M. Martinez and Jl Salinas

M. Martinez / JL Salinas is prime time in Japan. In one of the dozens of channels of the Japanese grill a report on the quality of products manufactured in Spain exalts it is issued. A couple is watching TV falls in love with a woman shoes a designer named Monica Garcia. It is a model that makes a business of Carreño (Miss Ballerina), which opened last December and which, for now, is only sold in a shop in the center of Oviedo. Taking advantage of the summer, the Japanese traveled to Madrid to spend your holidays and almost obsessively sought, unsuccessfully, by the main shopping areas of the capital shoes that had fallen in love in that story. Finally, after much digging, the Japanese took a plane to Santiago del Monte and provided with the desired product in the Asturian capital. "They took advantage of the trip and ten pairs of shoes were taken," said Elena Garcia, owner of fashion company Miss dancers, and also described the journey of these Japanese. Almost inadvertently, it may be considered that this Asturian company has already had his first adventure related to export, as claimed by many other companies in the regional fashion trying to find its niche in international markets sector. "You have to move, you can not stay stopped, something must be done," said Garcia, who, indeed, encouraged by the story, at the end of the year to travel to Japan, where its products caused indignation, to try to open that huge gap in market.

Though still small, the regional industry and fashion design wants to become a powerful industry to help boost brand Asturias and economic takeoff. And it has possibilities. Or at least that's what I think the regional government, which has decided to invest in the textile and export confeccionarle specific plan. A suit so you can develop a potential is limited by the crisis in Spain and Asturias. Latin America, China and the UAE are markets with good prospects where try their luck, which does not mean that every employer put your pins in the most diverse destinations to offset the drop in business that is suffering its sector in this country .

According to the latest data handled by the Association of Fashion Design and Asturias (adymo), in the region there are 260 fashion companies employing more than a thousand people, with a turnover of about 50 million. These figures maybe now, after snips of the crisis, have been reduced despite the significant number of promising young designers and there in the Principality. "The problem is that money is missing, and professionals can not workshops to maintain sufficient production for marketing," explains Teresa Laso, director of adymo.

As if this were not enough, "the market is saturated. Many betting shops have closed by Asturian designers, and we are filled with Asian products, which has nothing to do with what our designers, but in times of crisis ... sends the cheap "laments Laso.