50s 60s Japan - 70s Taiwan - 80s 90s Korea....

[RustySpurVintage]

Hi, All. I was just trying to get a handle on how the Asian textile industry has evolved over the decades. So from my finds and from searching the forums, it appears that the post-war period saw a rise in Japanese textiles. Then by the early 70s it appears that Taiwan became a major player. Then by the early 80s to the early 90s it looks like Korea was leading the charge. Nowadays it appears to be Bangladesh and Macau. Does this sound like a fairly accurate timeline to help with dating?

Thanks,
Adam

 

[Jonathan]

It depends what part of the clothing/textile/accessories market you are talking about. Also, industries gradually shift from location to location looking for lower priced labour with the skills to create the goods and access to raw materials. The Philippines were big in rubber manufacturing in the 1950s, Hong Kong had a massive tailoring and dressmaking industry from the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s, Vietnam also became a large manufacturer of clothing in the 1980s along with Korea, and India's clothing industry for export got a boost in the mid 1960s. Of course China is HUGE these days alongisde Bangladesh.