FW
The Silk Mark Organisation of India (SMOI) recently organised the Silk Mark Expo in Guwahati. The five day event, sponsored by Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles, was held at the Northern Eastern Development Finance Corporation. (NEDFi) House.
The event was attended by 44 Silk Mark members and authorised users from across the country who showcased their ‘Vanya’ silk products such as muga, eri, tussar, etc. The Assam government announced the setting up of a yarn bank in the Sualkuchi at the event. The bank will make raw material available at the market price with a subsidy of 20 per cent. This initiative will benefit the local weavers who will be able to buy the raw material without paying any extra cost to the traders. Also, the raw material will be available locally, further eliminating the transportation cost.
A collaborative research between scientists in Kerala, and Florida has utilised supercritical carbon dioxide as a carrier to size and resize cotton. They have identified supercritical carbon dioxide attractive chemistries such as sucrose octaacetate, glucose pentaacetate and polyethylene glycol that can be applied to textiles via supercritical carbon dioxide at a pressure of about 90 bars, making the process cost-effective.
Researchers claim the process is cost-effective as it avoids other costlier functional chemistries and is environmentally friendly. Sucrose octaacetate in supercritical carbon dioxide system provided good results for cotton and polyester and the chemical is inexpensive as it is an agricultural product.
Green technologies such as supercritical fluids and plasma have been getting serious attention these days. Consumers prefer sustainable processes and clothing. Stating a survey, Melissa Bastos of Cary-based Cotton Incorporated stated almost 63 per cent of consumers globally invest time and effort into finding sustainable clothing.
The textile division of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has proposed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to reduce electricity and gas prices. The association has proposed the withdrawal of tariff rationalisation surcharge currently at Rs 3.10/KWh and financial surcharge at Rs 0.48/KWh. As per the textile division's presentation, RLNG depends on international prices and are currently at Rs 1,600 mmbtu while the system gas available in Sindh and KPK are at Rs 488-Rs 600 per mmbtu. Disparity in gas price vis-à-vis system gas and RLNG is one of the major issues.
APTMA hoped the new government will take decisions in the interest of industrial sector after incorporating the feedback from the respective sectors. The finance ministry has assured APTMA of its full support to uplift this export-oriented sector on the condition that the sector will fulfill its obligations for increasing exports bringing in much needed foreign exchange and will not in any case be helpful to anyone involved in tax evasion.
Graf, based in Switzerland, a leading textile spinning solutions provider will showcase its wide portfolio of solutions at ITMA ASIA, in Shanghai from October 15 to 19, 2018. As a complete system provider, Graf offers a comprehensive package from product and technical advice through to service and service equipment. The full range of products and services is designed to deliver maximum value to customers. Graf also supports its customers by developing custom-made solutions for all their application needs.
Graf has a wide portfolio of solutions for the spinning and fiber preparation processes. Ri-Q-Comb flex is a circular comb series with adjustable height for up to 20 per cent lower imperfections. With 35 or 40 teeth respectively, nep values can be improved by up to 30 per cent.
Graf has become the worldwide leading supplier through its high-quality products. Since 1917, Graf has been manufacturing innovative metallic card clothings, flexible flat clothings and stationary flats for cards. Benchmarks have also been set by the high quality combs, service machines and accessories.
The EasyTop System of flat clothings stands for optimal settings of the carding gap and reduces the loss in good fiber. In addition, the handling of flat clothing replacement is much easier and can be done without special equipment.
Over the first eight months of the year, China's surplus with the US has risen nearly 15 per cent. This has added to tensions in trade relationship between the world's two largest economies. The US is China's largest export market.
Even with US tariffs targeting $50 billion of Chinese exports in effect for their first full month in August, China's exports to the United States still accelerated, growing 13.2 per cent from a year earlier from 11.2 per cent in July. The impact of US tariffs on China’s exports would likely be limited over the next few months.
The surplus with the United States was larger than China’s net surplus for the month, indicating China would be running a deficit if trade with the world’s largest economy was excluded. China’s imports from the United States grew only 2.7 per cent in August, a slowdown from 11.1 per cent in July.
The world’s largest trading nation got off to a strong start this year, but its economic outlook is being clouded by the rapidly escalating US trade dispute and cooling domestic demand. The US has threatened to slap tariffs on nearly all Chinese imports to the United States, threatening duties on another $267 billion of goods on top of $200 billion in imports primed for levies in coming days.
As per latest US Census Bureau figures, overall value of Bangladesh's exports to the US increased 5.83 percent year-on-year to $3.63 billion in the first seven months propelled by higher apparel shipments. OTEXA also reveals export of apparel items grew 5.61 percent to $3.21 billion while Bangladesh moved to the third position from sixth with respect to garment export to the US.
Of Bangladesh's total export value, garment items account for over 90 per cent. China still holds the top position having exported $14.19 billion-worth garment items in the last seven months. However, China's garment export to the US declined 0.83 per cent year-on-year.
The inspection and remediation of factories as per recommendations of the Accord and Alliance has brightened Bangladesh’s image. Both Accord and Alliance have already completed over 90 per cent remediation in the garment sector, mainly fixing electrical, fire and structural loopholes.
Some US retailers who had left Bangladesh a few years ago for countries like Myanmar were coming back with hands full of work orders. Moreover, a lot of work orders from China have also shifted towards Bangladesh as the country has become an expensive destination for higher cost of production and a shortage of skilled workforce.
"Growing online shopping has increased the contribution of online retail sales. Last year, web-based shopping platforms from Amazon to Zalora accounted for 12.1 per cent of retail sales in the Asia-Pacific region. The global e-commerce market is estimated to be worth $2.3 trillion. As online stores deliver everything from furniture to clothing to groceries, consumers today rarely step out of their house to shop. As entrepreneur.com reveals, 51 per cent of Americans and 67 per cent millennials prefer to shop online rather than visit brick and mortar stores."
From buying clothes purely on fads or the desire to look good to buying clothes that complement modern lifestyles, consumers have come a long way. Changing lifestyles have pushed up demand for comfort clothing.
Comfort with style a priority
Growing online shopping has increased the contribution of online retail sales. Last year, web-based shopping platforms from Amazon to Zalora accounted for 12.1 per cent of retail sales in the Asia-Pacific region. The global e-commerce market is estimated to be worth $2.3 trillion. As online stores deliver everything from furniture to clothing to groceries, consumers today rarely step out of their house to shop. As entrepreneur.com reveals, 51 per cent of Americans and 67 per cent millennials prefer to shop online rather than visit brick and mortar stores.
This is also the reason why sale of luxury loungewear has increased over the years. Consumers expect their clothes to be both comfortable and versatile enough to accommodate their hectic schedules without compromising on style. The rise of luxury loungewear is seen as a response to varied lifestyles of modern consumers.
A striking example of this is the cashmere jogger which continued to be the best seller at Haroods – the luxury
department store in 2017. On similar lines, sale of sweatpants at MatchesFashion.com increased 300 per cent year-on-year while British retailer Selfridges registered a 30 per cent year-on-year growth in sales of premium loungewear. The retailer’s of cashmere loungewear pieces also doubled.
Known for their luxurious feel, the clothes made of Tencel, Lyocell marry style and comfort. They increase a consumer’s style quotient by exhibiting a sleek, sumptuous sheen and deeper, richer color compared to other fabrics. More absorbent than cotton, softer than silk and cooler than linen, Lyocell also provides long-lasting softness to help skin stay pleasantly cool and dry through day and night.
Moving towards functional fashion
With busy lifestyles, more travel and varied and flexible work lives, fashion too is adopting a functional approach. Consumers seek comfortable, fuss-free styles that adapt to the moment and can travel anywhere with them.
Also, with consumers becoming more aware about health and wellness, they expect more from the apparel industry, just as the versatility of activewear has grown in response to demand from the athleisure fashion consumer.
Shoppers don’t just buy a product, they buy everything it represents. Still, they can feel limited by choice in a clothing industry that produces some 100 million tons of fibers each year, of which synthetics are expected to be more than 98 per cent of future fiber production, according to petrochemical analytics firm, Tecnon Orbichem.
Consumers who buy eco-friendly clothes can now feel good about opting for garments made of fibres having the least environmental impact. A fiber of botanic origin, Tencel is extracted from the cellulose found in wood pulp, and its production process is more eco-friendly than other fibers in terms of water, land and chemical output. Using a special ‘closed-loop system’ recognised by the European Union with an European Award for the Environment, 99.7 percent of the chemicals and solvents used to make Tencel fibers are recovered and recycled with minimal waste and very low emissions.
Leading busy and aspirational lives, consumers today yearn to make their clothes durable, comfortable, timeless and eco-friendly. Increasingly, the apparel industry is offering up sustainable options to help satisfy that demand.
P Nataraj, Chairman,Southern India Mills Association (SIMA) and Managing Director, KPR Mill says, the performance of textiles industry during the financial year 2017-18 has been slightly better than last year. Yarn and cloth production, during the year, increased to 5,676 million kg and 66,524 million sq m as against 5,667 million kg and 63,482 mn sq m.
Though affected by demonetisation and goods and services tax (GST), the economy was back to normal now, indicating steady growth. Major policy initiatives that could address the GST- related issues were reduction of the tax on man-made filament and spun yarn from 18 to 12 per cent as well as inclusion of all textile job work under a GST of 5 per cent. Though major demands in respect to the GST have been addressed, some issues are yet to be addressed.
The Cotton Campaign has asserted that Uzbekistan should remain on the list of products requiring US Federal contractor certification regarding forced or indentured child labor. The entity is an international coalition of non-governmental organisations, trade unions, apparel brands and investors.
The organisation sent a letter to the US Department of Labor’s Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs, Martha E. Newton, opposing the department’s recent notice that it has made an “initial determination” to remove cotton from Uzbekistan from the list. The original list was created by Executive Order 13126, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1999.
Given the findings that forced child labor is still being implemented, the letter added it is “crucial” to monitor Uzbekistan’s 2018 cotton harvest “to ensure that the Uzbek government’s high-level commitment to eradicate forced child labor is consistently implemented on the ground.
India has proposed stricter rules of origin in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement to prevent Chinese goods from indirectly flooding the country. Rules of origin are the criteria needed to determine the source country of a product, based on which they get tariff concessions or are subjected to duties. India has said the last country from which a product is exported should do the highest value addition with the help of indigenous inputs.
Globally, the average threshold on domestic content is 40-60 per cent for getting originating status to a product. The need for strict rules of origin comes in the wake of India having a trade deficit with as many as 10 member countries of the RCEP, including China, South Korea and Australia and which has increased in 2017-18 with seven countries.
RCEP negotiations were launched in November 2012 and the first round of negotiations was held in 2013. However, trade experts have said that stricter rules of origin with China may not benefit as Beijing circumvents its exports through India’s other neighbours.
