'Made in Italy' label wearing well despite Asian pressure
In the narrow streets of Palermo, in smaller hill towns of Sicily and numerous cities of mainland Italy, the papier maché red lanterns are multiplying.
Years ago, they signalled a Chinese restaurant. Today, the lanterns advertise Chinese-owned clothes stores - retail and wholesale - that are ever more popular with economically squeezed Italians.
One shopper on her way out of a red-lanterned Palermo shop joked: "The Chinese can't beat us at stuffed zucchini, but at inexpensive clothing . . . ."
Italy's clothing industry has long prided itself for its ability to produce both high-end and low-end products that could compete well against French luxury goods and cheap clothes from Bangladesh and India.
As the Chinese stores foreshadow, however, these strengths may be ebbing, even if many Italian executives still believe most of their textile and clothing manufacturers will remain at the forefront of the industry.
Until recently, their track record outshone rivals in other developed countries, notably in the UK, France and Germany. Through 2001, revenues for Italy's textile-clothing sector rose steadily to ?47.8bn ($57bn, ￡32bn). Exports grew to ?28.9bn and the sector trade surplus of ?14.8bn accounted for one-third of the country's overall manufacturing trade surplus.
In 2002 and again in 2003, however, revenues slipped, exports fell slightly more rapidly but imports remained steady. As a result, the sector surplus narrowed by ?1.4bn each year.
Giuseppe Schirone, chief economist for Sistema Moda Italia (SMI), the industry association, says: "Obviously the weak economy is a big factor, but it's the first time ever there's a two-year dichotomy between imports and exports. There are clearly new market factors involved."
Still, the lifting of quotas on Asian textiles and garments is not expected to worsen the trend, if trend there is, industry executives say.
The fragmented retail market - half of all sales are generated in small shops - means there is relatively little bulk-buying of cheap imports. A majority of Italian consumers continue to aim for quality and the "Made in Italy" label.
Nor are consumers clamouring for Asian-made goods, because retailers and distributors do not pass on savings they make at the wholesale level. SMI's study of Chinese goods whose quotas were lifted at the end of 2001 found that wholesale prices of China-made items such as lingerie, swimwear and children's clothes fell between 23 and 58 per cent. In the stores, however, prices barely budged.
Still, the pressure is growing. Asian, and particularly Chinese manufacturers, began to buy Italian textile and clothing machinery more than 20 years ago and during the past 10 years have increasingly bought the latest equipment. As a result, Italian industrial districts that specialise in low-end merchandise, often in central and southern Italy where labour is particularly cheap, are beginning to suffer. The sector's employment fell to an estimated 570,000 last year from 609,000 two years earlier.
At the medium and higher end of the market, Italy's larger clothing manufacturers began outsourcing production more than 10 years ago. Benetton plans to produce 80 per cent of its clothing items outside Italy, mostly in Hungary, Croatia and Tunisia, by 2007. That compares with 60 per cent currently and around half that five years ago.
However, the company plans to produce in China, where it opened small stores 15 years ago, only for the Chinese market. "China for China," says an executive. "It's important that production be kept close to the market in order to ensure fast turnround, quality control and a feel for fashion needs."
Other manufacturers that went far afield have decided to return for the same reasons. Based on a sampling of members, SMI found that 17.2 per cent of items were produced outside Italy last year, compared with 18.9 per cent in 2002.
Luxury goods makers, such as Gucci, Prada or Armani, continue to produce every item in Italy, even if some parts are first prepared elsewhere.
Executives say consumers, particularly Asians, would not buy if they were not made in Italy.
Nevertheless, Patrizio Bertelli, Prada's chief executive, believes a brand that develops enough of a reputation for top quality could overcome such geographical prejudice, as have German luxury carmakers.
Italy's famed textile makers, notably for wool and silk, have also succeeded at fending off Chinese competitors until recently, but here, too, the trend is not favourable.
In 2001, Italy imported 67,000 tonnes of top-grade Australian wool, twice as much as China. Last year, the Italian figure fell to 46,000 tonnes, while China's imports rose to 42,600 tonnes.
Add imports via Hong Kong and China imported more than Italy, says SMI's Mr Schirone.
“意大利制造”受到中国服装业挑战
在巴勒莫狭窄的街道上、西西里岛丘陵小城中以及意大利本土不计其数的各个城市中，纸糊的红灯笼正大批涌现。
在几年前，红灯笼是中餐馆的标志。而今天，红灯笼则意味着这是由中国人经营的服装商店。这些商店零售兼批发，它们越来越受到经济拮据的意大利人的欢迎。
一位顾客走出一家巴勒莫“红灯笼”商店，他开玩笑说：“中国人做填馅南瓜饼还比不上我们，可是他们在廉价服装上却胜我们一筹……”
长期以来，服装工业是意大利的骄傲。意大利既能生产高档服装也能制造低档服装，它们既可以与法国奢华服装媲美，也可以同孟加拉和印度的廉价服装竞争。
尽管很多意大利的主管人员仍坚信，他们的面料和成衣制造企业将保持该行业的领先地位，不过，这些中国服装商店却说明，意大利服装的光环正在减退。
不久前，意大利服装行业在其他发达国家还保持着领先对手的记录，尤其是在英国、法国和德国。2001年，意大利纺织制衣行业收入达478亿欧元（合570亿美元）。出口额增至289亿欧元，贸易顺差为148亿欧元，占意大利制造业全部贸易顺差的三分之一。
但是，在2002年和2003年，意大利纺织制衣行业的收入连续出现下滑，出口额下跌速度略快一些，而进口额却保持稳定。结果，该行业的贸易顺差每年减少14亿欧元。
意大利纺织业协会Sistema Moda Italia （SMI）的首席经济师朱赛佩?斯基罗尼（Giuseppe Schirone）指出：“经济不景气当然是一个重要因素，但是连续两年进出口出现巨大反差，这还是头一次。很明显，有新的市场因素发挥作用。”
不过行业主管人员表示，如果说这已经成为一种趋势，取消亚洲纺织品和成衣进口配额，并未加剧这种趋势的发展。
在细分的零售市场中，小型商店完成总销售额的一半，这说明大宗定购廉价进口服装的行为相对来说并不算多。大部分意大利消费者所关注的依然是质量和“意大利制造”的品牌。
消费者也没有嚷嚷着要购买亚洲制造的产品，这是因为零售商和经销商并没有将批发价格下降的好处惠及消费者。2001年底意大利取消了中国服装产品的进口配额，SMI的相关调查显示，中国制造的产品如内衣、泳衣以及童装等的批发价格下跌了23至58％。可是商店里的价格却几乎没有变化。
该行业面临的压力仍在不断增加。亚洲，特别是中国的制造商在20多年以前就开始收购意大利的纺织和制衣工厂，而在过去10年中他们越来越多地购入最先进的设备。结果，意大利主要生产低档商品的工业区开始感到压力了，这些工业区一般集中在意大利中部和南部劳动力相对便宜的地区。两年前这一产业雇佣劳动力为60.9万人，而据估计，去年所雇佣的劳动力数量下降到57万人。
10多年以前，经营中档和高档的意大利大型服装企业开始将生产外包。贝纳通（Benetton）计划在2007年以前将80％的服装在意大利境外生产，主要是匈牙利、克罗地亚和突尼斯。而该公司现在有60％的产品在境外生产，5年前则大约是一半。
不过，贝纳通公司也计划在中国制造产品。15年以前，贝纳通就在中国开设了小规模的商店，并只针对中国市场。“中国生产的就在中国卖，”一位主管说：“使产地靠近市场可以确保生产周期加快，保证质量控制并抓住时尚的需求。这一点很重要。”
由于同样的原因，其他在海外生产的制造商决定将生产搬回本国。根据SMI对其会员的抽样调查显示，去年意大利服装的17.2％在境外生产，而2002年则为18.9％。
古奇（Gucci）、普拉达（Prada）和阿曼尼（Armani）等奢侈品公司始终在意大利生产每一件产品，尽管商品的某些部分最初是在其他地方加工的。
主管人员表示，要是他们的产品不是在意大利生产的，消费者，尤其是亚洲的消费者就不会购买。
但是，普拉达首席执行官帕特里齐奥?贝尔泰利（Patrizio Bertelli）坚信，一个品牌如果因其质量上乘而享有充分良好的声誉，就能够克服这种地域偏见。这就正如德国豪华汽车的生产厂家一样。
意大利的纺织企业久负盛名，特别是在羊毛和丝绸行业。直到最近，他们始终没有输给中国的竞争对手，但是现在的趋势对他们不利。
2001年，意大利从澳大利亚进口了6.7万吨顶级羊毛，是中国所进口数量的两倍。去年，意大利的进口额降至4.6万吨，而中国的进口额增至4.26万吨。
SMI的斯基罗尼指出，加上香港的进口额，中国所进口的羊毛已经超过了意大利。
