A hosiery in Changhua, which rose to prominence after former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) popularized its scarves emblazoned with the Republic of China (ROC) flag, has been converted into a museum and tourist spot.
The Soxlink Functional Wear Tourism Factory at its height filled orders for 430,000 national flag scarves, but last year it made only 3,000 limited-edition Nantou County scarves, the museum said.
Originally the Sheng Hung Stockings Factory, the small company suddenly started receiving orders for scarves faster than it could make them after Ma wore one to the New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony in 2010.
Photo courtesy of Soxlink Functional Wear Tourism Factory
The scarves that the company sold near the ceremony site were quickly sold out that day, it said.
Sheng Hung was one of seven hosieries contacted by the Youth Career Development Association to submit designs for a contract to produce 999 national flag scarves, factory general manager Hsiao Te-sheng (蕭德勝) said.
As the design and manufacturing of the plates for the scarves alone would cost NT$20,000, a small run of 999 scarves would not be profitable, Hsiao said, adding that the six other factories withdrew their bids.
“As we were a small factory, we thought: ‘Let’s take the job and worry about the details later,’” Hsiao said. “Little did we know that the association would come back to us with an order for more than 10,000 scarves.”
The concept and imagery used on the scarf were provided by the association, and the factory only followed the association’s design, he said, adding that he never expected the response that the scarves received.
The following year, the association ordered 430,000 scarves from the outset, Hsiao said.
After discussing with his father how to handle such a large order, Hsiao decided to share the order with a partner factory that he had worked with closely for many years.
“Workers did overtime, working day and night, but we finally completed that ‘mission impossible,’” he said.
Hsiao said completing such a large order was a boon to the small factory, teaching it how to effectively manage staff and resources.
Most people who bought the scarves in the first two years were Ma’s supporters, or bought them as New Year’s gifts, he said.
Symbolically, it means “giving someone warmth,” Hsiao said, adding that some government officials also gave them as New Year’s Day ceremony souvenirs, guaranteeing annual sales of at least 300,000 pieces.
Sales dropped immediately after Ma left office, he said.
“Many people think we have a good relationship with the government,” he said. “In fact, there is nothing political about us. Doing business is just about taking orders when they come.”
The hosiery industry is getting harder to enter into, Hsiao said, adding that Soxlink has remained competitive by diversifying its product range, citing the company’s foray into antibacterial, anti-odor and sports products.
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