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Rising inflation indicates a negative outlook for Asia’s textile and appare…

Recently released statistics by the CCF Group indicate, textile and apparel shipments of Southeast Asian countries rose in value and volume on a year-on-year basis while they declined on a month-on-month basis in May 2022. Ttextile and apparel exports from Bangladesh and India fell by over 10 per cent whi... Read more

India needs TMC 2.0 to regain lost glory in cotton production

India’s cotton consumption is likely to exceed its current crop this season. Consumption is likely to reach 360 lakhs bales while production will reach only 350 lakh bales. Of the total cotton produced, exports will be around 45 lakh bales. This will create a shortage of 55 lakh bales this year, whi... Read more

Diversification and Digitization, keys to future success for fashion suppli…

The fashion industry is facing numerous challenges across countries. These include obstacles in delivery of in-demand products from suppliers. Also, suppliers are not able to predict demand due to uneven consumption patterns, says Achim Berg, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Co. Focus on new alliances and ... Read more

Productivity enhancement can help elevate workers’ conditions in Asia’s gar…

Traditionally, the global hub of garment production, Asia continues to maintain its dominance across the world. However, off late, the region’s garment sector has been facing certain challenges induced by the pandemic, says a new report by the International Labor Organization (ILO). The report stat... Read more

Euratex launches ReHubs initiative to recycle 2.5 million tons of textile w…

Textile recycling industry is expected to provide social, economic and environmental benefits to around €4.5 billion by 2030. It would also create 15,000 new jobs by the period besides increasing the need for nearshoring and reshoring of textile production, as per the Techno Eonomic Study by Euratex&... Read more

ITMF annual conference returns as in-person event after three years in Davo…

ITMF will hold the physical edition of its annual conference after a gap of three years from September 18-20, 2022 in Davos, Switzerland. The event will be hosted by Swiss Textiles and Swiss Textile Machinery. The theme will be: Climate Change and a Sustainable Global Textile Value Chain. It will focus ... Read more

Global luxury fashion prices on four-year high in 2022: Study

Luxury has just become more expensive, says a new report by Edited. Prices of luxury fashion products have surged 7 per cent above 2020 and 25 per cent above 2019, the report analyzes. They are currently at a four-year low though there’s less than 1 per cent year-on-year difference from last year. ... Read more

Economic sanctions on Russia hurt Italy’s fashion sector

The economic sanctions on Russia following its war with Ukraine are making business difficult for many fashion brands in Italy -- the fashion capital of the world. They are especially hurting clothing and shoe manufacturers, as Italy is the largest global producer of these goods. The country exports... Read more

Rapid shift from informal to formal makes apparel demand unpredictable

With brands compelled to deal with issues like rising inventory costs and changing customer preferences, the first quarter of the year was a mixed bag for apparel retailers. A report by Modern Retail shows, revenues of retailers including Poshmark, Revolve and TJX Companies increased between 13 and 43 per... Read more

Cotton demand, production, supply remain below estimates during the 2021-22…

Against its earlier prediction of cotton production reaching 323.63 lakh bales of 170 kg each, during the 2021-22 season, Cotton Association of India (CAI) now estimates, cotton production for the season, starting from October 01, 2021 to May 2022, declined by 8.31 lakh bales to 315.31 lakh bales of 170 k... Read more

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India’s textile dyes market to grow to $8 billion by 2031: IBEF

The latest India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) report forecasts, India’s textile dyes market will grow to $8 billion by 2031. Most of the growth will be stimulated by rapidly evolving fashion trends encouraging manufacturers to experiment with new color combinations and designs. The market wi... Read more

Acute shortage compels Indian mills to import cotton yarn to keep units ope…

Traditionally, a major cotton exporter, India, for the first time is importing cotton yarn to guarantee uninterrupted supply to weavers and textile mills. Traders are selling imported cotton yarn at Rs 30 per kg lesser than the price of the local yarn, adding further pressure on dwindling profit margins. ... Read more

New technologies can add more value to Bangladesh RMG exports: BGMEA

A massive work order from global fashion brands and buyers led to Bangladesh’s RMG exports rising 33.81 per cent to $31.43 billion during the July-March FY2021-22 period.Though the textile and garment sector in the country is witnessing an excellent flow of orders, supply gain glitches, constant pow... Read more

Levi Struass& Co aims to rule the fashion market with new growth strate…

Not satisfied with being known as one of the world’s most popular jeans brand, Levi Strauss & Co, aims to grow into an international conglomerate with a wide portfolio of brands and multiple stores with a strong presence in categories beyond denim,including tops and womenswear. The... Read more

Brands face a lose-lose situation China’s Xinjiang cotton issue

Brands face a tough situation while taking a stand on the Xinjiang issue. If they decide to continue sourcing from the region, they face ban and other legal actions from the West and if they leave, they have to deal with large commercial losses. Either way it’s a catch 22 situation for them. Brands... Read more

Rising cotton prices threaten garment makers in Asia

One of the region’s top employers, Asian garment makers are h facing mounting losses for some time with some small units even suspending operations, rendering thousands of workers jobless. Yet to recover from the sharp rise in freight and fuel prices, garment makers in Asia have been further hit by ... Read more

Inflation, COVID-induced uncertainty slowed Bangladesh garment exports in M…

Reliant on garment exports for its forex reserves, Bangladesh reported a drop in export in May 2022 as demand from Western economies stagnated due to growing inflation, Russia-Ukraine war and supply chain bottlenecks. Latest Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) stats show, though Bangladesh’s merchan... Read more

Nearshoring benefits manufacturers as demand for Made in USA products rise

As COVID-induced lockdowns in China snap the links of global suppliers, US manufactures are benefitting from growing ‘Made in USA’ sentiment among consumers. Established in 1992, New Jersey-based Unionwear saw a rapid surge in business this year. With 100 per cent local supply chain, the... Read more

India’s textile industry revenue sees phenomenal growth with 85% rise in FY…

India’s textile industry saw phenomenal sales and EBITDA growth in FY22 over pre-COVID levels, shows latest Wazir Textile Index compiled by Wazir Advisors for the year FY22. The index based on the analysis of 10 companies highlights, overall grew by 18 per cent Y-o-Y since 2020. Welspun India record... Read more

No action on climate change may double carbon emissions by 2050: GFA Monito…

To achieve net zero carbon emissions goal by 2030, the fashion industry needs to accelerate its response. Failure to do so might result in doubling emissions from the permitted levels to align with the Paris Agreement, warns a new report by the Global Fashion Agenda. Titled, ‘The GFA Monitor,&... Read more

Supply chain disruptions continue in China as brands struggle to meet deman…

Recurrent lockdowns to curb COVID spread have led to supply chain disruptions in China besides price rise and sales decline. Shutting down of Shanghai, one of the biggest ports in the world caused interruptions in the supply of goods ranging from technology and cars to beauty and fashion in the coun... Read more

INDIASize, the project for standardized body-size charts progressing well

Launched by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), the national sizing survey will develop India’s first country-specific size chart to offer Indians better fitting clothes. Targeting various demographics like region, gender, locality and age, the chart will be based on the data ... Read more

Production cost of woven fabric remains highest in Italy, lowest in India: …

Producing one meter of woven fabric from cotton 1-1/8" in a continuous open width process (COW) costed $1.36 /metre on average in 2021. Cost was highest at $1.91/metre in Italy and lowest in India at $1.11/metre, reveals latest edition of International Production Cost Comparison (IPCC) from Internat... Read more

Decrease in crop size leads to cotton consumption outpace production in 202…

This latest edition of Cotton This Month shows, a decrease in the size of cotton crop in top cotton producing countries like India, Argentina and South Africa that has resulted in consumption outpacing production in the 2021-22 season. Consumption to exceed production by 265,000 tons Yield of smaller-th... Read more

Nigeria’s textile industry may lose millions of jobs on further decline, wa…

A strong pillar of its economy in the past, Nigeria’s textile industry is currently on the brink, having shrunk from 175 firms in 1985 to less than 20 in 2022. The sector’s employment has declined from 137,000 jobs in 1996 to less than 20,000 now. Nigeria’s textiles exports suffere... Read more

China to focus on new markets to boost textile and apparel competitiveness

To maintain its competitiveness, China's textile and apparel sector plans to develop innovative fibers and focus on sustainable production while expanding its reach to markets covering the regions included in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement. China’s textile and garme... Read more

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Creativity, innovations to help brands face the COVID-19 storm: McKinsey study

Spurring the biggest economic contraction since World War II, COVID-19 has hit every sector from finance to hospitality. Its discretionary nature makes the sector particularly vulnerable, say McKinsey... Read more

COVID-19 Impact: Unchartered way forward for Bangladesh’s denim industry

Top global brands/retailers have been flocking to Bangladesh for the quality of denim products at competitive prices. A new relatively new entrant in denim, Bangladesh expects strong demand for their ... Read more

COVID-19 is not the only reason for decay of brands and retailers today

Even before COVID-19 pandemic, most Western brands and retailers were struggling to survive. In the new millennium, brands and retailers increased their reach to new geographies by opening more and mo... Read more

McKinsey suggests five strategies for fashion companies to combat COVID-19

Even as brick-and-mortar shut down, fashion firms can position themselves for recovery when the COVID-19 pandemic fades, says a McKinsey study. However, to achieve these objectives, firms need to firs... Read more

Time for brands to protect the industry by standing by their commitments

CANCEL the shipments, is not the right word at the moment, perhaps to HOLD could be more reasonable. Brands should stand by their commitments as their orders are already in process. This is the only ... Read more

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Coronavirus Impact
LEADERS SPEAK

‘Retailers need to inform customers about the category of masks they are selling’

Bobby Arora, Director, Status Quo

“We wait for customers to come into our stores. At this moment it is important for every offline retailer to reach out to their customers and tell them about the new products they have started selling. They need to tempt and bring their customers to buy their product and when they buy they will obviously come in and buy more products. Sometimes even though we do not want to buy online but the continuous rotation of ads tempt us to buy the product but this doesn’t happen offline. In today’s situation retailers will have to adopt this approach of showing customers the products they need as it could be they are delaying the purchase of these products.”
Read Full Interview Here

“China’s superiority may remain unchanged even after COVID-19”

Akira Kawashima, Senior Director, Japan Fashion Week Organization/Textile Division

“Due to the turmoil caused by COVID-19, global apparel and textile industry has been greatly affected. In Japan, many people are forced to work from home and consequently not only individual workers (including freelancers) but also company employees are frightened of large-scale personnel-cuts. Incomes have reduced to 60 per cent of normal. Amid such a situation, people’s desire for ‘dressing’ is low. This tendency will continue for a while even after COVID-19 is over, which will lead to local small-mid-sized textile companies suffering from lack of funds, as they cannot wait for recovery, causing more bankruptcy and/or voluntary closures.”
Read Full Interview Here

“Discount retailers and value-oriented brands stand to win”

Usha Periasamy, Director, Brands & Operations, Classic Polo

“Consumer spending is dramatically curtailed during a recession. Consumers have adopted short-term behaviour during the pandemic that in many cases will become permanent, as a lesson learned from such unprecedented occurrences. Not only do consumers become more financially conservative but also credit may become less available and a large cohort may go into default on their debt, dramatically limiting purchasing power. Consumers will wake up from the pandemic in a new economic reality, changing their commercial behaviours in extreme ways.
Read Full Interview Here

“Deferral of some duty payments and import fees would provide needed liquidity”

Steve Lamar, President and CEO, AAFA

US deferred duty payments on some imports for 90 days. American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) President and CEO Steve Lamar agreed the deferral of some duty payments and import fees would provide "some of the liquidity needed to keep more Americans employed and more American companies operational during this crisis."

But he added: "Limiting the goods that qualify for deferral will in turn limit the relief that is provided for America's employers and also limits the beneficial impact for US supply chains that have been mobilised to meet the personal protective equipment shortage we face domestically. We urge that all goods – including textiles, apparel, footwear, and accessories facing Section 301 tariffs – be covered by this deferral action. Every day we have to pay those duties means another day we can't pay our workers."
Quoted in Just-Style

‘Don’t use this opportunity to stitch up suppliers’

Simon Carter, Founder, Simon Carter menswear brand, UK

My approach at the moment is that if you don’t need the expense, cut it, but don’t use this as an opportunity to stitch up suppliers. We are hearing stories of brands and retailers that are doing that but in my opinion it won’t serve them well in the longer term. The supply chains are going to be ravaged after this and you will need them. People will remember.

Cut costs and try to keep your cash where you can but you will be judged at the end of this. Try and make low level payment plans at the very least. Similarly, the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme is very generous scheme. Be very careful with the furlough process and don’t abuse it. The government will be checking up.
Quoted in UKFT

“Crisis presents opportunities, and we will be ready to act on those that make good strategic sense”

Chip Bergh, CEO, Levi Strauss

“I also believe that crisis presents opportunities, and we will be ready to act on those that make good strategic sense,” said Chip Bergh, CEO, Levi Strauss , “ not underplay the human cost of the pandemic, or the need to protect employees,” he said, during a conference call with investors.

“Whether that’s taking back underperforming franchise businesses, or upgrading real-estate locations because of retail bankruptcies, or finding great talent in a decimated job market, the crisis gives us an opportunity to not just renew the business, but to reset it for the future.”

“We will play to our strengths, leveraging the strength of the brand, our connection with our fans, and the digital capabilities and omnichannel capabilities that we’ve invested in over the last few years,” he added.
Quoted in WARC

“Coronavirus lockdown has changed our lifestyles in ways that make buying new clothes particularly irrelevant”

Andrew Lipsman, Principal Analyst, eMarketer

Consumers are actually spending more on essential goods: Grocery stores saw a 26.9% increase in spending and health stores saw a 4.3% increase. This is partly because these are the only brick-and-mortar stores that are allowed to remain open right now, but it is also because consumers are worried about spending money unnecessarily with a significant recession looming on the horizon. Across the board, sectors that rely on discretionary spending have seen declines. “There is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety about the future,” says Andrew Lipsman, principal analyst at the research firm eMarketer. “People are shifting their spending to focus on the things they really need and cutting their budgets on less essential goods.” Quoted in Fast Company
Read Full Interview Here

‘India can take advantage of this situation and increase its textile exports’

G B Aras, Director Textile Engineering Group, ATE

“One inherent advantage Indian textile industry has is that we are fully independent as far as the supply chain is concerned. Compared to other industries like pharmaceutical, electronics etc, their supply chain is dependent of global suppliers including China. So the industry that can really take advantage from global market with sustainable increase in exports is textile. If the government realizes this and gives proper support the industry will bounce back faster and increase its export share.”
Read Full Interview Here

“Buyers and Sellers should plan together to see how they can sustain”

K K Lalpuria, MD, Indo Count

“The current situation is very uncertain, complex and unprecedented. Customers who closed their stores or point of sales have no option but to cancel their orders. In fact, we are unable to ship to even those who have not cancelled their orders. Some have deferred it where there is low impact believing it may start by the first week of June. As the situation has impacted both parties in the business they should take each other’s views in resolving issues; should be open for suggestions and see mutually how they can minimize the loss. They should plan together to see how they can sustain their market share and build on opportunities.
Read Full Interview Here

‘We need to learn from this crisis and push ourselves to be self-dependent’

R K Agarwal, Chairman, Telangana Spinners Association

“Not only India and but the entire world is realizing, we need to have alternate supply sources. Indeed, this is a big eye opener for everyone more so for us since we are in competition with China. There is nothing that stops us from creating large capacities where we will be able to cater to the world’s requirement in various segments, and fulfill the entire value chain in apparel and the downstream industry. I am sure, many entrepreneurs will come forward to assess the pitfalls we are going through and the lessons learnt from them. In future, some investments will go through in fabric and other raw materials that we are sourcing from China. We need to learn from this and push ourselves to be self-dependent.”
Read Full Interview Here

‘There is an opportunity for India as everyone will look for an alternative source’

Ramesh Poddar, Chairman, Siyaram

“Definitely there is an opportunity for India as everyone will look for an alternative source. Hence, if we are able to exploit this chance, then definitely there is a possibility for India to be the next sourcing hub. China on the other hand has the advantage of bulk production and to get that kind of advantage and to come to their cost structure will take time though our labour costs are comparatively the same and the advantage they have is of mass scale production. I feel India should take this challenge and fill the gap."
Read Full Interview Here

‘Future apparel sale will depend on the sentiment that prevails after COVID-19’

R K Rewari, Managing Director, Morarjee Textiles

“It is wait and watch strategy as we have been informed by customers due to the pandemic all orders are on hold. We can prepare ourselves for future challenges of low demand. Low demand means markings are also low and competitiveness is higher in the market this puts pressure on us to go back to basics to see our cost structure, ways of doing business etc. Many things might change. One is low demand, and the other is new rules of conducting business, most of which will be through video conferencing etc. It looks like there could be a systematic change in overall structure. We are preparing ourselves by keeping our morale high, think positive and identifying the gaps that need to be filled to enable us to meet the challenge of demand whether it is low or high."
Read Full Interview Here

“When will life go back to normal? Hopefully never”

Marina Gorbis, ED, Institute for the Future

"The normal wasn't normal," said Marina Gorbis, executive director of Palo Alto's Institute for the Future. "The normal wasn't good." The Institute focuses not only on forecasting the future but also developing innovative solutions. "What kind of future do we want to live in?" she asks. "What kind of future do we want to create? And what can we do to promote that desirable future?" COVID-19 has disrupted what we thought was normal. Gorbis said we're at the first of three stages. The first is reaction to the crisis. Reset is second when we re-assess and evaluate what happened and why. The third is reinvention. For example, the pandemic has revealed weaknesses in hospital capacity and gaps in who has health coverage. The pandemic has exposed the need for government help with many households vulnerable when a paycheck ends. "The fact that millions of people don't have $400 in savings in case of emergency is unacceptable. That's not normal," "I don't want to go back to normal," she concluded. "We need to create a new normal."

“I do not think any country is equipped to replace China including India”

Thomas Verghese, Former-Chairman, CII Marketing, Retail and Textile Councils

“Lack of credibility and trust will lead to many large brands looking for alternative sourcing to China but I do not think any country is equipped to replace China including India. India does not have that kind of capacity to feed global demand and are not in a position for bulk manufacturing of normal commodity items. We do more of customized exports. We don’t do manufacturing of bulk items. We don’t have that capacity and infrastructure at the moment. It will take two to four years minimum even if everyone is aligned and the government gives supporting fiscal and tariff benefits. Given the reality of Indian industry and government’s policy support measures, it seems an unrealistic expectation.”
Read Full Interview Here

‘Once the country opens up, we will face severe worker issues’

R D Udeshi, President, Polyester Chain, Reliance Industries

“Once the country opens up after the lockdown, at the onset, we will face severe worker issues. Textile industry is a labour-intensive industry and with large number of workers having returned to their native bases before and during the lockdown, availability of labour would be scarce. This is generally noticed after festivals and we are likely to face a greater challenge in bringing them back to work. However, we expect things to normalize by May, assuming that the lockdown is partially and reasonably eased by April. Some units will restart aiding workers to return back to their manufacturing hub and situation would gradually stabilise”
Read Full Interview Here

A slowdown in demand will be seen for fairly a long time

Arvind Mathur, CEO, Raymond UCO Denims

“The garment industry is facing a challenging situation. While buyers have stopped orders as they are facing their own problems and production have been cut down but what is bothering is that payments are being held back in most cases. As for our own operations, due to the national lockdown we are adhering to government directives and have stopped work. Once the lockdown opens in India and globally, we will decide the market as most of our products are export based and we do not foresee any immediate change in the situation. There will be a substantial cut down of orders and orders that are on hold or pending may or may not come back soon. I feel, India’s lockdown may continue for a longer time even though I hope it does not extend beyond April 14. Even the domestic market may not be normal once the lockdown is over. A lot of thing has shifted dramatically during this period the impact is going to be for long term. A slowdown in demand both from domestic and export market will be seen for fairly a long time after the lockdown.”

In short to midterm, it would impact as there’s disruption in global supply chain

Dilip Gyanchandani, Country Manager, India, Wool Mark Company

From the textile and garment industry prospective there would be short- to mid- term business impact on volumes as due to the lockdown working factories have come down to minimum production levels. From September onwards, normalcy should be restored but it will take about three to four months for the industry to bounce back. Things are looking good now but it is an uncertain period and is difficult to say something at this stage because it looks like we are containing the pandemic.
Read Full Interview Here

‘Once everything normalizes there will be a big momentum’

Debabrata Gosh, Oerlikon, General Manager India

Debabrata Gosh General Manager India Oerlikon

“Once everything normalizes there will be a big momentum. The advantage is that we have a huge potential and such big domestic market hence we are not dependent on exports alone. I don’t see any threat for the textile industry. As for opportunities, we are expecting more export orders in future because the same has happened in the yarn segment and it will happen in the fabric segment also and the world will take India more seriously as a manufacturer. So far everybody was dependent on China. Since they offered cheaper rates, people switched to China but now the world will think in a different way to keep the supply chain active from India.”
Read Full Interview Here

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