Mask firm expands into clothing business
Like many mask manufacturers in Hong Kong, Juliana Lam saw her company’s business drop sharply after the government scrapped the face-covering mandate last year as the number of Covid-19 cases declined.
However, Lam felt her fouryear-old start-up, Innotier, was more fortunate than others. Her experience in the apparel industry allowed the company to diversify from making masks, clothes and bedsheets to antimicrobial underwear, workout apparel and babywear – products aimed at customers concerned about hygiene in the post-Covid era.
“Our business dropped by more than 20 per cent shortly after the mask-wearing mandate was removed,” Lam said.
But sales have bounced back as the firm launched its new line of hygiene-focused products.
“Tests by international laboratory institutions have shown our underwear can kill germs and viruses, including Staphylococcus aureus, HPV-16 and vaginal candidiasis [an infection caused by a type of fungus],” Lam said.
Hong Kong dropped its mask mandate on March 1 last year in a move to lure back visitors, revive business confidence and restore normal life, more than three years after stringent rules were first imposed. The city was one of the last places globally to do away with masks.
The technology behind Innotier’s products involves the release of silver ions from the clothing fibres. These positively charged ions can eliminate viruses and bacteria on the surface of the fabrics, according to Lam.
The company is in discussions with a Western brand to supply it with antimicrobial underwear. Sales of its baby clothes and other products such as travel bedsheets and pillowcases have been strong since the travel restrictions were lifted. There are plans to diversify the firm’s product range to include underwear for men, as well as socks and apparel for both men and women.
“We have the expertise and manufacturing facilities in Panyu in Guangdong province, and in Vietnam, which allow us to be flexible in product diversification,” Lam said.
Innotier recently collaborated with Jennifer Yu Heung-ying, who last month was named best actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards, to design baby products.
Last week, the firm collaborated with the China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee to provide athletes with T-shirts to enhance the brand’s visibility.
In the coming 12 months, Lam expects the company’s sales to increase by more than 300 per cent to exceed HK$100 million.