Fuzhou clothing maker develops international ties

When Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said he wanted to visit a Fuzhou-based clothing manufacturer after participating in an international forum in Beijing in 2017, local government officials were astonished and wondered how an individually-run company attracted the attention of a country’s top leader.

In fact, Fashion Flying Group, a large manufacturer of outdoor garments, had already invested in an industrial park in Ethiopia in 2014. 

The park had set up several production lines and hired about 5,000 local employees at that time, making great contributions to the country’s social and economic development. 

The company also planned to establish sewing machine, fabric and cotton spinning factories in the park to form a complete industrial chain.

Chen Geng, chairman of Fashion Flying, said since the company took part in the China Import and Export Fair, widely known as the Canton Fair, in 2003, it has been eyeing more foreign markets and made a series of internationalized operations, including the Ethiopian investment.

“We value East Africa’s advantages in industrial environment and labor cost, and investing in Ethiopia is also in line with the Belt and Road Initiative,” Chen said. 

Chen became familiar with the expo in 1992 when he engaged in the foreign trade of clothing at a State-owned company after graduated from Renmin University of China. In 1999, he resigned from the job and founded Fashion Flying in 2003. 

The company focuses on the research, design and production of middle and high-end outdoor garments.