Clothing Europe: Comparative Perspectives on Trade Liberalization and Production Networks in the New European Clothing Industry • October 15-16, 2004

A Conference of the Center for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Center for European Studies, the EU Center, the University Center for International Studies, and the Carolina Asia Center. The public part of the event is Friday afternoon. The remainder of the conference is a research workshop restricted to invited scholars.

Public itinerary: download the schedule 'open to the public': Word | PDF
Research workshop itinerary: (invited participants only) download the complete schedule: Word | PDF

For informational purposes, the entire conference program is posted below.

SCHEDULE:

Friday October 15, 2004

8.30-9.00am Coffee/Pastries/Fruit (South Parlor, Carolina Inn)

9.00-9.30am Introduction to Global Apparel/Clothing Europe (South Parlor, Carolina Inn)

• John Pickles (UNC). Introduction and Welcome.

9.30-11.30am Global Apparel/Clothing Europe (South Parlor, Carolina Inn) Chair: John Pickles (UNC)

• Gary Gereffi (Sociology, Duke) “Europe and Global Commodity Chains.”
• Ian Taplin (Sociology, Wake Forest University). EU apparel manufacturers responses to trade liberalization.
• Yara Evans and Adrian Smith (Geography, Queen Mary College, University of London). "Creative Destruction – De-industrialisation or a ‘Fashion Capital for the Creative Industries’ in London?"
• Jennifer Bair (Sociology, Yale) “Comparative Perspectives on Latin America/Eastern Europe as production platforms for the US and EU markets.”

11.30-12.00 Break.

12.00-2.00pm. Lunch (Hill Ballroom South, Carolina Inn)

• Luncheon speaker: Matthias Knappe (Senior Market Development Officer, Market Development Section International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO, Geneva). “Trade in Textiles and Clothing: East European and developing country (DC) clothing manufacturers and competitiveness after January 1 2005”

2.00-3.50pm The Challenge of Outsourcing: How Are We To Think About Industrial and Community Adjustment I – North Carolina (South Parlor, Carolina Inn) Chair: Meenu Tewari (City and Regional Planning, UNC)

• Pat Conway and Robert Connolly (UNC-CH). US managers' attitudes toward globalization in textiles and clothing.
• Gary Gereffi (Sociology, Duke University). Industrial Adjustment in the NC Clothing and Textile Industry.
• David Weil, Fred Abernathy and Anthony Volpe (Harvard Center for Textile and Apparel Research). "The Apparel and Textile World after 2005: Prospects and Choices."
• Jeff Hermanson (American Center for International Labor Solidarity, Washington)

3.50-4.10pm Break

4.10-6.00pm The Challenge of Outsourcing: How Are We To Think About Industrial and Community Adjustment II – The Role of the European Union (South Parlor, Carolina Inn)

• Panel Discussion:
  • Adrian Smith (London)
  • Matthias Knappe (ITC-WTO-UNCTAD)
  • Florence Palpacuer (Montpelier)
  • Milan Bucek (Bratislava)
  • Jennifer Bair (Yale)

Friday 6.30pm-7.15pm: Reception (Alumni Room, Carolina Inn)

Saturday October 16, 2004

8.30-9.00am Coffee/Pastries

9.00-11.00am Post-quota/ Post-January 1 2005 Challenges to the Apparel Industry
(Institute of Arts and Humanities, 109 Hyde Hall, UNC-CH). Chair: Adrian Smith

• Matthias Knappe (ITC, Geneva). “T&C uncertainties from the perspective of DCs.”
• Meenu Tewari (City and Regional Planning, UNC-CH). “The Challenge of Reform: How India’s Textile and Apparel Industry is Facing the Pressures of Liberalization”
• Tina Mangieri (Geography, UNC-CH). “ African cloth, export production, and second-hand clothing”

11.00-11.30am Coffee/Snacks

11.30am –1.00pm International Standards, Company Codes, and Fair Trading Initiatives (Institute of Arts and Humanities, 109 Hyde Hall, UNC-CH). Chair: David Weil (Harvard)

• Stephen Frost (South East Asia Research Center, City University of Hong Kong). “Here to stay? An overview of corporate social responsibility in China”
• Rut Tufts (Fair Labor Association, Washington DC) “Tracking the Supply Chain: FLA Initiatives in Corporate Social Responsibility.
• Jeff Hermanson. (American Center for International Labor Solidarity, Washington)

1.00-2.00pm Lunch (109 Hyde Hall, Institute of Arts and Humanities, UNC-CH)

2.00-4.00pm Competitive Pressure, Upgrading, and Regional Production Systems (Institute of Arts and Humanities, 109 Hyde Hall, UNC-CH). Chair: Rut Tufts (FLA)

• Florence Palpacuer (Montpelier) “The global sourcing patterns of French clothing retailers: determinants and implications for suppliers’ industrial upgrading”
• Binnur Neidik and Gary Gereffi (Sociology, Duke University). “Trade Liberalization and Export Performance: Explaining Turkey’s Emergence and New Role as a Full-Package Supplier in the Global Textile and Apparel Value Chain
• Adrian Smith, John Pickles, Robert Begg, Milan Bucek, and Poli Roukova. “Upgrading the European Apparel Supply Chain and the ‘Embedded Geographies’ of the East European Apparel Industry”
• Robert Begg (Geography and Regional Planning, IUP), Poli Roukova (Institute of Geography, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences). “Industrial Districts”

3.30-4.00pm Coffee break

4.00-5.30pm Global Apparel/Clothing Europe – Lessons Learned (Institute of Arts and Humanities, 109 Hyde Hall, UNC-CH). Chair: John Pickles (UNC)

• Wrap-up session: Conclusions, Discussions, and Future Work

7.00-10.00pm Dinner Party (venue to be announced