Knitwear is a key part of the growth in clothing manufacturing that is becoming an important part of the economies of several Caribbean countries, providing thousands of jobs and producing apparel worn not only in the region but in the US, Canada, Europe and elsewhere.
Georges Sassine, president of the Association des industries d’Haïti (ADIH), (Haitian Manufacturers Association), told WTiN that more than eight million cotton T-shirts and undergarments are made – a large proportion being knitted – and exported from Haiti every month.
This represents something of a renaissance for knitters on this Francophone island country. Before 1986, the year when the dictatorial Duvalier dynasty fell from power in Haiti, ushering a period of political instability, the country boasted many small Haitian-owned knitwear makers and businesses, who specialised in traditional knitting, embroidery and crocheting. But with civil strife undermining the economy, which took a huge hit from the 2010 earthquake, many of those operations closed or scaled back.
In their place have come many American-owned factories, says Sassine, who notes that more than 30 companies currently employ “50,000 workers, who manufacture knitwear sports clothing for Nike and Under Armour”. A 2017 report from the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) put the number employed at 40,000, with 65% of the workforce made up of women.
Sassine says the industry is growing and is expected soon to employ 80,000 workers – although fabric panels (whether knitted or woven) are generally imported from the US and Canada for sewing and final processing in Haiti.
Such finishing of knitted fabrics is also the focus of Donnie Hodge, president and chief executive officer of Alta Gracia Apparel, which owns and operates a factory in the neighbouring Dominican Republic.
“We look at different types of blends. We also introduced a garment dye line, which gives us the capability to create all sorts of looks from burnout, washouts, pigments. We do a lot, we introduced modal fabric (super soft fibre made from beech trees, usually combined with cotton),” says Hodge.
Such fabric development is undertaken at the company’s headquarters in South Carolina, US, while the factory in the Dominican Republic employs 150 people who manufacture T-shirts, fleeces, hoods, crew zips, “mostly fashion basics for both men and women”, which Hodge says are all primarily sold to colleges. They are all made from knit fabrics such as cotton, single jersey fabric and stretch French terry, to name a few.
Hodge adds that Alta Gracia Apparel has been developing its client base, even supplying the Dallas Cowboys American football team. He says the company ensures Dominican workers receive “a living wage and the respect (for workers) to ensure they have a path way out of poverty.”
For companies in Haiti (population 10.8 million) and the Dominican Republic (10.6 million), recruiting labour is rarely a problem for knitwear companies, but the same cannot be said for companies in less populous Caribbean states. In Trinidad & Tobago (population 1.36 million), for instance, Western Industrial Solutions Ltd, struggles to recruit the staff it needs.
Owned by husband and wife Narendra and Beena Moonan, the Marabella, Trinidad-based company has successfully parlayed safety training and consultancy into manufacturing workwear and safety gear from cotton, polycotton, linens, nomex, aramid and other fire-retardant materials – some knitted.
“Basically, everything that is required for the oil and gas industry and the manufacturing industry”, says Beena Moonan, director of finance and administration.
Western Solutions has operated for the last nine years and manufactured thousands of work and safety overalls and jumpers, leading it to acquire more factory space. It has been exporting knitwear safety products to Belize, the Dominican Republic, Suriname and Guyana. But Mrs Moonan says the company’s growth and production could be impacted by human resources capabilities.
“We look forward to moving ahead. Our company has been growing tremendously over the past couple years. We have requests out for interviews, because our line of business has been continuously growing. But we need individuals to assist us. We need the extra labour and manpower,” says Mrs Moonan.
For Sita Sookdeo, manager and head stitcher at Poui Garments Ltd, in Felicity, Trinidad, the opposite has occurred. “I have scaled down my staff to how it used to be. So now it’s smaller, because the economy is not the same way anymore,” says Sookdeo.
Trinidad’s struggling economy (the World Bank projects 1.8% in growth for 2018) means that Sookdeo only takes small orders or contracts to make knitwear garments. Her company uses cotton, silk, satin, linen and a wide range of other materials to make anything from office wear, traditional African wear, saris, ghararas and even T-shirts. Poui Garments specialises in custom-made work. Sookdeo says that while the 20-year-old company exports to other Caribbean islands, demand is weak at present. She hopes this will soon change: “We do have a focus to do sportswear. When that comes through then we would know what can happen,” says Sookdeo.
Both Poui Garments and Western Solutions use a wide range of machines, including sergers and straight-stitch sewing machines to work knitted panels into garments – knitted materials are imported or bought from local suppliers, says the companies. But in Jamaica, Richard Chin, an official working for the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), says much of the knitwear garments manufactured in Jamaica are handmade.
The yarns used on this island are cotton and wool, with garments made including dresses, swimwear, ‘rasta marina’ long vests, doilies and bags.
Chin says despite the creativity in Jamaica, the knitwear garment industry remains stagnant. “The industry has not been developed to its full capacity. Many of these businesses operate informally with only a few registered as manufacturers. It is typically a hobby of housewives, particularly in rural areas, and they trade as part of additional income,” says Chin.
While interest in knitted and crocheted clothing has surged among the younger generation in Jamaica, in large part due to the coolness of the materials, exports have yet to grow to scale, adds Chin.
Paul Handal, owner and manager, of Handal Knitting Mill, also echoes Chin’s statement. He says his company manufactures mainly baby and children’s clothes but only sells to retailers in Jamaica. He notes that only 20% of its wool and cotton-based products are made at its small factory in the Jamaican capital Kingston, adding that there are no present plans to export.
But Chin hopes the capacity to trade further afield will one day match the potential of the island’s knitwear garment manufacturers.
Source: www.wtin.com