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New recycled fibers and technologies are allowing the denim industry to become increasingly good at making old feel and look new. Lenzing is ramping up the amount of waste it’s recycling for Refibra—a request that’s coming directly from the denim market. In 2019, Lenzing will begin offering Refibra made with 10 per cent more post-industrial cotton, increasing the amount of waste recycled from 20 per cent to 30 per cent.
Lycra has made strides to improve performance of stretch technologies, and advance both their comfort and sustainability in denim. The company’s latest innovation, Lycra T400 with EcoMade technology, maintains the stretch, recovery and retention characteristics of Lycra T400 fiber but with a sustainable twist.
Lycra T400 with EcoMade comprises 68 per cent sustainable fibers. Fifty per cent of the fiber is made from recycled PET and 18 per cent made from plant-based materials. The fiber fits in nicely with brands that have 2020 sustainability goals to meet, and lives up to the performance standards of its popular predecessor.
Mills are also creating circular economies in their own production. Italian denim mill Berto has introduced Pianeta, a fabric made with 35 per cent cotton and 65 per cent cotton yarn regenerated from its own production waste.
Bangladesh’s readymade garment industry has forayed into a few new areas of late. The country has been exporting winter wear to West for around 30 years. Eighty per cent of the products made by the country's export-oriented apparel factories were for long limited to traditional items like blankets and sweaters generally made of cotton.
Germany tops the countries that import large volumes of winter clothes from Bangladesh. Others are Europe, the US and Australia. Suits and blazers are major exports. Manufacturers find them as highly promising value-added products. Apart from traditional readymade garment makers, specialised tailoring houses are now engaged in making suits and blazers for exports.
Still at a nascent stage, suit-blazer factories are at present dominated by five or six houses. One of them is capable of shipping readymade suits worth $26 million a year. It aims to export suits and blazers worth $100 million by 2021. Orders from industrialised countries like the UK, the US, Japan and Germany continue to pour in.
Great prospects notwithstanding suit manufacturing sector is plagued by a lot of drawbacks. The most glaring is the lack of skilled hands and required technology.
PETA France has announced the winners of third edition of 2018 PETA Vegan Fashion Prize, which is the third edition of the awards. Burberry, Versace, Maison Margiela, Jean Paul Gaultier and Diane Von Furstenberg emerged winners of the Biggest Luxury Fashion Moment award in the high-fashion segment. The awards in the Biggest High-Street Moment category were bagged by Comptoir des Cotonniers, Promod, Princesse Tam Tam and Lacoste.
The developer of fake-fur via recycled plastic bottles, Ecopel, bagged the Innovation Award while the Best Vegan Shoe Collection went to Studio Céleste, the footwear line of Galeries Lafayette. UK-based e-retailer Asos bagged the Most Progressive Retailer Award as it banned dealing with collections made of cashmere, silk, duvet, feathers and mohair across its platform.
Other award winners include: Magnethik for Best Wool-Free Coats, Ashoka Paris for Best Vegan Bags, and Napapijri for Best Cruelty-Free Parkas.
"India’s textiles sector has witnessed a spurt of investment in the last five years. The industry attracted FDI worth $2.97 billion from April 2000 to June 2018. Some of the major investments in include a new skill development scheme named 'Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SCBTS)' by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), with an outlay of Rs 1,300 crore ($202.9 million) from 2017-18 to 2019-20. Investments worth Rs 27,000 crore ($4.19 billion) recorded by the industry from June 2017-May 2018."
India’s textiles sector has witnessed a spurt of investment in the last five years. The industry attracted FDI worth $2.97 billion from April 2000 to June 2018. Some of the major investments in include a new skill development scheme named 'Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SCBTS)' by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), with an outlay of Rs 1,300 crore ($202.9 million) from 2017-18 to 2019-20. Investments worth Rs 27,000 crore ($4.19 billion) recorded by the industry from June 2017-May 2018.
Strong domestic consumption leads to promising future
The future looks promising, buoyed by both strong domestic consumption and export demand. The domestic textile industry is estimated to reach $250 billion by 2019 from $150 billion in November 2017, while cotton production in India is estimated to have reached 34.9 million bales in FY18. In FY19, growth in private consumption is expected to create strong domestic demand for textiles.
Textile and apparel exports are expected to increase to $82 billion by 2021. Exports of textiles and apparels from India
reached $13.0 billion in FY2019. Manmade garments remain the largest contributor to total textile and apparel exports from India, contributing 24.53 per cent to total textile.
Favorable initiatives lead to growth
The Textile Ministry earmarked Rs 690 crore ($106.58 million) for setting up 21 RMG manufacturing units in seven states for development and modernisation of textile sector. Additionally, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) revised rates for incentives under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) for two subsectors of the industry – RMG and Made ups -- from 2 to 4 per cent.
As of August 2018, the government has increased basic custom duty to 20 per cent from 10 per cent on imports of 501 textile products, to boost Make in India and indigenous production.
The government also announced a special package to boost exports by $31 billion, create one crore jobs and attract investments worth Rs 80,000 crore ($11.93 billion) during 2018-2020. As of August 2018 it generated additional investments worth Rs 25,345 crore ($3.78 billion) and exports worth Rs 57.28 billion ($ 854.42 million). It has taken several measures including Amended Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS), scheme is estimated to create employment for 35 lakh people and enable investments worth Rs 95,000 crore ($14.17 billion) by 2022
Texworld USA will take place from January 21 to 23, 2019. This is the largest fabric sourcing event for the North American market. Speakers will dwell on topics like the impact of sustainability on the industry and the development of China’s eco-friendly sourcing solutions. The educational component is designed at enhancing the event as a whole, opening the door to more engaging discussions between exhibitors and attendees while providing real-life solutions that can be applied now.
This year’s program is designed to offer insightful and informative sessions for every role and level of experience across every segment of the industry. Innovations in textile dyeing, sustainability, ethical solutions, tariffs and trends are among the many sessions offered on this year’s comprehensive educational platform. Interactive sessions will address current issues facing the industry, from supply chain changes to the impact of environmental textile trends.
Style narratives will provide clear direction for fabrics, prints, accessories and footwear for all fashion markets. The concept of using recycled or upcycled materials, from plastic water bottles and mushroom roots to fabric remnants and used jeans, is helping reinvent the textile industry. Textiles are one of the worst contributors to landfills, various forms of pollution and use of natural resources.
One of the key priorities for the Social and Labor Convergence Project (SLCP) is to steer the industry away from duplication of efforts in auditing. Between 90 and 95 per cent of auditing has been found to be homogenous, meaning a waste of time, resources and effort for many firms. A converged assessment will, it is hoped, allow the sizeable resources previously designated for compliance audits to be redirected towards the improvement of social and labor conditions throughout the supply chain.
The convergence offered to companies by the organisation can redirect valuable resources towards capacity-buildings programs, or programs that really make a difference. SLCP, having started out with 33 signatories in October 2015, now has the support of 190 organisations.
Following its successful first phase in China and Sri Lanka, SLCP’s operation will be rolled out to eight new countries. SLCP operates an agnostic framework. Data is gathered and collated without any value judgments being made. The process of applying subsequent analytics, scorings or ratings is left in the hands of those utilising the resource. Major brands doing business in Sri Lanka have committed to adopt this tool for their suppliers.
The SLCP is also transitioning its name from project to program – indicating a level of determination to ensure the longevity of its work. This new moniker will be in place from January 2019.
Prices of polyester industrial yarn have gradually stabilized in China. Prices edged up in January to October 2018, hitting a five-year high. Operating rate of PIY plants was relatively stable in 2018, with a low level appearing during the spring festival on a turnaround and peaking in January to August. The operating rate change was mainly due to the turnaround in some mainstream big units like Guxiandao and Unifull.
Many plants have added capacity or plan to expand capacity. If the new capacity in 2019-2020 starts operation as scheduled, the downstream market may need at least eight years to consume the excess capacity.
Huaya has increased production to 250 mt a day. The new products focus on conventional coarse deniers like 3000D. Taizhou Sanwei’s new unit is scheduled to begin operation in the first half of 2019. The on-spec goods are conservatively anticipated to appear in August, which may have limited influence on the actual production in 2019. Hengli’s new plant has been delayed for many years. Billion plans to add new textile filament and PIY capacity in two years.
The production chain of most PIY plants is relatively short, with hardly any supporting unit of the industrial chain, especially upstream equipment. Most PIY plants are medium-to-small sized units, not even having a PET fiber chip equipment.
Nike remains bullish about growth in China in spite of the trade tensions between the US and China. The US has threatened to impose tariffs on footwear and apparel imported from China. Nike has not yet seen any impact on its sales in China and does not expect to see any major fallout. It is bullish about its potential to deliver strong, sustainable growth in this important geography. During its fiscal second quarter, Nike’s sales in China grew 26 per cent. That was the fastest pace of any division.
For the 18th consecutive quarter, Nike saw double-digit revenue growth. Singles’ Day, China's biggest online shopping day, broke records for the company. Nike, based in the US, sources more than 20 per cent of its goods from China.
The company’s stock was up six per cent in extended trading after Nike beat estimates on both its top and bottom lines and provided a optimistic outlook despite macroeconomic conditions. The retailer is anticipating currency-neutral revenue growth between the high-single digits and low-double digits for its current fiscal year.
However potential tariffs are the most important consideration for the company going into 2019. Until it is known whether the tariffs are being enacted, it's hard to predict where Nike is headed in the coming quarter.
Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics will be held from March 12 to 14, 2019. This edition will see new pavilions and more accessories. The industry looks to the fair for future trends, leading innovations and long-lasting partnerships. Buyers range from garment manufacturers, trading companies, designers, retailers, e-commerce stores and more – providing unparalleled opportunities across the textile supply chain.
The fair’s timing, after Chinese New Year, will maximise opportunities from the strongest sourcing time of the Chinese apparel industry. As well as being located in the ideal place to access the China market, the fair consistently attracts a steady flow of international visitors. Last year’s spring edition saw fashion-forward buyers from destinations such as Italy, Japan, Korea, the UK and the US.
A steady growth in buyer numbers is seen each year at Intertextile. In 2018, there were 82,314 buyers from 104 countries and regions, a 15 per cent increase from 2017. Exhibitors will fill six halls, covering an area of 160,000 sq mts. To further ease the sourcing process, the Intertextile product zones will return, with products organised into easy-to-navigate display areas. Visitors can meet all of their sourcing needs, conveniently grouped into product zones.
A series of seminars and panel discussions will offer expert industry insights, while the Intertextile Directions Trend Forum will prompt the spring/summer 2020 sourcing season.
IndustriALL Global Union trade union affiliates representing garment workers at H&M have agreed upon a global dispute resolution mechanism with the Swedish fashion giant, as a part of IndustriALL’s global framework agreement (GFA) with the company. The GFA with H&M has a National Monitoring Committees made up of representatives from unions and H&M to implement workers’ rights under the terms of the GFA. The NMCs are active in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Turkey.
The NMCs met for its second global meeting in Phnom Penh from December 10 to 12, and were also joined by participants from India and Pakistan, who will form NMCs in 2019. The participants debated a set of dispute resolution recommendations and reached an agreement on a framework. Under this framework, they agreed many procedures to solve disputes over working conditions, occupational safety and health, trade union representation, prevention of conflicts, taking labor actions and negotiating in good faith starting from shop-floor-level to factory level.
