Garment manufacturing becomes smarter in Qianjiang, C China's Hubei

On Feb. 26, the production of outdoor apparel was in full swing at many garment factories in Qianjiang, central China's Hubei Province. At the research and development (R&D) center of Hubei Lian'ao Outdoor Sports Goods Co., Ltd., 24-year-old Zhang Xian operated a laser cutting machine, producing high-performance outdoor fabrics with remarkable precision.

Zhang Xian teaches an apprentice to operate a laser cutting machine at Hubei Lian'ao Outdoor Sports Goods Co., Ltd. in Qianjiang, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhou Wen)

Zhang joined the company in 2024. In just over a year, she has mastered a range of production processes, starting from learning basic cutting skills.

Qianjiang is known as the "hometown of tailors." At its peak, one out of every 10 tailors nationwide came from Qianjiang. However, changing times and industrial upgrading have brought challenges to traditional garment manufacturing, including rising costs and declining orders. How can the traditional skills be revitalized?

The outdoor apparel developed by Hubei Lian'ao Outdoor Sports Goods Co., Ltd. provides an answer to this question.

Three-layer garment construction technology, considered a core competitive advantage in high-end outdoor clothing, was once dominated by foreign brands. Today, Qianjiang has overcome this technological bottleneck, enabling local companies to secure orders from international outdoor apparel brands, according to Wang Yan, R&D manager at the company.

Today, the company invests 15 percent of its annual turnover in research and development, making sustained efforts to expand into the high-end outdoor apparel market.

Workers work at Hubei Ourselves Garment Co., Ltd. in Qianjiang, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

At the production workshop of Hubei Ourselves Garment Co., Ltd., a hanger system runs in an orderly manner.

"The newly upgraded interconnected production line automatically assigns production tasks, enables real-time data traceability, and quickly identifies quality issues," said Liu Yuming, chairman of the company.

Qianjiang produces more than 5 million high-end outdoor outfits annually, covering outdoor jackets, down jackets, and outdoor accessories.