FW
For years, China has been enjoying a dominant position as an apparel supplier to the world but of late, major importing countries such as the US and Europe are exploring new sourcing destinations in Southeast Asia and Africa. And this was focus of discussion at the recent Prime Source Forum in Hong Kong.
While experts agreed that China still leading owing to its mature supply chain, skilled labour, and growth in domestic consumption, they pointed out that the current change in sourcing pattern was not unexpected. As Bob McKee, Global Fashion Industry Strategy Director at Infor pointed out that the world will continue to change, and China will continue to change. Cost will continue to rise and the needle will continue to migrate.
Until two decades ago, 80 per cent of general merchandise was sourced from manufacturers in the UK and then it gradually moved to North Africa, Eastern Europe and India, followed by Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Burma/Myanmar and now sub-Saharan Africa, which is currently being assessed by the importing nations. But Richard Thomas, Head of Far East region, sourcing, at Marks & Spencer (Asia Pacific) warns that too much migration can affect efficiencies.
Zhang Xi'an, Secretary General of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textile and Apparel opined that though most companies will maintain their high value-added manufacturing operations in China, the main areas for expansion, especially for mid-low end producers, will be in Africa and Southeast Asia.
Experts also said that sourcing is turning to be complex due to customers' needs for diversification, to take advantage of trade agreements, and demand for a shorter, flexible and more responsive supply chain.
The United States has agreed to remove all restrictions on handloom exports from India, paving the way for resumption of negotiations on textiles, which were stalled last month. Following the decision to remove restrictions on handlooms, India may now allow entry of high value textile imports from the US.
The United States is a leading importer of handloom products from India followed by the European Union. The US accounts for around 45 per cent of total exports of Indian handloom products. Foreign buyers get attracted by the traditional designs and vibrant colors of the fabrics.
The Indian handloom industry is the second-largest employment provider for the rural population in India after agriculture. The sector accounts for around 15 per cent of the total cloth produced in the country (excluding wool, silk and yarn). India supplies 95 per cent of the world demand for hand woven fabric. India has about 612 handloom clusters, out of which 53 are located in Andhra Pradesh.
The Handloom Export Promotion Council is a statutory body constituted under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, in 1965 to promote the export of all handloom products like fabrics, home furnishings, carpets and floor coverings etc.
www.hepcindia.com/
The Syrian textile sector is hoping that the Syria MOTEX fair from April 13 to April 15, 2014, helps it get back on its feet. Syria MOTEX has been organized by Syrian Exporters Association in cooperation with Exports Development and Promotion Agency and the Syrian Exporters Union. The aim is to promote Syrian textiles. Syria specializes in clothing and fashion.
More than 100 Syrian textile, fabric and clothing companies are taking part in the fair. The products being showcased include children’s wear, underwear, covers, luggage and hosiery. Around 400 businessmen from Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, UAE and Kuwait are at the fair with the intention of signing purchase contracts.
One indication that the Syrian textile segment is recovering is that the fair witnessed an increase in the number of exhibitors and visitors from earlier editions. The Syrian government has been providing considerable support to its textile industry to overcome stumbling blocks.
MOTEX is the Syrian fashion and textiles expo. The expo aims to allow Syrian producers of clothing and textiles to meet Arab and foreign visitors in order to expand the markets targeted by Syrian products. It seeks to find marketing outlets for Syrian textile products, locally and abroad.
www.motex.org/
Madurai in Tamil Nadu has always been known for Sungudi saris. But the Saurashtrian community which moved to Madurai from Saurashtra in Gujarat centuries ago and which is engaged in the production of these garments feels neglected by the government. Tamil Nadu has a population of 20 lakh Sourashtrians. Of these, two lakh people live in Madurai.
The production cost of the Sungudi has shot up manifold in recent years. Representatives of the community want the government to give them additional units in textile parks and provide them subsidy. They also want a government-run showroom to promote Sungudi garments.
The Madurai Sungudi is a six yard sari. It’s made of cotton and is perfect for tropical weather. It absorbs sweat and dries out easily. It has been given a makeover to make it appealing to young women as well. New designs like peacock, butterfly and rangoli have been developed, to make them appealing to college girls.
It takes 10 to 15 days to manufacture a traditional Sungudi sari. The traditional Sungudi sari was handwoven, had single dot patterns and dyed with natural dyes. Now there are saris with dot patterns in two different colors, but with chemical dyes.
Sustaining in a competitive market is not easy for Sungudi manufacturers and they are consistently introducing innovative and creative patterns. Sungudi salwars, shawls, bags, bedspreads and pillow covers have been introduced.
The Better Cotton Fast Track Program (BCFTP), whose committee includes Ikea, H&M, VF Corp and Marks & Spencer, has announced 50 Better Cotton projects for this year. Nearly 750,000 farmers, will work to produce nearly one million tons of Better Cotton, with project spending for the year approved for almost €10 million. A project of the Better Cotton Initiative, the BCFTP held an investors meeting in Delhi, , where 50 Better Cotton projects across India, Pakistan, China, Mozambique and Mali were approved.
The committee, which also includes Adidas, Levi Strauss, and public funders Rabobank, ICCO, Solidaridad and IDH, jointly approved spending of €9.6 million for 2014, alongside a country investment strategy, and invited brands involved in the fastrack program to collaborate on future studies. A new ‘Impact on Cotton’ report from ‘Sustainable Trade Initiative’ highlights a rapid growth in market share of sustainably produced cotton, accounting for 3.1 per cent of global cotton production in 2011-2012, more than double compared to 1.3 per cent in 2010-2011. In 2012, the BCFTP licensed approximately 696,000 metric tons of lint.
Founded in 2009, the BCFTP aims to support the objectives of the Better Cotton Initiative and to accelerate its implementation. Looking forward, the BCI aims to have five million Better Cotton farmers producing 8.2 million metric tons of Better Cotton by 2020.
Bettercotton.org
Global manufacturers feel Vietnam is a good place to do business. Cambodia faces labor strikes, Thailand suffers endless protests, Myanmar needs infrastructure upgrade. Vietnam enjoys the advantages of political stability and low costs. It is becoming an important hub for American and European brands. The Trans-Pacific Partnership helps, too. As one of 12 countries negotiating a trade pact, Vietnam stands to benefit most from a clause that would cut tariffs on textiles and apparel, which are among the nation’s top exports. To take advantage of the tax reduction, foreign companies are shifting their factories to Vietnam. And after the shift some of these companies have seen a massive increase in their annual turnover.
The growth is reflected across the country. Textile exports increased 20 per cent in the first quarter of 2014, compared with the same period last year. The upbeat mood was evident at Saigon Tex, a garment and textile expo, April 10 to 13, 2014.
However, there are some weaknesses. Vietnam doesn’t produce enough fabrics and has to buy most of its materials from other countries. There’s an urgent need for technological innovation, improvement of quality control, labor management, environmental management, as well as improvement in the textile and garment supply chain in accordance with international standards. If it doesn’t develop more local suppliers, Vietnam won’t be able to tap the full potential of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Indonesia is expecting its textile exports to grow at a faster pace this year, driven by increasing overseas orders particularly from the United States and the European Union. The country’s textile exports were up 1.76 per cent in 2013 from a year earlier, as demand dipped significantly due to the continued global economic slump. Domestic textile manufacturers expect textile exports to be up five per cent this year compared to 2013.
Indonesia and 28 European Union members have planned to resume negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement after several delays. The deal is estimated to triple Indonesia’s textile exports within five years. The US was Indonesia’s top destination for textile exports, purchasing $4.1 billion worth of textile products. Indonesia controlled a 4.9 per cent share in the US market throughout last year. Japan and Turkey became the second and third main export markets. Japan would continue playing a key role to boost exports this year thanks to the trade deal that Indonesia implemented with the East Asian country since 2008.
Other traditional markets, such as Middle East and African countries, would also help drive exports. Aside from textile exports, Indonesia also sees a brighter outlook in the domestic market this year, anticipating sales to expand by approximately 7 per cent.
Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, the former textile, paper and emulsions arm of Clariant will have a presence at Indo Intertex 2014 with eco-advanced innovations. Indo Intertex will be held in Indonesia from April 23 to 26, 2014. This is Indonesia's leading textile and garment machinery exhibition. It will be concurrent with Inatex for textile products and Indo Dyechem for chemical and dye-stuff.
Archroma’s value-adding textile dyes, chemicals and services promote the creation of exciting, quality textiles using more environmentally-friendly and sustainable manufacturing processes. From yarn to cotton flocks, to terry towels, woven and knitwear, the Blue Magic process allows savings of up to 50 per cent in water, 40 per cent in energy and 50 per cent in time. Blue Magic is a one-product solution for discontinuous pretreatment that achieves an advanced brightening effect as well as providing higher productivity, simplified handling, better uniformity and improved dyeability.
Optisul C dyes for denim enable manufacturers to expand their color horizons with a new range of six dyes especially designed to produce soft denim colors in continuous dyeing processes. Innovative water and soil management finishing technology is offered by Archroma’s expanding range of next generation C6-based fluoro chemicals Nuva N for state-of-the-art stain management.
Archroma
www.indointertex.com/, archroma.com/
Giusy Bettoni and C.L.A.S.S. (Creativity Lifestyle and Sustainable Synergy) are participating in ongoing fashion week in Ljubljana being held from April 14 to 16, 2014. They are showcasing sustainable fashion at the ‘Italian Festival in Slovenia’ today, organized by The Italian Trade Agency (ICE) and by Adria Media Ljubljana.
Giusy Bettoni presents the trends of Italian eco-sustainable fashion bringing a selection of brands that have been working for long to offer contemporary design and quality but under the respect of a correct use of raw materials and of production processes.
Brands Bioneuma, Goodsociety, Na2rale, Opificio V, Retro, Silenzio Stampa, will show in front of a wide audience consisting of industry professionals and other delegates at the Kino Siska, centre of the Slovenian Fashion Week. The presentation will be the renewed occasion of collaboration between C.L.A.S.S. and The Italian Trade Agency (ICE) office of Ljubljana, to show that fashion today can definitely be a blend of creativity, innovation and responsibility.
Milano Unica, the semi-annual trade show dedicated to the textile industry, will be held in Milan, Italy from September 9 to 11, 2014. The main objective is to showcase Fall/Winter trends for 2015-16. Milano Unica presented the Fall/Winter directions characterized by boldness and experimentation. Much like the earlier three editions, the presentation was held in the presence of exhibitors, specialized press, designers and product experts from the foremost fashion houses and style studios on both the domestic and international levels.
This edition will focus on a mix of materials like lace with neoprene, mohair with crystals, and melton with vinyl. Color flash with thermo-pigmentation, intarsia, ribbon trim; density from felting, bonding with membranes, resins; brilliance with plasticized, laminated, crystallized surfaces. Structures in motion like radial quilting, progressive crinkling, curved pleating and a blend of accessories.
The season will be marked by healthy individualism, with a strong sense of personal, where the spirit of each individual will be able to thrive using experimentation and daring. The themes of the season are masculine aura and grand vision. Colors feature 26 tones divided into four ranges: frozen, digital, eclectic and contemporary. The Trend Area is an added plus at the fair.
www.milanounica.it/ENG/home.php
