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Instead of spinning off its Old Navy brand, Gap Inc aims to operate the brand in a more rigorous and transformational manner that empowers its growth. The company expects the brand’s full-year 2019 profit to be ‘moderately above’ its previous projection of $1.70 to $1.75 a share because of “better-than-anticipated promotional levels over the holiday period.
Founded in 1969 in San Francisco, Gap rose to prominence as a denim emporium selling jeans from Levi Strauss & Co., another Bay Area institution. It helped pioneer the vertical integration of retail and started producing its own branded goods. By the 1990s it had transformed into a fashion juggernaut, jumping on the khaki-pants trend and building up robust secondary brands in Banana Republic and Old Navy.
But struggles started in the middle of the next decade as mall traffic declined and operational issues cropped up. One of the most famous missteps came in 2010, when the company unveiled a new Gap logo. Some shoppers complained, so it reverted to the old logo just a week later.
A new research by sustainable fashion brand Labfresh ranks Italy as the worst textile polluter in Europe with the UK coming not far behind in fourth place. The study gathered data on a range of indicators, including the total amount of textile waste, spending on new clothing per person, and yearly exports of worn clothing, to rank European nations based on the sustainability of their fashion industries.
Italy was branded the biggest polluter, with the country producing 466 tonne of textile waste every year. Italians also spend a proportionately large amount on new clothing each year, at £920 per person.
The UK came in as the fourth worst offender, although its total textile waste is less than half that of Italy, at 206 tonne per year. Brits spend a similar annual sum on clothing to their Italian counterparts, at £980 - despite the country's GDP per capita being 25 per cent higher. In contrast, a Mediterranean nation also produces the least textile waste, with Spain discarding just under 99 tonnes of textiles a year. That's 2.1kg per person, compared to the UK's 3.1kg.
Of the 3.1kg of annual textile waste each Briton produces, only 0.3kg are recycled and 0.4kg are reused. However, 0.8kg are incinerated and 1.7kg are disposed of in landfill.Only Austrians spend more a year on clothes than Brits, totalling £1,082 per person. The study also looks at where the clothing industry has the greatest share of gross domestic product (GDP). The UK came in third, at 3.1 per cent. Portugal claimed first place, at 4.1 per cent.
Purchased by Canadian company Gilden Activewear in 2017, fashion retailer American Apparel is planning to make a comeback in the retail market. The company landed in bankruptcy court in 2015 and in 2016. At its peak, the fashion retailer was synonymous with made-in-LA hipster cool and provocative advertising. It was known for manufacturing its products in Los Angeles and paying workers a proper wage in an industry known for poor working conditions.
However, allegations of sexual harassment surfaced around its founder Dov Charney, and people started to wonder if American Apparel’s overtly sexualized image went too far. In 2014, the board of American Apparel ousted Charney. The board also asked its CEO Jan Rogers Kniffen to voluntarily step down and relinquish control over his 27 per cent ownership stake in the company, or be forcibly removed. Using old, discredited allegations to terminate Kniffen, the company embarked on a well-financed media campaign to discredit his track record as a successful executive and entrepreneur.
Data from Hong Kong-based quality control company QIMA shows, sustainability progress has stagnated in global supply chains as trade struggles drew the focus to finding new places to manufacture. Over 18 per cent factories audited in 2019 had critical ethical violations, of which almost 40 per cent were related to working hours and wage non-compliances. Violations related to child labor were recorded in 3 per cent factories, a slight improvement since 2018.
The number of factories designated as ‘in need of improvement’ grew to a record high last year, from 37 per cent in 2018 to 44.5 percent. This coincided with a drop in the percentage of compliant ‘Green’ factories (down 4 points), signaling that buyers were more likely to settle for ‘good enough’ ethical performance, instead of driving continuous improvement in their supply chains and securing progress through regular follow-up.
In Southeast Asia, average ethical scores dropped 4.6 per cent from the previous year. On the other hand, ethical compliance in Chinese factories improved by an average of 5 percent compared to 2018. China continued to see ‘incremental improvement’ in manufacturing quality: 24 per cent products inspected in Chinese factories were outside specifications in 2019, compared to 27 per cent the year prior. Regions ramping up manufacturing as a result of the trade fallout with China, however, are struggling to maintain consistent quality amid increased production levels.
Cifra returns to Milano Unica with an innovative concept collection of technical and upper casual outerwear. This collection, resulting from scrupulous planning and careful development in the Research and Development department of the company based north of Milan, coming from the need to create a new versatile and essential outerwear, with a technological and sustainable soul.
A style that taps into the travel wear trend and that provides a new generation of ultra-comfortable, technical, design garments that fully represents Cifra's overall technical and stylistic heritage.
The garments are made with the patented Warp Seamless Knit technique in pre and post-consumer sustainable yarns traceable and certified to preserve true ethical value alongside the Zero Waste program for the reduction of production waste.
The new UNIC - CONCERIE ITALIANE campaign has been designed in collaboration with Spring Studios, the international agency.
The aim is primarily at end consumers, so that they can appreciate the absolute value of a product of made in Italy excellence, whose identity is grounded in its unquestionable features of naturalness, durability and creativity, within the circular economy.
To achieve this goal, the REAL LEATHER IS REAL SUSTAINABILITY campaign will be aired worldwide on the web and on social networks, using traditional channels and through specific events. Particular attention will be dedicated to places and moments where media attention will enable it to obtain a greater audience for its messages.
The new UNIC campaign aims to raise awareness of leather and its qualities, especially among the younger generations, and to get across in how many ways it has always been a shining example of the circular economy. Leather, in fact, is a by-product of the food industry which would otherwise be subject to waste disposal techniques that have a great impact on the environment. Italian leather is produced by a sector, the tanning industry, consisting of 1,200 companies located mainly in 4 regions (Veneto, Tuscany, Campania and Lombardy) and employing in the region of 18,000 people.
Italian leather is world leader in value terms, dominating the European scene with a 62% share of production volumes (22% on a global scale) and is unique in the world for its recognized sustainable approach based on tangible values of transparency and strict compliance with the most stringent regulatory constraints in terms of safety, quality, responsibility towards consumers, traceability and animal welfare.
Considering all the reasons, the Italian leather promoted by UNIC - Concerie Italiane is proudly second to none and rejects the critical perceptions that surround leather, which are the result of disinformation, hypocrisy and media manipulation.
Saurer will showcase spinning and embroidery machines at ITME Africa 2020 expo that will be held at the Swiss Pavilion in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. To be held from February 14-16, 2020, the event will focus on economic growth, employment generation, and technology up-gradation in Ethiopia and other countries in Africa.
At the exhibition, visitors will learn more about Saurer’s extensive spinning offerings, which enable customers to process a wide range of fibers depending on their needs using ring-, worsted- and compact- or rotor-spinning technologies. Autoairo, the group’s new double-sided air-spinning machine, will also be introduced to prospective clients, according to Saurer.
Further, Saurer will also enlighten visitors about Epoca 7, its shuttle embroidery machine. Developed with over 150 years’ experience, this technology enables embroidery plant owners to embellish their fabrics according to their clients’ specifications, thus creating an array of designs ranging from traditional to haute couture. Additional attachments for the application of cords, ribbons and sequins as well as for laser-cutting patterns further broaden the variety of possible creations.
UK fashion designer Stella McCartney has launched a new collection of biodegradable jeans in partnership with the Italian manufacturer Candiani Denim. The new line uses Coreva stretch technology and is produced using organic cotton wrapped around natural rubber, which as a result, produces a fabric that is free from plastics and micro-plastics. It will be presented at the McCartney’s autumn/winter 2020 show in May.
The collection includes 10 pieces in two colors and five styles. There are two flared pairs, one cropped, the other long, and a beautiful straight leg cut with a mid-waist. The biodegradable jeans will be available in-store and online globally from May 2020.
Stella McCartney held a 50:50 joint venture with Kering until last year, before the designer bought back 100 per cent of the company and pursued new partners in France. The sustainable luxury company sealed an agreement with France’s other luxury giant, LVMH, which has bought a minority stake in the brand.
Burberry, the British luxury fashion giant, plans to hold its Fall 2020 runway show in Shanghai on April 23, 2020. The show will include new looks designed specifically for the Chinese market, which will be available to purchase exclusively in China in stores and online.
The brand’s Fall 2020 show will be presented in London on February 17, during London Fashion Week. Its catwalk last season saw the brand leverage the star power of its brand ambassadors — singer Kun Chen, actress Dongyu Zhou, and rapper Lucas Huang.
Burberry has 61 stores in China and is set to open a social retail store in Shenzhen Bay as part of an exclusive partnership with Tencent during the first half of 2020. Previously, Burberry hosted a holographic show in 2011 for the opening of its Beijing flagship store and another catwalk in 2014 for the opening of the Shanghai Kerry Center. Nonetheless, this is the first time the brand has chosen to show a full collection in China and with new looks created entirely with Chinese consumers in mind.
In a classic case of administrative delays hampering development, tax refunds worth Rs 5,000 crore ( .70 billion) are pending with the government. In March 2019, the government introduced a new scheme for the garment exports sector. Called the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL), the scheme sought to refund the taxes on inputs paid by the sector. However, it’s been 10 months since the introduction of the scheme and refunds are still stuck with the government.
In a classic case of administrative delays hampering development, tax refunds worth Rs 5,000 crore ( .70 billion) are pending with the government. In March 2019, the government introduced a new scheme for the garment exports sector. Called the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL), the scheme sought to refund the taxes on inputs paid by the sector. However, it’s been 10 months since the introduction of the scheme and refunds are still stuck with the government.
Tax rebates and subsidies to deal with capital crunch
Schemes including RoSCTL and the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) total 9 per cent of the total sales of these exporters. There is no clarity yet on the new rates under the two schemes, which has pushed Indian garment exporters into distress. Dominated by small businesses, these exporters face a huge capital crunch with salaries of their employees and vendors remaining unpaid. Some stakeholders say, the garment industry is on a ventilator and is about to die. To revive, the industry needs urgent action including tax rebates and subsidies. Any inaction, on part of the government is likely to push the industry towards bankruptcy and unemployment.
Employment generation and policy revamp
One of the government’s biggest worry is creating jobs for the masses. In the January 2018 edition of Economic Times, Arvind Panagariya, the ex-vice chairman of NITI Aayog
noted the Indian apparel sector needs to create jobs like RIL and Shahi Exports do. For this, it needs to tackle its shortcomings like low productivity levels of its garments. For this, India can create plug-and-play hubs with facilities like effluent treatment plants and dormitories for workers.
India also needs to revamp its trade policies and provide duty free access to its markets like Vietnam and Bangladesh who have grabbed the majority pie of the global apparel market.
Use of smarter fabrics
Another change that India needs to make is the adoption of smarter sophisticated fabrics that are capable of absorbing moisture, are heat resistant and have greater stretchability. Measures such as lowering the duty on synthetic raw material, strengthening weaving and processing industry and becoming FFI compliant will help the industry to grow.
Though the government has introduced initiatives such as flexible labour laws and wage subsidies, these efforts thus far have been half-hearted and piecemeal. To capture a major share of the $480 billion industry, we need a more coherent and coordinated strategy.
