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The hosiery industry in Ludhiana, Punjab has taken a big hit because of policies adopted by successive governments. Demonetisation and shoddy implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) by the present central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi added to the woes initiated by the earlier Manmohan Singh led UPA government that allowed free access to 46 textile items for Bangladesh. The adverse impact on the 12, 000 hosiery units has been deepened by the shutdown of Kashmir, with a major impact on sales in the Valley.
Since August last year, very few Ludhiana made sweaters, pullovers, caps, jackets, gloves and blankets have made their way into Kashmir. Dozens of units have shut down on account of the fall in demand. This has led to unemployment and despair among the former employees. This cut in production has led to a cut in the income of those in the professions of packaging, local and outstation transportation of produce.
Meanwhile, the provision of duty free access to hosiery items from Bangladesh continues to play havoc with the hosiery manufacturers in Ludhiana. Misusing these incentives many Indian traders have opened export units in Bangladesh. However, quite a large number of these items are not manufactured in Bangladesh but in China, Vietnam and Taiwan.
The recent plenary meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) appointed several new officers in the Standing Committee for the coming year. They include: Maha Zakaria of Egypt as Chair, Selman Kurt of Turkey as First Vice Chair and Anshul Sharma of India as Second Vice Chair respectively. The Standing Committee meets in Washington, DC, at the ICAC Secretariat’s offices or a member’s embassy, every two months to receive updates on the ICAC’s activities.
According to ICAC Executive Director Kai Hughes, With Zakaria serving as Chair of the Standing Committee, the ICAC is well positioned to continue improving its strategic initiatives — adding value for members, increasing the effectiveness of our communications, increasing demand for cotton and forming partnerships with key industry organisations. The experience she gained while serving as Chair ad interim during the second half of 2019 will serve her well. The appointment of Selman Kurt and Anshul Sharma as the First Vice Chair and Second Vice Chair, respectively will also benefit the committee.
Bardot plans to close almost 60 stores across Australia. The brand employs 800 people at its stores across the country. The move comes after poor performance of the company’s brick and mortar outlets, despite promising activity in other segments. The brand has recently expanded into the US and Europe. In the last five years, business has grown significantly offshore and capitalised on its Australian heritage by distributing through high-profile international department stores.
Bardot opened 25 years ago as a women’s fashion brand. It is a coquettish, sensual, and sophisticated brand. Each piece has a perfect balance of femininity and naughtiness. The line features jaw-dropping dresses and tops. Over the next two months, Bardot’s retail network will shrink to just 14. Despite double-digit growth in online sales, Bardot’s retail stores in Australia have had to compete in a highly cluttered and increasingly discount-driven market. Bardot joins a growing list of fashion brands that are facing troubled waters in Australia, including Karen Millen, Ed Harry and Roger David.
The year gone by was a tough one for Australian retailers. Australian consumers have kept their cash close over the last year, leading the retail sector to broadly suffer considerable declines in sales.
As the per recent SLAEA data, Sri Lanka’s apparel exports grew by 2.8 percent to $459 million in November 2019 due to an increase in production capacity and re-routing of supply chains amid the US-China trade war. Its total apparel exports from January to November 2019 grew by 5.8 percent to $4.85 billion.
Sri Lanka’s total apparel exports to the EU grew by 10.99 percent to $191.0 million in November 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. The total exports to EU from January to November in 2019 grew by 5.7 per cent to $2.03 billion. These exports increased on account of the continued leverage of GSP Plus preferential tariff benefits and market certainty with Brexit coming to a conclusion.
However, the country’s exports to the US declined by 4.8 per cent to $208 million in November 2019. This decline was mainly on account of a continuous slowdown in sales of Victoria Secret, which is a large customer of Sri Lanka. Victoria’s Secret posted a 7 percent fall in same-store sales in the US and Canada in the third quarter ending November 02. Its parent company L Brands posted a loss of $0.91 per share, dragged down by Victoria’s Secret’s performance.
Premium was held in Germany, January 14 to 16, 2020. This is an European business platform for women’s and men’s contemporary fashion. Sustainability and bright colors, be it metallics, fluorescents or lively hues, characterized the offer of many sportswear and denim brands for fall/winter 2020-21.
Denham presented its newly launched collaboration with Candiani Denim using a special bio-cotton denim added with plant-based biodegradable stretch fibers. The outer jacket brand Refrigiwear also aims to take a more sustainable direction and did it by launching a capsule collection of sustainable jackets made with hazardous-chemical-free Limonta fabrics produced according to reduced environmental impact production cycles. The brand also uses sustainable paddings such as Sorona, Thermore and microflock. When delivered to stores they hang on recycled plastic hangers and are wrapped up in biodegradable material envelops.
Loads of bright and lively colors and metallic hues are the real must of the season. Among the companies that played with metallics and lucid surfaces were Canadian Classics, Invicta, Bomboogie and Refrigiwear. Opting for fluorescent yellows and acid greens was Colmar, which also offered lots of different clashing color mixes in the same jacket. Also hot are teddy bear effect jackets–either used for inner linings (as Colmar did) or as cuddling jackets.
Denim Première Vision will have take place in Berlin from November 24 to 25, 2020. The trade show is international both in terms of its exhibitors and visitors. Exhibitors and visitors will be presented an environment rich with inspiration and business opportunities. Berlin was chosen as it is at a crossroads of cultures. From Berlin the show aims at attracting more countries, especially in Northern Europe like, Sweden and Norway, Netherlands, Belgium and Eastern European countries such as, the Czech Republic. By setting up in Berlin, Denim Premiere Vision is taking a step forward in exploring the denim industry today and tomorrow.
Berlin has a rich history and is open to different subcultures and identities. It is cosmopolitan, technological, contemporary and strongly focused on eco-responsibility. The city is a unique mix of creativity, art, music and history. The Berlin fashion industry boasts 2,800 registered companies, including 800 designer labels–from high-end to street wear brands–and a broad array of eco-responsible collections. It also hosts 60 annual events, which bring together over 70,000 professionals. And, also important, it hosts eleven fashion and design schools therefore ensuring a constant injection of fresh ideas.
Despite recording impressive growth figures in recent years, Vietnam’s textile and apparel sector has failed to become deeply involved in the global supply chain. Most domestic businesses in the sector outsource to foreign businesses. Although the nation has recorded a trade surplus in yarn and garments, it has suffered a hefty trade deficit in fabric and fiber. Domestic fabrics meet less than 50 per cent of the sector’s demand, forcing the country to import huge amounts of fabrics every year. Yarn output over the last 20 years has grown 12-fold. Local firms during 2019 produced over 2.5 million tons of yarn, of which exports reached more than 1.5 million tons, while fabric output also soared by six times. In spite of these strong figures, products supporting the garment and textile sector failed to meet demand, especially garment products for exports. The supporting industry has been unable to produce fabrics and raw materials that meet requirements regarding quality and diversification of goods.
If Vietnam is unable to meet the goods origin requirements under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, then it will face challenges when it comes to enjoying the preferential treatment from these free trade agreements.
Nonprofits are launching programs to prevent and eradicate child labor in Mexico’s fashion supply chain. World Vision Mexico, a Christian aid organization, and C&A Foundation, the philanthropic arm of European clothing chain C&A, will be rolling out the two-year initiative in six communities across Tehuacán in the state of Puebla, a region known as much for denim production as for its high degree of social inequality. More than 59 per cent of Puebla’s population lives in poverty.
Tehuacán is an area with a high rate of violence, and other situations where human rights of children, adolescents and adults are being violated have also been identified, such as human trafficking and child labor. Child labor is prevalent among providers in the textile industries. The project will feature a comprehensive approach that includes training on how to conduct detection sessions, keep children and adolescents in school, and create public awareness campaigns at the community level.
World Vision Mexico and the C&A Foundation will also be working to revise protocols on researching child labor in the region and craft more effective strategies for protecting children’s rights. Interventions through the program are expected to have a direct effect on 500 children and an indirect one on 2,000 more.
Primark is intensifying programs to increase levels of organic and sustainable product in its stores. The retailers is increasing five-fold its sustainable cotton program so that by 2022 it will have trained 1,60,000 farmers in India, Pakistan and China in more sustainable farming practices.
The Primark price point is such that it continues to draw customers in. Primark, which trades from 376 stores but does not have an online offer, generates about half of AB Foods' revenue and profit. The group also owns major sugar, grocery, agriculture and ingredients arms. Its reported revenue rose four per cent year on year on a constant currency basis in the 16 weeks to January 4. 2019. Primark sales rose 4.5 per cent on the same basis, driven by new store openings. Like-for-like sales growth was flat. In the UK, Primark's sales rose four per cent, with a marginal decline in like-for-like sales but a gain in market share. Primark also achieved like-for-like growth in the euro zone and in the United States, where it is looking to open more stores.
Major UK store groups are not expecting a bounce in consumer spending in 2020 after a subdued Christmas, partly blaming continuing Brexit uncertainty.
India will not allow any imports without the HSN code. Standards will be set up for Indian goods and services to meet international requirements so that brand India is recognised in the world as a provider of quality products and services. The aim is to have zero tolerance for sub-standard products and services from the industry and consumers and to have a commitment for quality, sincerity, customer satisfaction and not be the second best. India’s free trade agreements with other countries have not led to the growth of trade and business because poor quality products and services get restricted with non-tariff barriers when exported. The United States has 8,000 technical barriers to trade (TBTs), Brazil has 3,879, China has 2,872 and India has only 439 TBTs.
The new Bureau of Indian Standards Act is taking a fresh look at all standards for goods and services to balance the interests of consumers with that of the industry that will enable the culture of quality to take root in the country. The sixth National Standards Conclave was organised in New Delhi this month by the department of commerce under the ministry of commerce and industry, the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Bureau of Indian Standards, the Export Inspection Council of India, the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies and the Centre for Research on International Trade.
