Australia may benefit from rising tensions between the US and China. Increasing tariffs see Chinese producers turn to alternative sources of cotton. Import tariffs on US cotton into China now reach 26 per cent within the 8,90,000 tons quota, and up to 65 per cent for out-of-quota imports. This could provide an opportunity for Australian cotton.

Australia exported 872,000 tons of cotton in 2017-18. A two per cent increase is forecast for Australian cotton exports in 2018-19. Opportunities could arise for Australian agribusinesses should China lower tariffs for countries outside the US. In July, China imposed a retaliatory 25 per cent additional import tariff on US raw cotton.

The area planted under cotton in Australia is forecast to fall 50 per cent in 2018-19 due to below-average rainfall. But returns to Australian cotton growers could reach 16-year highs. The cotton industry in Australia employs 15 times as many people as grazing does. Australian irrigated lint yields are now the highest of any major cotton producing country in the world.

The Australian cotton industry produces about 9,00,000 metric tons of cotton a year, with almost 100 per cent of this exported.

Canada’s apparel imports grew 4.11 per cent from January to July ’18. However, the country’s apparel imports grew just 1.87 per cent in July ’18 compared to July ’17. China’s apparel shipments to Canada in the seven-month period this year grew just 1.06 per cent. On the other hand, Bangladesh’s apparel exports to Canada plunged by 0.60 per cent on a year on year basis.

In July, Bangladesh’s apparel exports to Canada fell 14.46 per cent as compared to July last year. There is a shift toward Cambodia and Vietnam. Cambodia’s apparel exports to Canada jumped by 10.60 per cent in the first seven months of 2018. Vietnam’s exports jumped 14.93 per cent. Asean’s share in total Canadian apparel import value stood at 23.21 per cent in January to July ’18, whereas the share in the same period of the previous year was 22.10 per cent.

India’s apparel exports to Canada rose by 3.81 per cent. Exporters of India have a huge scope for expansion and growth to fill the gaps in the Canadian textile and apparel market including its FTA partners. Canadian apparel and textile importers and retailers are eager to connect with the world’s major apparel and textile manufacturers. Some of Canada’s brands are Aritzia, Le Chateau, Walmart-Canada, Jockey-Canada, Gildan, Canadian Goose and Roots.

Bangladesh has a plan to revitalise the silk industry. The number of silk farmers has plummeted to around 2,000 from 10,000 only a few years ago. The plan is to bring in Chinese help and increase silk production. Bangladesh's silk industry is one of the oldest in the world. It specialises in high-quality mulberry silk -- widely known as Bengal or Rajshahi silk -- produced by the larvae of moths fed on fresh mulberry leaves and used for luxurious items of clothing. After around 40 days, the worms start to form cocoons -- by spitting out saliva around their bodies -- which are then placed in bamboo frames before being harvested.

The cocoons are then boiled in hot water, killing the worm inside and separating the ultra-thin threads, which are coiled on huge bobbins and hung out to dry. Each cocoon contains around 500 meters of thin thread. The dried threads are sent to a mill where workers join several threads together and put them onto looms to make cloth.

This material is then boiled, washed and waxed before being sent to tailors to make mostly saris, tunics and dupattas. With the booming of the Bangladesh economy -- it grew over 7.5 per cent last year -- demand for Rajshahi silk has increased several fold.

AATCC and SGIA will organise the Digital Textile Printing Conference 3.0 on December 5 and 6, at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham, NC, USA. The conference will cover latest industry trends, newest digital textile ink and printing technology developments, key market drivers, global market conditions, color management and workflow developments, design software, digital manufacturing and integration, micro factories, etc.

The conference will help the attendees to connect with industry colleagues and experts, network with businesses similar to yours, gain valuable knowledge to stay ahead of their competitors. In addition to the presentations, the program will feature two panels. The Wednesday panel will focus on brand/color management/digital workflow and Thursday’s panel will address micro-factory/automation. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions in these interactive sessions.

"In the past few years, Bangladesh exports and sustainability have both grown faster than most global counterparts strengthening its momentum. For instance, denim maker Vintage Denim is extremely conscious about workers’ wellbeing. Vintage Denim offers up to Tk 25000 per person or family for their healthcare needs. This includes: free basic check-ups and covers surgery and ambulance fees, maternity and obstetrical problems etc. There is an option of paying back in installments if the costs are too much to bear. These moves helped the factory reduce employee turnover by 30 per cent."

Year 2021 will be one of the most successful one for Bangladesh ready-made garment industry reveals the government’s manifesto ‘Vision 2021’. Bangladesh clothing manufacturers is looking at exporting over $50bn worth of apparels and being counted among the top destination for sourcing clothes.

In the past few years, Bangladesh exports and sustainability have both grown faster than most global counterparts strengthening its momentum. For instance, denim maker Vintage Denim is extremely conscious about workers’ wellbeing. Vintage Denim offers up to Tk 25000 per person or family for their healthcare needs. This includes: free basic check-ups and covers surgery and ambulance fees, maternity and obstetrical problems etc. There is an option of paying back in installments if the costs are too much to bear. These moves helped the factory reduce employee turnover by 30 per cent.

Bangladesh is one of the most preferred sourcing destinations for global apparel companies owing to its low overhead costs. While this was true for low-end apparels so far, now, competitive advantage is making way for high-end clothing as well. Companies like Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, and Emporio Armani are increasingly sourcing from Bangladesh.

Reasons for Success

Among other things, the country’s success can be attributed to the academic institutions that have come up to address the demand for apparel education. For example, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has a pioneering institution called BUFT (BGMEA Institute of Fashion & Technology) and there are many others both private and government owned. In the past, their aim was to just provide basic education on merchandising but with industry expansion the curriculum has expanded to include engineering concentrations, part-time intensive diploma programs, and high-end fashion.

This combination has helped the country make a mark in global apparel industry. Concepts such as lean manufacturing have improved efficiency. It is also constantly working on quality control, merchandising, production, etc. As per the country’s vision, by 2021, a large portion of clothing manufacturers will be catering to high-end suppliers, at a quality that is parallel to China and other countries with high-end apparel manufacturing.

Most eco-friendly destination

Bangladesh clothing manufacturers have been quite aggressive in making their factories greener. For starters, the top three LEED certified factories in the world are based in Bangladesh, the country has seven out of the top 10 LEED certified apparel manufacturing plants, there 67 factories in Bangladesh that are LEED certified, and 222 factories are on their way to becoming LEED certified. The government is also encouraging this trend by offering loans at 9 per cent rate, much less than the national interest rate for any industry. Going by the trend, it will soon become the country with the most environmentally friendly apparel industry and be an example for others to follow.

Accord is a platform of western buyers and has been undertaking workplace safety activities in the country’s readymade garment sector. Accord, has a coalition of more than 200 global apparel brands, retailers and rights groups, has so far inspected fire, electrical and structural integrity in some 1,600 garment factories.

Of these, some 172 completed full post-inspection flaw fixing work while 171 faced business termination due to their failure to fix safety flaws. A total of 89 per cent progress has been recorded in all factories. The tenure of existing Accord ended in May this year and it was given a six-month extension.

Pressure for further extension of Accord, however, is mounting from different quarters mainly to complete the tasks and continue with the ongoing safety culture for long-term sustainability. The Bangladesh readymade garment industry is undoubtedly safer, and lives have been saved.

After the 2013 Rana Plaza tragedy, global apparel brands no longer ignore dangerous working conditions at their supplier factories. Five years on, Bangladesh Accord stands as a model for industrial relations, and shows that brands and unions can work together to solve systemic problems.

As per research by The NPD Group, the market for women’s jeans has registered a 9 per cent increase in sales in the year ending July 2018 compared to a year ago, Sales of the $16.4 billion US jeans market grew 5 per cent in the year ending July 2018 over same period last year. Both classic and new jean styles played an important role in growing the jeans category, particularly women’s jeans.

Skinny jeans, which have been around for quite a while, are still the number one selling women’s jeans with sales of this style increasing by 6 percent over year ago and accounting for nearly 40 percent of women’s jean sales. According to fashionistas and fashion journalists, more fashion-forward style jeans, like high-waisted, straight-leg jeans ,cropped flares, ultra-cuff, and denim sweatpants are more popular with teens and young adults.

India and Uzbekistan are looking to boost economic ties. The countries will constitute a group to conduct a feasibility study and commence negotiations for a preferential trade agreement by the end of 2018. Under a PTA, two trading partners reduce or eliminate duties on a certain number of goods traded between them.

The target is to have bilateral trade worth $1billion by 2020 and to balance the trade between the two countries by reducing the existing trade deficit. The two countries will encourage their business communities, companies and enterprises to participate in exhibitions, trade fairs, business forums and other joint business activities.

Indian universities will offer courses in tourism and hotel management in Uzbekistan. Indian companies have been encouraged to set up an IT park in Uzbekistan. To promote investments, companies and the business community will be offered incentives.

Underlining the importance of food and nutrition security, India and Uzbekistan will enhance cooperation in agriculture and allied activities by way of exchange of technology in crop production, improved water use efficiency, plant quarantine, animal husbandry, food processing and agriculture and food trade. Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at $235 million in 2017-18. It was $155.5 million in 2016-17.

Textile production in the US is set to get a boost due to the agreement signed with Canada and Mexico. The provisions will also strengthen customs enforcement and facilitate broader consultation and cooperation among the parties on issues related to textiles and the apparel trade.

If passed by all three countries, the agreement would supersede the North American Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect in 1994. Provisions of the new agreement would promote greater use of made-in-the-US fibers and yarns by limiting rules that allow for some inclusion of non-NAFTA inputs in the textile and apparel trade. The provisions require that sewing thread, pocketing fabric, narrow elastic bands and coated fabric, when incorporated in most apparel and other finished products, be made in the region for those finished products to qualify for trade benefits.

The agreement establishes a textiles chapter for North American trade, including textiles-specific verification and customs cooperation provisions, fostering new tools to strengthen customs enforcement for fraud and circumvention prevention in this sector. The US is the world's largest home textile market. The US market is projected to grow at CAGR of three per cent by 2020. The country’s imports of home textiles and made-ups grew at a robust 7.7 per cent during January-May 2018.

British fair-trade luxury knitwear brand Tengri has announced the winners of its inaugural Tengri Innovation Award, launched this year to encourage sustainable fashion and textiles working towards a more sustainable industry standard and future. The winner of the Tengri Innovation Award 2018 is designer Henrietta Johns, who explores natural animal fibres and innovative designs using traditional felting techniques to creating new fabric surfaces.

The three runners-up for the Tengri Innovation Award include: Christopher Ehrlich who was recognised for his conscientious approach to sustainability with ‘zero off-cut’ pattern cutting, reinventing a traditional tailoring technique used in the early 1900s; Cecile Tulkens for her ability to combine traditional and industrial techniques, incorporating an ancient form of crocheting originated in Belgium into her work and Zoe Atkinson, for her amour-like knitwear, combined natural materials such as leather skins, wood and soft woolen textures, to create an inventive outlook of future materiality.