CCI Promotes U.S. Cotton During Peru Moda Trade Show

The COTTON USA Sourcing Program promoted U.S. cotton yarns and fabrics in the cotton products pavilion at the trade show in Lima, Peru. The show enabled Peruvian and U.S. companies to take advantage of business opportunities available through the Peruvian Free Trade Agreement. In addition to the participation at the trade show, the COTTON USA Sourcing Program sponsored a one-day textile forum during the show and distributed Sourcing Program materials to attendees. The Sourcing Program and one U.S.

Mill visited five denim companies and one retailer while in Lima. The COTTON USA Sourcing Program logo was featured on invitations, brochures, banners and promotional materials in the registration packets. Representatives from the local Peruvian industry attended the event, as well as some foreign buyers.

COTTON USA Promotion in Colombia Increases Sales of U.S. Cotton Children’s Wear

A monthlong COTTON USA promotion with Almacenes Exito, a key account for CCI Colombia, led to sales of children’s wear representing 7,300 bales of U.S. cotton valued at $1.8 million. The promotion consisted of 80,000 direct mail advertisements addressed to current and potential consumers to increase sales for three COTTON USA Mark-licensed brands: GEF, Baby Fresh and MIC. Almacenes Exito is also licensed to use the COTTON USA Mark on its Coqui and CMX children’s wear brands. In addition to the direct mail pieces 500,000 booklets featuring the COTTON USA Mark were distributed at stores to reach the majority of customers.

CCI Co-Sponsors Launch of Coltejer Fabrics Collection for Girbaud Brand in Colombia

CCI and Cotton Incorporated joined efforts with Coltejer and Girbaud to promote the U.S. cotton-rich denim and twill collection at Colombiatex, one of the most important textile fairs in Colombia. Girbaud is a high-end brand in Colombia that is a new COTTON USA licensee, and became eligible when they switched to Coltejor for its specially treated denim. The fabrics were finished with Cotton Incorporated’s Stay True Cotton™, Natural Stretch™ and Storm Denim™ technologies. The COTTON USA Mark and the Seal of Cotton were featured at the Girbaud booth and on the video inside the showroom. Ongoing fashion shows and eye-catching garment displays attracted a large amount of traffic at the booth. CCI garnered about $218,000 in free press from the event. The COTTON USA program works with important fashion brands, such as Coltejer and Girbaud, to promote U.S. cotton and to show the high quality, technology and style of U.S. cotton products. 

COTTON USA Sourcing Program Promotes U.S. Cotton at Colombiatex

During the 22nd annual Colombiatex trade show in Medellín, the COTTON USA Sourcing Program stand highlighted the benefits of U.S. cotton and cotton products and featured product samples from eight U.S. mills. The largest textile mills from North and South America participated in Colombiatex, including eight Sourcing Program members: American Cotton Growers, Buhler Quality Yarns, Frontier Spinning Mills, Hamrick Mills, Mount Vernon Mills, Parkdale, Tuscarora Yarns and Zagis USA. The Sourcing Program also coordinated an event during the second day of the fair, where the U.S. mills met with 65 representatives of the Andean Region textile industry. Cotton Incorporated had a presence at the stand with an exhibition area featuring six technologies and commercial fabric development. Two hundred textile industry representatives attended presentations by Cotton Incorporated on the U.S. apparel market and color, silhouette and texture trends for Spring – Summer 2011.

COTTON USA Co-Sponsors Peruvian Textile Exporters Association (ADEX) Conference

Peruvian company representatives who attended the COTTON USA and ADEX-sponsored conference learned about the certifications U.S. customs requires for garment exports. Attendees received the most up-to-date information about customs requirements in order to increase their efficiency in exporting garments to the United States. U.S. cotton’s benefits were highlighted throughout the event with banners inside the auditorium and with branded materials provided to participants. Important Peruvian mills attended the event, including Topy Top, La Colonial and Cofaco. The conference gathered a total of 30 attendees.

COTTON USA Teams with its Licensee Wrangler in Colombia

CCI joined with Wrangler, the newest COTTON USA licensee in Colombia, to present Wrangler's latest collection during the 2009 Colombia Moda trade fair.  The COTTON USA Mark appeared on the invitations to the Wrangler fashion show and on the gift bags distributed to all 200 attendees, which included executives from the Colombian textile and garment industries and members of the press.  Additionally, Wrangler featured the COTTON USA Mark on its booth at the fair to announce that the brand had joined the licensing program.  Wrangler currently consumes 9,000 bales of U.S. cotton, enough to produce 132,000 denim garments.  By partnering with prominent fashion brands such as Wrangler, CCI highlights the high quality and style of U.S. cotton products.

“Art & Cotton” T-Shirt Contest Concludes in Colombia

CCI Leverages Colombiamoda to Pursue Business Opportunities for U.S. Cotton Yarns and Fabrics in Colombia

Nine COTTON USA Sourcing Program member mills were featured within the stand at the trade show. In addition to promoting U.S. cotton yarns and fabrics at Colombiamoda, CCI also set up tours for U.S. mills and Marc Jacobs International to explore business opportunities in Colombia. In the three days prior to Colombiamoda, four Sourcing Program mills each visited 12 Colombian companies in Bogota, Cali and Medellin to facilitate business relationships. They provided information about the U.S. cotton textile industry and garment manufacturing companies throughout the Western Hemisphere. CCI conducted additional mill tours in Bogota and Medellin with Marc Jacobs International Ready-to-Wear Division, to scout out new business opportunities with the Colombian textile industry. U.S. mills featured at Colombiamoda were: Buhler Quality Yarns, Carolina Cotton Works, Contempora, Frontier Spinning Mills, Hanesbrand, Hammrick Mills, Parkdale Mills, Tuscarora Yarns and Zagis USA.

COTTON USA Executive Delegation Visits Textile Industry in Latin America

The COTTON USA Executive Delegation traveled throughout the Western Hemisphere to meet with leading customers of U.S. cotton fiber, yarn and fabrics in Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia and Peru. The Western Hemisphere represents a market of around 6 million bales of U.S. cotton – fiber markets of 2.2 million bales combined with 3.8 million bale equivalents of U.S. manufactured products that are exported in the form of yarn and fabrics. All together, this is about 30 percent of U.S. cotton production. CCI President Clyde Sharp led the Delegation, the first one to Latin America in 10 years and the first ever to Peru. Other members of the Delegation were: John Dunavant, American Cotton Shippers Association (ACSA) First Vice President; Jordan Lea, ACSA Second Vice President; Hank Reichle, representing AMCOT; Richard Kelley, producer from TN representing the American Cotton Producers; Shawn Holladay, producer from TX representing Cotton Incorporated; Marc Lewkowitz, Supima; William E. May, ACSA; and CCI staff and representatives. During each stop, textile mill representatives representing the majority of U.S. cotton fiber consumption in the market warmly received the Delegation and had an open dialogue on cotton and cotton product topics.

CCI’s Participation in Perumoda Expands COTTON USA Message

With a booth in the full package section, CCI had a strong presence and identified numerous potential mill clients at the Perumoda fair in Lima, Peru.  CCI disseminated useful information on the COTTON USA licensing program and COTTON USA Sourcing Program to the industry via advertorials in El Comercio Daily and an ad published in the exhibitor guide. In addition to reaching the local textile industry at Perumoda, CCI also visited 12 companies in Lima to stay abreast of current developments within the industry. Ten of the 12 companies were new contacts. During this travel the Sourcing Program had the opportunity to visit the two main retailers in Peru to obtain valuable information about both retailers and better understand their market.

Colombiatex Sets Stage for Increased U.S. Cotton Exports to Colombia

The 21st annual Colombiatex trade show in Medellín, Colombia, kicked off with an announcement by Colombia’s president that the government would immediately eliminate tariffs on imports of raw cotton fiber in an effort to make Colombia’s textile industry more competitive in the global marketplace. The measure presents an opportunity for the U.S. industry (already Colombia’s largest supplier of imported cotton fiber) to increase exports to that country. The announcement generated excitement at Colombiatex, which featured the participation of the largest textile mills from North and South America, including six members of the COTTON USA Sourcing Program. COTTON USA also sponsored the launch of new U.S. cotton-rich fabric lines by four licensees: Fabricato S.A., Pizantex S.A. and Protela S.A. from Colombia and Peru Pima S.A. from Peru. Heavy traffic at the booths ensured orders worth approximately $480,000, which COTTON USA expects to result in increased consumption of more than 1,300 bales of U.S. cotton during the first half of CY2009.

COTTON USA Teams with Fashion Magazine in Colombia to Promote U.S. Cotton

2009 (Winter)
A double-page ad in Fucsia, a fashion magazine in Colombia and a strategic partner of COTTON USA, marked the launch of a new consumer promotion. Ten COTTON USA licensees chose to participate, encouraging consumers to purchase COTTON USA Mark-labeled products from 169 stores in Bogota. Fucsia also featured 20 pages, including the cover, of a COTTON USA photo shoot of models wearing U.S. cotton apparel in California cotton fields. The coverage included five pages of editorial content about U.S. cotton and the COTTON USA program. COTTON USA will leverage usage of the Fucsia photos, featuring them extensively throughout Europe in trade, institutional and consumer materials. Photos from a previous collaboration between COTTON USA and Fucsia reached more than 56 million consumer and trade contacts during an 18-month ad circulation.