and footwear trade show event occurring June 9-11 in Cape Town. The visit was escorted by the South African Footwear and Leather Export Council and offered the opportunity to assess the factories and their capacities. Neither factory is currently exporting under AGOA, but both are interested in the export market and hope to pursue business leads at Source Africa.
The Trade Hub supported seven apparel companies from Botswana and Lesotho to participate in MAGIC, the largest fashion trade show in the world, in Las Vegas from February 17-19. The companies met major buyers, large retailers, and importers for the US market such as Target, Ralph Lauren, the Perry Ellis Group, Teamwork, Happy Chef, and Sanmar.
In Lesotho, a women-owned company, Luqy Manufacturing, has just confirmed an order to supply 50,000 pieces per month of synthetic knit shirts and shorts for a year into the US market, and it is negotiating a much bigger deal with the same client.
The Trade Hub met with the newly formed Botswana Textiles and Clothing Association (BTCA) to discuss potential strategic partnerships between South African retailers/sourcing executives and the Botswana textiles and garment industry.
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