The US is the largest importer of China-made parkas and windbreakers, purchasing 63.8 million pieces worth US$591 million from January to October 2005. In terms of volume, Japan is afar second, importing about 40 million pieces worth US$438 million in the same 10-month period.

But the combined purchases from Italy, the UK, France and Spain make EU the top importer. Combined exports to the EU reached 183 million pieces worth US$1.6 billion in the same period.

China makers can offer most types of parkas and windbreakers. Many of these suppliers also offer specialty jackets, but mostly as a minor line. Specialty jackets are functional garments meant for a particular activity or sport, such as hunting or fishing.

Knitted jackets and models made of leather and uncoated fabric are not included in this report.

While the majority of China suppliers offer a range of jackets across all categories, there are some that specialize in just one line. More than 50 percent of the suppliers in this report make parkas, windbreakers and specialty jackets, and about one-third offer two types. These companies focus mainly on the production of windbreakers, with parkas and specialty jackets usually considered minor lines. More than 20 percent of featured suppliers, however, have parkas as their major product line and about 10 percent focus on specialty jackets.

The features and prices of each jacket type are discussed according to low end, midrange and high end in the Products & Prices section of this report. The types of materials used and where they are sourced are also presented in this section.

The R&D section discusses how makers are improving the quality of fabric and accessories as part of their efforts to release more functional and value-added designs.

The Manufacturing section details the production and QC processes in small, midsize and large companies.

The majority of parka and windbreaker suppliers in China are locally owned, but there are also a large number of foreign-owned or invested factories in the country. Reflecting this breakdown, more than half of the companies profiled in this report are locally owned and a few of them are publicly listed.

Parkas and windbreakers manufacture in China is mostly centered in Zhejiang province, where 27 percent of the interviewed suppliers are located. Fujian and Jiangsu follow, with 24 and 17 percent of the surveyed companies, respectively.

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