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New Zealand-grown merino wool is increasingly being sought by Devold- a high-end Norwegian merino clothing company.
Devold produces a range of clothing from 100 per cent merino wool, including base layers, mid layers, socks, scarfs and jackets.
While Australia was initially Devold's main supplier, the company now receives greater volumes from New Zealand. It uses three main micron types: 17.5 micron for base layers against the skin, 18.7 for jumpers and mid layers and 20.5 for jackets and outerwear.
Devold garments have full traceability, with each one detailing the property the wool came from in a special sheep-to-shop programme. Each grower's clip is processed separately at the company’s mill in Lithuania and these garments are 100 per cent from that individual property.
According to the EU ambassador to Cambodia, the European Union (EU) will not severe ties with Cambodia, but will send a delegation of senior officials to the Kingdom later this year to monitor the situation.
The EU has suspended assistance to the National Election Committee (NEC) following the court-dissolution of the main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), in November 2017.
However , the Foreign Affairs Council of the EU suggested closely monitoring the Kingdom in February.
As part of that engagement, senior EU officials from the European Commission and the European External Action Service – the diplomatic arm of the EU – will visit Cambodia this year to assess the situation and interact with the authorities and other relevant actors.
Marks & Spencer has recently stated that for the first time with more than three quarters of its cotton has been sourced from sustainable methods.
Through its sustainable methods and “Plan A” initiative the retailer managed to source 77 per cent of its cotton from sustainable sources and is on-track to source its entire cotton range by 2019.
According to M&S, 83 per cent of its products now have an eco or ethical quality above the market normal and 30 million items of clothing are either reused or recycled with Oxfam.
Across the entire business the company is delivering better value for customers, cutting prices and improving the products says Mike Barry, director of Plan A and sustainable business at M&S.
Plan A plays a vital role in this transformation because the customers care about the products and its production. The company is helping to democratise sustainability by placing an eco or ethical quality into every product.
M&S uses around 50,000 tonnes of cotton a year, with most of this sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI).
London Fashion Week Men’s June 2018 (LFWM) collection was launched recently as a celebration of discovery and the creative diversity that helps make London the most Googled city on earth.
The fashion scene in London is one of the most vibrant and diverse globally and LFWM brings together an international audience to shine a light on the talent of our city through catwalk shows, event activations, pop up shops and performances.
The weekend merges the landscapes of technology, fashion and art with experiences from alternative hip hop to classic tailoring and from activism to royalty; alongside previews of collections from international design houses and award winning British designers.
Conceived and co-curated with Monsieur Alaïa before his death in November 2017, the exhibition charts Alaïa’s nonconformist nature and his infectious energy for fashion, friendship and the female body.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Alaïa personally constructed each garment by hand and refused to bow to the pressures of fashion week deadlines, instead working to his own schedule. His collaborative approach earned him an esteemed client list, including Greta Garbo, Grace Jones, Michelle Obama and Rihanna.
“Transparency isn’t new, but people want more information and this will become the greater norm,” Jason Kibbey, CEO of The Sustainable Apparel Coalition, said speaking at Kingpins Transformers in New York City.
Talk at Transformers centered on ways the jeans business can become less opaque and more forthcoming with its practices, values and quality of ingredients.
Transparency is designed to keep brands honest about what goes into creating their products. It is the only solution to green washing marketing in denim.
A transparent company is like living in a glass house. By being exposed and vulnerable to the outside world, everything from the décor and cleanliness of the house, to the activities that take place inside will change. That level of visibility puts the pressure on brands behave better, enhances accountability and unlocks collaborative innovation.
Also transparency is a tool to drive impact. As a collective industry we can start to recognize our challenges and then come together to create solutions. Bringing that information out is key to make it happen.
Although transparency has evolved in recent years, it still remains a challenge in the deeper supply chain tiers and at large scale. Deciphering how much information consumers need to know is part of the hurdle for companies like Candiani, which use a portfolio of proprietary and exclusive technologies to develop their denim.
Department store chain House of Fraser plans to close 31 of its 59 shops, affecting 6,000 jobs, as part of a rescue deal.
If the plan is approved, House of Fraser will lose 2,000 jobs, along with 4,000 brand and concession roles.
The stores scheduled for closure, which include its flagship London Oxford Street store, will stay open until early 2019.
The retailer needs the approval of 75% of its creditors to go ahead with the rescue plan.
In May, House of Fraser's Chinese owners Nanjing Cenbest reached a conditional agreement to sell a 51% stake to the Chinese owner of Hamley's, C.banner. The sale is conditional on the restructuring plan being approved.
Of the 31 stores it wants to shut, it is seeking a 70% rent reduction for seven months, after which the stores will close.
In addition to the store closures, the department store chain is seeking to cut rents by 25% on 10 of the stores it is keeping open.
Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama has recently stated that the Sri Lankan government will hold ministerial level talks with China to review and iron out argumentative issues in the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
He also mentioned that he would seek a meeting either in Beijing or here in August to discuss how to proceed with the FTA with China.
The FTA was initiated by the Rajapaksa regime. The two sides also appointed negotiating teams. However, after the new government took office in 2015 there was a huge change.
The government recently signed a FTA with Singapore and had held several rounds of talks with India for an Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA). Sri Lanka has already pledged its support to China’s Belt and Road initiative.
According to Han Bing, minister counsellor for economic affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Cairo the first phase of the Chinese textile city in the industrial city of Sadat will include about 100 factories.
There are 70 Chinese factories are operating in the first phase of the textile city and are expected to reach 100 by the end of the current year says Bin.
Bing pointed out that the first phase will be completed within a year, noting that the construction of the city has already begun.
Bing expects the second phase will include another 100 factories. He further said that he foresees several billions of dollars being directed to the industrial city.
He added that the area of land needed for launching the Chinese investments in the capital is estimated at more than 60 feddans.
The Chinese ambassador to Cairo, Song Aiguo, stated that the China International Import Expo, is likely to be held in November in China, with significant participation from the Egyptian side.
He added that Egypt is an important country in the Arab world and the African continent and the Chinese-Egyptian cooperation is an important part of the collective cooperation between his country and African countries.
Sri Lanka’s Export Development Board (EDB) has drawn up a new entry strategy for the Chinese market to pre-identify products using an international consultancy firm/consultant, as most of Sri Lanka’s SMEs fail to complete export orders to China.
This was due to the miscommunication and lack of negotiation skills of Sri Lankan SMEs. Thus, the EDB has decided to acquire the services of a consultant this year to identify potential products with a proper market analysis as well as to match Sri Lanka SMEs with suitable trading partners in China to export their products.
The EDB has already called for quotations to recruit the consultant to implement the entry strategy.
Sri Lanka has the possibility to reduce non-traiif-barriers such as quarantine to China through Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) and boost exports even prior to the proposed Sri Lanka-China FTA.
The summer of 2018 will witness international denim show in Vietnam, the third edition of Denimsandjeans.
Denim and rebel music have had a long-standing relationship that goes all the way back to the days of Elvis Presley, James Dean, the Beatles, Rolling Stones and other names around the 60s.
Apparel retailers, brands and factories, especially from EU and US regions, are expected at the tradeshow.
Vietnam is the 2nd largest exporter of apparel to the US behind China. Though the free trade agreement with the US and Vietnam (TPP) was chopped by President Trump but Vietnam is still able to produce for their US customers with reasonably competitive price. Currently, Vietnam has about 6,000 garment related companies that employ 2.5 million people and exported $31 billion worth of clothing and textiles in 2017. Vietnam is the 2nd largest exporter of apparel to the US after China.
