In the first nine months of the year, exports of Taiwan’s textile products edged up 1.5 per cent from the same period last year. Taiwan’s textile exports are forecast to grow five per cent this year. The growth momentum is expected to extend into the fourth quarter amid improving industry sentiment.

Taiwanese textile suppliers will also benefit from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics over the coming years, as local companies are strong producers of functional wear and high-performance sportswear for athletes. Some US-based e-commerce operators are trying to manufacture low-priced apparel by themselves, but Taiwanese firms still hold niches in the functional and sportswear markets.

The emergence of e-commerce operators has gradually changed the supply chains in the global retailing industry, but that would only have a limited impact on local textile and fabric companies. The Taiwanese textile industry has developed environmentally-friendly concepts and done recycled polymer and polymer blends. From yarns for apparel to industrial and sport accessories, recycled yarns are growing in importance and are a core part of Taiwan’s textile industry.

Mixtures of new technologies and fashion allow new design elements that were hard to imagine in the past. Polymer based yarn developments in polyester, nylon, recycled and blended with natural fibers, lead the way.