At that time, Japan had already been exporting finished clothes for five years, and Hong Kong for ten. Because wages in those places were rising, they already seldom produced low-grade goods, and were turning to the high quality market. Foreign businessmen began to invest in Taiwan and set up large-scale clothing operations, taking advantage of lower costs here.
我國外銷成衣業約在民國四十八年萌芽，當時香港成衣外銷已有十年、日本也有五年的歷史，由於港、日的工資漸漲，一些外國商人轉向工資低廉的台灣訂購成衣，外銷成衣廠遂陸續出現。