FW
Bangladesh now looks to BRICS nations to further boost apparel exports. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are considered to be potential markets for readymade garment exports. Every year apparel imports by BRICS nations have been on the rise. The main reason is cost of production in these countries has risen significantly following the growth of their economies.
And Bangladesh hopes to grab a share of these growing markets. Presently Bangladesh exports apparels to China and India with duty-free facility but exports to Russia and Brazil are hindered because of high duties. Russia joined the World Trade Organisation in 2011. As one of the least- developed countries, Bangladesh hopes to get tariff preferences in Russia.
Even exports to China and India face some roadblocks. Weakness in land-port operations and other infrastructural establishments, laboratory accreditation, non-cooperation in visa issuance, and some non-tariff and para-tariff barriers are among the problems.
Bangladesh’s apparel exports to non-traditional markets increased significantly due to facilities from the government. In the fiscal year 2008-09, apparel exports to non-traditional markets amounted to 6.88 per cent of the total. The government has raised cash incentives for exporting clothing items to new markets, other than the US, Canada and the European Union, to 3 per cent this fiscal year.
Cotton Incorporated and the specialty chemicals company Archroma have created fluorine-free apparel using technology called Storm Cotton. The technology can be used as a water repellent in cotton outerwear. The fluorine-free material offers almost the same benefits as the fluorine material, including water repellency, but with sustainable qualities.
Fluorine-free apparel has been a goal for many apparel brands and manufacturers to help boost sustainability. A fluorine chemistry provides water repellency and oil release—or stain protection from oil-based sources-and is recharged with heat from a dryer or iron. The fluorine-free chemistry does not provide oil release but also does not require recharging from the heat of an iron or dryer.
Customers do not notice any difference in the feel, performance or care of garments made with the new fluorine-free chemistry. This technology option is now available in the full range of cotton-based fabrics like denim, fleece and twill. An outdoor apparel retailer has plans to introduce the fluorine-free version of Storm Cotton in select products during 2015.
Cotton is also working to create fluorine-free options for other finishes like its TransDRY, moisture-wicking material for athletic apparel. Archroma product packages enhance the properties of apparel and other textiles in applications as diverse as high fashion, home textiles and special technical textiles. From crease resistance to moisture management as well as repellency, its functional effects provide added-value features to textile manufacturers.
archroma.com/
Swiss company Scott Sports has won an award at the Eurobike trade fair in Germany. The award is for making a cycling outfit out of a textile made by a Swiss company Schoeller. Scott developed the ITD Pro Tec technology in collaboration with Schoeller. Scott Sports makes high end performance products intended for biking, winter sport, moto sport.
The ITD ProTec technology is a highly elastic knit fabric made by Eschler, a Schoeller brand. It has an unique ceramic coating. The knitted carbon yarn, inspired by sailing rope, has outstanding anti-static properties. It ensures a higher tearing resistance as well as an antibacterial effect. This combined with the ceramic printing on the fabric leads to high robustness and durability, even in the event of a crash on asphalt at high speed.
This technology provides a significantly higher abrasion resistance than regular fabrics. The ceramic prints ensure durability and ruggedness, even in the event of high speed falls. Fine ceramic particles, in combination with the hexagon-shaped design, make the high-tech textile exceptionally resistant to abrasion.
The clothing lines with this innovative technology will be available in retail stores in 2015.
www.scott-sports.com/
Both Pakistan and Bangladesh enjoy Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) Plus status from the European Union. And both are strong competitors in the EU apparel market. Bangladesh has been enjoying duty- and quota-free status to the EU since the inception of the trade privilege by the EU in 1971.
Since Pakistan has been allotted zero-duty benefit for 75 specified products exported to the EU, there is also a possibility of trade diversion from China, India, Bangladesh and Turkey. But this diversion is statistically insignificant. Trade diversion from Bangladesh may take place in T-shirts, jerseys, pullovers, cardigans, waistcoats, men's or boys' cotton suits, women or girls' suits, bedding material of cotton and artificial fiber. But even then Bangladesh is not expected to suffer any major impact on EU garment exports.
There were fears Bangladesh would lose its garment business after the elimination of the multi fiber arrangement in January 2005. But that did not happen and in fact exports from Bangladesh have been increasing since then.
In 2014-15, the world cotton industry is expected to enter its fifth consecutive season in which production exceeds consumption. World production is forecast to decline by 400,000 tons to 26.05 million tons while consumption could grow by 4 per cent to 24.4 million tons, resulting in a surplus of 1.7 million tons. Since 2010-11, world production will have exceeded consumption by a cumulative 12.3 million tons and by the end of 2014-15, would reach nearly 14 million tons. Much of the surplus is held by the Chinese government, but this season, more of the surplus will shift to the private sector in China and other producing countries.
As a result of the cumulative surplus, world ending stocks are projected to increase to 22.2 million tons at the end of 2014-15 with ending stocks outside China forecasted to achieve a record 9.7 million tons. This expansion in world ending stocks outside China will put negative pressure on prices this season as China continues to liquidate its significant stocks. Sales from the Chinese reserve reached 2.3 million tons in 2013-14. During August, the Chinese government sold an additional 300,000 tons, decreasing the estimated quantity of cotton stocks held by the Chinese government to around 11 million tons. The Secretariat expects that over the next few years, the Chinese government will maintain sales from the reserve at a pace of 2-3 million tons a year.
In 2014-15, China and India will vie for the title of largest producer of cotton, as the full impact of this year’s monsoon on India’s yields is unknown. Due to the late arrival of the monsoon, the planting season was extended and area in India is estimated at 11.8 million hectares, up by 1.3 per cent from 2013-14. Assuming a yield based on the three-year average of 536 kg per hectare, India’s production is expected to decline by 4 per cent to 6.3 million tons. In response to the ending of government support outside Xinjiang, China decreased area by 8 per cent to 4.2 million hectares. China’s production in 2014-15 would decline to 6.4 million tons, assuming an average yield of 1,500 kg of lint per hectare. After much needed rain arrived in this summer, the United States should see reduced abandonment and improved yields with production forecast to reach 3.7 million tons with an average yield of 933 kg per hectare.
While world consumption in 2013-14 experienced no growth from 2012-13, it is predicted to expand by 4 per cent in 2014-15. Consumption in China could rise to 7.9 million tons in 2014-15, up from 7.5 million tons in 2013-14 given the fall in both international and domestic prices as well as improved demand overseas for downstream goods. India’s demand is projected to reach 5.3 million tons in 2014/15, which is the third season of demand growth.
World trade is projected to decline by 1 million tons to 8 million tons in 2014-15, which is largely accounted for by a 30 per cent decrease in Chinese imports to 2 million tons. With bumper crops anticipated in the United States and India, these two countries will remain the largest exporters in 2014-15.
The global market for industrial protective clothing is expected to reach $4.06 billion by 2020, says a new study by Grand View Research. The report ‘Industrial Protective Clothing Market Analysis By Application (Flame Retarded Apparel, Chemical Defending Garments, Clean Room Clothing) And Segment Forecasts To 2020’ is available on the web platform of Grand View Research.
Increasing industrialization in emerging markets of India and China coupled with rising importance of safety in industries and emergence of blue collar workforce are expected to remain key driving forces for the market. High cost and complex manufacturing process associated with industrial protective clothing are expected to be key challenges for market participants.
Chemical defending garments emerged as the leading application segment for industrial protective clothing and accounted for 36.8 per cent of total market volume in 2013. Chemical defending garments are used for protecting skin from hazardous chemicals usually used in laboratories and chemical industries. Flame retardant apparel is expected to be the fastest growing application segment for industrial protective clothing at an estimated CAGR of 11.1 per cent from 2014 to 2020.
Texworld that will take place in Thailand from September 15 to 17, 2014, is an international event for fashion fabrics and clothing. It will have nearly 900 exhibitors. Thailand will promote the richness of its textile heritage, exhibiting more than 100 silk and cotton fabrics produced by 20 rural communities. The fabrics exhibited at Texworld are entirely hand-woven. The aim is to identify and promote unique local skills, benefit from local resources and develop quality products which meet the demands of domestic and international markets.
Each season Texworld hosts the Thai pavilion, which accommodates around 20 exhibitors, including weavers who draw inspiration from traditional skills of their country, which are reflected in both the motifs and the fabrics used. Texworld is continuing to make visitors and exhibitors aware of the importance of sustainable development to the textile industry. For the first time, sustainability at this event will cover two days.
There will be workshops and seminars on sustainable development and responsibility. Young fashion designers will exhibit their collections. There will be shows by couturiers. There will be lectures on colors and palettes. A vampires collection will show voluptuous, diaphanous creations sealed in black. There will be more shows on monochrome street wear and poetically-inspired creations in natural fabrics.
China's garments exports have slowed down significantly this year as weak demand and rising costs have hit the industry. The value of China’s garment exports gained 5.79 per cent year on year during the January-July period, retreating 7.71 percentage points from the rate seen in the same period last year.
Competition neighboring countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia are pushing down demand for Chinese products, while rising costs and insufficient re-sale value have also made them less attractive. Meanwhile, China remains heavily reliant on developed markets. The slowdown requires manufacturers to be more innovative and tap more emerging markets.
With China likely to buckle under the heat of spiraling wages and low safety standards in its garment industry, India is soon expected to overtake its neighboring country in the textile business. About 65 per cent of the garments exported to the US and European markets were from China a couple of years ago, but now it has reduced to 40 per cent. The economic recovery in the US is an advantage for the Indian textile industry. Currently, China is facing high labor costs, and this is working in India's favor. Also, the yuan has risen against the dollar, and this has reduced its competitive edge.
The fourth Future Fabrics Expo will be held from September 28 to 30, 2014, in London. It will showcase several hundred individually selected fabrics with a reduced environmental impact from a wide range of international mills. In addition, extensive background information on sustainability in fashion and textiles, and the latest textile and processing innovations, will be provided.
It’s also possible to discover new sustainable fabrics and mills at Future Fabrics Virtual Expo. This is an online destination, which displays a curated range of sustainable fabrics, and information regarding sustainability issues in the textile industry, rigorously researched throughout the year by ‘The Sustainable Angle;. The virtual expo aims to introduce fabrics buyers and designers to international mills and suppliers of sustainable textiles, allowing constant access to specification and sustainability focused information about fabrics with a reduced environmental impact, any time, from anywhere. It provides a sneak preview of some of the fabrics in the collection ahead of the expo
The Sustainable Angle will additionally present a seminar on building sustainability into textile buying on September 30, exploring how to assess fabrics in relation to sustainability, avoiding pitfalls when sourcing sustainably, and developments in the sustainable textiles market.
www.thesustainableangle.org/futurefabricsexpo/Home.aspx
Chris Nicolaes has been appointed MD for Lectra Germany. A Dutchman Nicolaes started out in 1982 as a management consultant. Then he founded several IT companies. He holds degrees in mechanical engineering and business administration. He will be responsible for Lectra’s activities in central and eastern Europe, including Russia and, more specificallly, CIS countries. He has had experience as a MD of software and PLM companies in different sectors and countries.
For more than 40 years Lectra has been offering solutions to fashion companies and, since 20 years, to customers in the automotive and furniture sectors. Lectra is the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using soft materials—fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials.
The company develops the most advanced specialized software and cutting systems and provides associated services to a broad array of markets including fashion (apparel, accessories, footwear), automotive (car seats and interiors, airbags), furniture, as well as a wide variety of other market sectors, such as aeronautical and marine industries, wind power and personal protective equipment. With its consulting services, its software solutions such as Lectra fashion PLM and Modaris 3D for fashion and its cutting room solutions, Lectra helps its customers to reach the goal of controlling the value chain.
www.lectra.com/
