Bangladesh can gain from the ongoing trade war between the US and China. The US-China trade war has come as a boon to Bangladesh’s textiles and apparels. However, Bangladesh faces capacity constraints ranging from poor infrastructure to red-tape to skilled labor, which are barriers to reaping benefits arising from the trade war.

Western retailers and brands want a smooth supply chain in apparel business but the trade war has disrupted business in China. As China has been losing its apparel business due to new tariffs, many western retailers and brands are shifting their work orders to other countries like Bangladesh. China had already become expensive for US-based clothing retailers. The trade war is further pushing them in the direction of Bangladesh.

But it all depends on how the country utilises it. Garment exporters in Bangladesh will get cheaper raw materials as a result of cheaper cotton prices in the international market. Bangladesh has also benefited from lower cotton prices. These decreased ten per cent after China imposed a high duty on the import of the natural fiber from the US. Garment exporters hope to get more orders in coming days.

As per latest figures by the Department of Commerce's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), Bangladesh registered the highest growth amidst 10 countries in the US apparel imports for September, 2018. The country’s exports surged to 11.8 per cent with 171m Square Meter Equivalent (SME), surpassing Honduras (90m SME), India (81m SME), and El Salvador (65m SME).

Globally, Bangladesh is the second-largest ready-made garment (RMG) exporter, with net annual worth around $28 billion. The RMG Sector houses 41 per cent factories with moderate technologies and 20 per cent using advanced machinery.

Touted as a women-driven sector, male to female worker ratio stands at 39.2:60.8, with total employment of approximately 3.5 million people. While the textile sector is responsible for 83.5 per cent of the country’s exports, it plays a crucial role in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures with 6 per cent contribution. This comes as the country has utilised the impetus received from the government as well as private companies like Beximco Textiles.

The government of Bangladesh has been instrumental in laying a strong foundation for the industry. They collaborated with the International Labor Organization (ILO) for enhanced protection of factory working environment and inspections were carried out across 3,780 factories under the same. In order to ensure this as a long-term measure, the Department of Inspections of Factories and Establishments (DIFE) was re-structured with a personnel and budget boost.

"Although the fashion industry has kept pace with changing consumer demands, it fails to cater to their most important need that of altering consumption patterns to ensure the survival of the planet. The industry produces 20 per cent of global wastewater and 10 per cent of global carbon emissions with textile dyeing being the second largest polluter of water globally. If this situation persists, by 2050 the fashion industry will have consumed almost a quarter of the world’s carbon budget."

Although the fashion industry has kept pace with changing consumer demands, it fails to cater to their most important need that of altering consumption patterns to ensure the survival of the planet. The industry produces 20 per cent of global wastewater and 10 per cent of global carbon emissions with textile dyeing being the second largest polluter of water globally. If this situation persists, by 2050 the fashion industry will have consumed almost a quarter of the world’s carbon budget.

However, consumers are demanding change and the fashion world is responding. A-listers, like Duchess Meghan Markle are discarding traditional choices of clothing and designers and dumping the take-make-waste model. Fashion retailers are adopting initiatives to reduce fashion’s negative impact on the environment. For example, last year, Britain’s Stella McCartney teamed up with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to launch a report on redesigning fashion’s future.

Across the United Nations, agencies are working to make fashion more sustainable, from the Food and Agricultural Organization protecting arable land, to the Ethical Fashion Initiative set up by the International Trade Centre to the work of UN Environment in fostering sustainable manufacturing practices.

Shoes from algae, recycled plastic and gum

Entrepreneurs are designing the fashion of the future. For instance Spanish footwear company Ecoalf is making shoes from algae and recycled plastic as a part of its Upcycling the Oceans collection. The company collects ocean plastics from 33 ports and turns the trash into shoes, clothing and bags.

Similarly, Amsterdam-based GumDrop turns gum into a new kind of rubber, Gum-tec, which is then used to make shoes in collaboration with marketing group I Amsterdam and fashion company Explicit.

Fashion from waste materials

Outdoor gear retailer Patagonia alongwith Polartec, a Massachusetts-based textile designer produces fleece jackets using polyester from recycled bottles while Gothenburg-based Nudie Jeans makes jeans from organic cotton. Cambodia-based Tonlé uses surplus fabric from mass clothing manufacturers to create zero-waste fashion collections.

In the Netherlands, Wintervacht turns blankets and curtains into coats and jackets. While San Francisco- and Bali-based Indosole turns discarded tyres in Indonesia into shoes, sandals and flip-flops, while Swiss firm Freitag upcycles tarpaulins, seat belts and bicycle inner tubes to make their bags and backpacks.

A zero-waste fashion model

Creating a zero-waste fashion model is the order of the day for many etailers. Canada-based Novel Supply is developing a take-back programme to find alternative ways to use garments at the end of their life. Lifestyle brand and jeans manufacturer Guess is teaming up with i:Collect, which collects, sorts and recycles clothes and footwear worldwide, to launch a wardrobe recycling programme in the US. Under this programme, wearable items will be recycled as secondhand goods, while unwearable items will be turned into new products like cleaning cloths or made into fibres for products like insulation.

Focusing on rental market

As recycling is an energy intensive process and does not address our throwaway culture, the rental market offers a viable alternative. However, for the rental model to be successful, companies need to offer sufficient choice of brands and styles that would engage consumers and tempt them away from outright purchase. Also, the rental service needs to be smooth and faultless.

Some pioneers of the rental market include: Dutch firm Mud Jeans, which leases organic jeans that can be kept, swapped or returned, Rent the Runway, Girl Meets Dress and YCloset in China.

There has been a big shift in cross-border supply chains. The shift is creating stiff competition to secure new facilities in neighboring countries and rebuild supply chains outside China, home to a fifth of global manufacturing.

The scramble is driven by the risk of more, and higher, US tariffs on China, and fears that nearby emerging economies can only accommodate new businesses on a first come, first served basis. There is no choice but to as rapidly as possible look to move production away from China.

Re-sourcing and relocation efforts mark an acceleration of an already established trend as China’s economy shifts towards services, consumption and high-tech production. This is one of the biggest sourcing disruptions seen in a generation.

However, any relocation away from China is going to be very slow and uncertain. Shifting production can take years to complete: firms need to secure funding, find the right suppliers, sort out new logistics - all while dealing with new legal and accounting issues in a country they may not know well.

Low tech goods and low value manufacturing would be the quickest to migrate while higher value-added exports in the machinery, transport and IT category would likely take decades to relocate due to high R&D costs and competitive Chinese labor costs.

Zara has expanded its outerwear selection. Although the brand had already launched some outdoor clothing pieces in previous seasons, including anoraks, jackets and children’s clothing, the chain is strengthening its presence in the segment with the launch of a dedicated outerwear capsule collection.

Called TRF Recycled, the collection continues the brand’s commitment to sustainability with pieces made from recycled polyester derived from plastic bottles. Meanwhile, the words ‘Please Recycle; are printed on belts and hoods to remind consumers of the line’s sustainability message.The collection includes silver puffer jackets, puffer coats, joggers, technical backpacks and chunky trainers, and waterproof, two-in-one parkas.

Zara is the signature brand of the Spanish group Inditex. Earlier this month, Zara launched its online store in 106 new markets, bringing the total number of countries where it operates an e-commerce channel to 155. Currently, the chain has a physical presence in 96 markets and is progressing towards the group goal of selling all of its brands online worldwide by 2020.

Zara also has the best conversion rate in the Spanish online fashion sector. Its conversion rate is 12 per cent, which is more than its competitors Asos (nine per cent) or Massimo Dutti (nine per cent).

Spring Knitting and Stitching Show will be held in London from February 28 to March 3, 2019. The event will feature an extensive workshop and demonstration program covering an array of crafts, from traditional to contemporary knitting and stitching, wet and needle felting, embroidery, leather work and free motion machine embroidery, with a bigger emphasis on upcycling and remodeling.

There will also be gallery exhibitions by textile artists, drop-in knitting and crochet lessons and advice clinics for a range of textile crafts, a station showcasing the latest knit and stitch equipment; a design competition to reduce plastic bag use, an elaborate scene of knitted and crocheted magical creatures created by knitters and stitchers.

For those looking to add to their fabric stash, update their sewing machine or start a new knit or stitch project in the new year, over 150 specialist retailers will be on hand to help satisfy those shopping cravings.

Top tutors will host an exciting program of full and half-day dressmaking technique and upcycling workshops, including mastering the basics for beginners, making a garment in a day and intermediate skills for more experienced dressmakers. The show will put the spotlight on dressmaking this year as well as offering all the fantastic textile art, craft and design features that spring show visitors know and love.

India has rejected the US charge of subsidising cotton beyond the limits prescribed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and says the support provided is intended to ensure that poor farmers do not resort to sales under distress.India says the method is consistent with WTO rules and that the country has been using a consistent reporting approach since 1995 and it uses a robust methodology as compared to the US in its calculation of the support.

Procurement by government agencies in India accounts for less than two per cent of total production. The US says India has been substantially under-reporting the value of its minimum price support (MPS) for cotton.

In its 2015-16 notification to the WTO, India reported Rs 1.2 billion in MPS for cotton whereas the US estimated India's support at over Rs 504 billion. The US says these actual support levels mean India is well in excess of its WTO spending limits on cotton support, which is fixed at ten per cent of the total value of overall production.

Other countries that raised red flags over India's support to the sugarcane sector include Guatemala, Thailand, Paraguay, Brazil and the European Union. Questions have also been raised regarding India’s decision to increase import duties on milk powder from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.

According to Herrero, Guess expects positive results in all regions, and profitability across all business segments for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends Feb. 2, 2019. During the third quarter ended Nov. 3, the company recorded a net loss of $13.4 million compared to $2.9 million for the third quarter. GAAP per-share earnings were 17 cents, compared to 4 cents for the prior year. Analysts expected 16 cents per share. The company estimates that currency had a negative impact on diluted earnings per share of 2 cents for the quarter.

Revenue was $605 million, beating analyst estimates of $603 million. Same-store sales in the Americas rose 3%, beating analyst estimates of 2.1 per cent. Guess is inching closer to resolving a dispute with the European Commission, however fines have taken a toll on the retailer’s third quarter earnings. The fashion retailer has been cooperating with a European Commission investigation into whether the company violated European competition rules. It is likely to reach an agreement that is expected to result in a fine ranging from $42.4 million to $46.6 million (U.S. dollars).

"Saurer launched its intelligent embroidery solution at ITMA 2019. The Epoca 7 shuttle embroidery machine features enhanced automation technology and a new application device. It also incorporates modernised CAD/CAM design software and a new mill management system."

Saurer launched its intelligent embroidery solution at ITMA 2019. The Epoca 7 shuttle embroidery machine features enhanced automation technology and a new application device. It also incorporates modernised CAD/CAM design software and a new mill management system.

The embroidery machine

Epoca 7 sets new standards in terms of productivity, with an increase of up to 25% compared to its predecessor. It also boasts a speed of up to 700 rpm. The machine requires 5% less energy than its forerunner, even when machine speed is increased by 18%. In terms of savings, this gives the customer the edge to total cost of ownership. We are committed to sustainability and strive to ensure that our products are energy efficient, minimising the impact on the environment.

Automation solutions

The new automatic rear carriage adjustment helps in reducing the machine setting time. The rear carriage width can be set automatically according to the yarn properties, resulting in a substantial reduction in yarn breaks. The intelligent thread watcher SmartMon drives the precise and fast detection of yarn breaks, on both shuttle and needle side, which drastically lowers mending costs by up to 70%. In an environment where cotton is used, cotton dust pollutes the machine, resulting in early wear of the moving parts. With the new overheadcleaner – CleanGuard, this phenomenon is significantly reduced.

Enhanced application device

The HeadLine system with sequin, cord and the new LaserHead redefines and pushes the boundaries of embroidery applications and designs. The laser technology drives the precise cutting of virtually all synthetic and natural fabrics.

Modernised CAD/CAM platform

EmStudio incorporates all design workflow from sketch to production on a single platform. This modern tool provides the full solution from embroidery drawing, punching, visualisation of the design, product optimisation and productivity analysis to archiving design with information and machine settings. The intelligent stitch editor iSed optimises the quality of embroidery stiches.

New mill management system Senses

Senses is a new innovative control and analysis tool. It allows to collect and analyse the production, quality and machine data. The advantage is total transparency and the optimisation of production processes. The result is enhanced efficiency and increased profitability.

Esprit’s new CEO Anders Kristiansen plans to overhaul the clothing company from red over three years with job cuts and store closures. He is embarking on yet another restructuring in an attempt to restore the global retailer to its former glory.

Kristiansen wants to close stores, streamline the administration and simplify the product ranges. The restructuring will take two to three years and cost around 1.5 to 1.7 billion Hongkong dollars, or €168 million to €190 million.

Kristiansen plans to boost sales of basic garments like sweatshirts, jeans and T-shirts to make Esprit less dependent on fashion trends. In addition, the product range will be reduced by 20 to 30 percent by next June to cut design and production costs.

Esprit, like its peers Gerry Weber, Tom Tailor and Hugo Boss, has been expanding its retail network in recent years. Kristiansen wants to shut unprofitable stores but that can’t be done overnight because the company is locked into rental contracts.