Apparel Textile Sourcing Miami (ATS-M) is the first U.S. staged edition of the international Apparel Textile Sourcing (ATS) portfolio established in 2016 with the company’s premier show, ATS Canada. Bringing in over 200 exhibiting companies and 2500 visitors from the USA, Latin America, and Caribbean, the event will take place May 21-23, 2018, at the Mana Wynwood Convention Center in Miami. The centerpiece of the Miami event will be “The Americas Pavilion,” a section devoted to manufacturers from Latin America with an emphasis on the fashions and production benefits of sourcing from Latin America.
Jason Prescott, CEO of JP Communications, organizer of the event and parent-company to TopTenWholesale.com and Manufacturer.com travelled this week from offices based in Miami to Mexico City and met with 40 Mexican manufacturers organized cooperatively by Pro Mexico and CANAIVE-two Mexican-based organizations built to promote Mexican exports.
“The government, organizations, and manufacturers in Mexico are all excited about Miami’s gateway to Latin America and the benefits of an apparel sourcing show in Miami,” Prescott said. “The Americas are important to trade for the United States. Miami is link.”
Jessica Mendoza of CANAIVE is very enthusiastic about the upcoming event, stating, “Apparel Textile Sourcing is a strong event to showcase Mexican producers of apparel and textiles and we are excited to promote this opportunity!”
Lucia Aguilar Puga, Deputy Trade and Investment Commissioner of ProMexico Florida and the Caribbean agreed with her colleague saying, “Mexico is the 2nd largest exporter of blue jeans to the US; it is also the 3rd largest exporter of knits and the 4th exporter in cotton pants. Worldwide, Mexico is the 13th largest exporter of textile products, and in the footwear sector, it ranks in the top 10. Participating in trade shows, such as the Apparel Textile Sourcing, is a great opportunity for Mexican companies in the sector that are interested in learning more about new tendencies and looking for platforms to increase their businesses mainly with the US and Canada.”
The Latin American region is one of the world’s leading producers of apparel and textiles. To support the export of products from their respective country’s including Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, their government and trade agencies CANAIVE, Pro Mexico, Vestex, Pro Nicaragua, and Proesa have come together to globalize their product offerings through a focus with the Apparel Textile Sourcing Miami show.
The meeting in Mexico marked Prescott’s second in Mexico, he’s also been to Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras as well as China, Africa, India and Bangladesh to gain international support for the Miami event.
“My travels to Central America and Mexico have emphasized once again how the hard-working and smart people in the Americas are finding unique ways to compete with their Asian counterparts. Latin America produces 15% of all apparel purchased in the US, collectively that makes them #2 for USA. In a market the size of the USA, being #2 is a good thing! The real question is which countries will take most advantage of their opportunity with the US market,” said Jason Prescott.
Arshad Amdani, Executive Vice President for the major Honduran textile producer Grupo Karims said, “We participated in the ATS-Canada show, and we are looking forward to doing even more business in Miami via ATS. It’s an untapped opportunity for Latin American producers like us.” Grupo Karims is a strategic global player in the textile and apparel industry.
The Americas Pavilion will feature a curated selections of companies gathered to build communication channels between suppliers and buyers. Product categories exhibited on the show floor will include: APPAREL: Men’s, Women’s, Children, Hardware, Leisure, Activewear, Intimate, Formal, Socks; HOME TEXTILE: Bed & Bath, Kitchen, Hotel; FABRICS: Denim, Knits, Synthetics, Linen, Leather, Blends; ACCESSORIES: Handbags, Travel, Hats, Wallets, Ties, and more….
Moishe Mana, Miami-based billionaire developer and CEO of Mana Group said, “We are committed to making Miami the nexus for commerce between Asia, North America, and Latin America.” He continued, “We’re excited to have ATS Miami join this initiative as the fashion and apparel industry is one of our core verticals.”
ATS-M will also feature three days-worth of seminars, panels and runway shows featuring acclaimed industry and government experts, covering topics from trade agreements to best practices with an eye on the changing Latin American market, as well as tips on how to choose overseas producers, plus new approaches on succeeding in the U.S. market.
“As a global community at the crossroads of Latin America, North America and Europe, Miami is a leading destination for many of the world’s major meetings, conventions and trade fairs. Often called the “Business Capital of the Americas,” Miami is a global hub for fashion and the garment industry. We look forward to welcoming the 2018 Apparel Textile Sourcing to Miami and hope it will be the first of many to be held in our community.” William D. Talbert, III, CDME, President & CEO.
Apparel Textile Sourcing tradeshows are supported in coordination with a range of International and Domestic partnerships, including the Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textile and Apparel (CCCT), TopTenWholesale.com, Manufacturer.com, the Bangladesh High Commission, The Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh, Trade Development Authority Pakistan, India Exhibitions, Pro Mexico, Pro Colombia, ProNicaragua, Proesa, VESTEX, Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production, Canadian Merchandiser, Apparel Export Promotion Council, and The Sourcing Journal.
