HCM CITY —  The first event of its kind in Việt Nam, Cotton Day 2017, is promoting connections between garment and textile companies and partners, suppliers and experts in the cotton sector.

The event, held in HCM City’s District 1 on Tuesday, attracting more than 200 domestic and foreign-invested garment firms as well as foreign cotton producers, was organised by the US Cotton Council International (CCI) in Việt Nam and the Việt Nam Textile and Garment Association (VITAS).

Speaking at the workshop, VITAS Chairman Vũ Đức Giang said that US cotton had played an important role in the quality of Việt Nam’s garment and textile products over the years.

CCI Director William Bettendorf, who noted that Việt Nam is the number-one importer of US cotton, praised the powerful growth of the country’s textile and garment sector.

The sector in Việt Nam earned US$19.8 billion from exports in the first eight months of the year, an increase of 9.9 per cent year-on-year, according to VITAS.

During the workshop, participants heard about the latest US trade policies, information on global supply and demand for cotton, and fashion trends of famous brands.

In the first seven months of the year, Việt Nam imported 808,000 tonnes of cotton worth US$1.47 billion, with 60 per cent of the cotton from the US.

This year, CCI supported Việt Nam’s fashion brands using the COTTON USA ™ label to create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese exports and better transparency for consumers about origin of materials.

At the event, a fashion show introduced new collections of the Canifa and John Henry brands, including five winning collections of the COTTON USA ™-Fashion Design Contest, which was organised in July.

CCI works with the US Department of Agriculture as well as spinning mills, fabric and garment manufacturers, brands, retailers, textile associations and governments around the world.

Cotton Day, one of CCI’s biggest events in Asia, began in Japan in the 1990s and has been held in Korea, Taiwan, mainland China, Thailand and Bangladesh.

High-quality and eco-friendly COTTON USA ™ materials are sold in more than 50 countries. — VNS