A Citi Research survey finds that Nike and Adidas have regained their popularity with Chinese consumers following uproar in March with several Western companies over their stance on China’s Xinjiang region.

As per a SGB Media report, Nike, Adidas, H&M and other major Western apparel brands had faced a boycott in China over past comments the fashion brands made about labor conditions in Xinjiang’s Western region, home to Muslim Uighurs, becoming embroiled in a diplomatic row between China and the West. China denied allegations of human rights abuses after the European Union, U.S, Britain and Canada imposed sanctions on the officials.

Citi’s September survey followed a survey of 1,000 Chinese consumers conducted in June that was already showing a gradual recovery in the health of western athletic brands.

When asked which athletic brands they considered purchasing next, 81 percent of Chinese consumers surveyed indicated they planned to buy Nike in September, up from 48 percent in the June survey. For Adidas, 49 percent said they planned to buy Adidas, increasing from 31 percent in June.

Peak and Li Ning were down significantly on purchase intent from June to September, with 7 percent and 4 percent of respondents considering purchasing Peak and Li Ning in September, down from 54 percent for both in June.

US’ import of brassieres – foundation garment and shapewear category –remained positive in January-July ’21 period.

As per an Apparel Resources report, the of US’ brassiers imports surged by 54.34 per cent during the seven month period to reach $1.60 billion. All top five exporting countries in brassieres category saw double-digit growth to the US while Honduras – the 7th top shipper – grew in triple digits.

China’s shipments grew by 54.36 per cent on Y-o-Y to $525 million while Vietnam clocked $313.14 million, increasing its export by 55.43 per cent on Y-o-Y basis during the period

Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Bangladesh shipped brassieres products to US worth $ 149.22 million, $147.85 million and $93 million, respectively; noting 39.40 per cent, 70.59 per cent and 46.58 per cent yearly growth.

Honduras doubled its shipment of brassieres products to $52.75 million and witnessed a whopping 107.12 per cent yearly growth in the US market.

The demand for a wide range of products, such as control camisoles, corsets, body shapers, singlets and body briefs, is likely to boost the market growth even more in the US in months to come.

Nike Inc has cut its fiscal 2022 sales predictions as it expects the holiday shopping season to be delayed due to a supply chain crunch that has left it with soaring freight costs and products stuck in transit.

The Beaverton, Oregon-based company now expects a mid-single-digit increase in full-year sales growth, versus the low-double-digit increase it had previously estimated.

Nike also expects second-quarter revenue growth to be in the range of flat to down low-single digits versus the prior year due to factory closures. Brokerage BTIG this month downgraded Nike's stock, saying the risk of significant cancellations beginning this holiday and running through at least next spring has risen materially for Nike.

Nike’s revenue rose to $12.25 billion from $10.59 billion in the first quarter ended Aug. 31, while analysts on average had expected $12.46 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. The brand’s net income rose by 23 per cent to $1.87 billion, or $1.16 per share, in the first quarter.

Apparel retailers have had to grapple with higher raw material costs, and spend more on shipping to get their products in stores on time. Apparel companies including Abercrombie & Fitch and Adidas AG have also taken a hit to their businesses due to production issues in Vietnam. Lockdowns in many parts of the country are set to last at least until the end of September.

Messe Frankfurt is launching a new trade event, under the name Val:ue, for the mainstream fashion segment.

As per a Spin Off report, the event will be held parallel to the core events as part of Frankfurt Fashion Week from January 18-20, 2022.

The trade show will represent new looks and groundbreaking trends for the coming season from the segments of women's and men's clothing, shoes, leather goods, accessories and lifestyle, with the focus on companies with great brand awareness and a good distribution network that position themselves as drivers of innovation in retail.

In addition, Val:ue is to be supplemented by the pre-stage topic of Apparel Sourcing in Fashion. In this area, established as well as emerging players will show turnkey solutions for all participants of the fashion market–including white labels and private labels.

The new event will also address the topic of sustainability. It will support the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations. The SDGs will already be addressed at the inaugural event and will become a binding condition of participation for all participating companies from 2023.

A technology platform that enables consumer goods companies to measure, manage, and share the social and environmental impacts of their full value chain, Higg has launched a new program enabling comprehensive traceability across the global supply chain. As per Textile World, the Higg traceability program aims to fast-track global brands’ efforts to track the hidden impacts within their manufacturing processes, ensure fiber integrity, and to understand, communicate, and accelerate product sustainability.

The Higg traceability program is designed to enable consumer brands to identify and share the supply chain provenance of billions of items with their upstream value chain partners and highlight and disclose sustainability information – on their own and other ecommerce platforms – to the public and other stakeholders.

The program launches with a cohort of innovation partners including atma.io by Avery Dennison, FibreTrace, and TrusTrace: leading solution providers in the end-to-end tracking of materials and product origins, and unified in identifying and illuminating essential sustainability management data. These providers will be integrating their unique services onto the Higg platform in order to connect a network of 45,000 users, 500 brands and retailers, and tens of thousands of manufacturers’ factories, bringing product chain-of-custody tracking to the robust platform.

US denim producer Cone Denim has appointed Amie Borges as the new Senior Vice President-Commercial Strategy. As per a Spin Off report, Borges will lead the global sales team and work closely with the product, operations and manufacturing teams.

Prior to joining Cone Denim, Borges served in a number of leadership roles across apparel brands, most recently as Vice President Sales - North America and Asia with 7 for all Mankind. Throughout her diverse roles, she has led brand transformations and revenue growth, while overseeing all aspects of product life cycles across North America, South America and Asia, Cone Denim states.

A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Amie Borges has a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising Management, Magna Cum Laude. In her new role she is based out of Cone’s New York office and will begin connecting with customers over the coming weeks.

Cone Denim operates as part of Elevate Textiles, Inc. with manufacturing capabilities in Mexico and China and a global network of sales, product and merchandising professionals based out of Greensboro, NC, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

A Delhi-based footwear firm, Empyrean Luxury plans to use the ‘PETA-Approved Vegan; mark to help shoppers choose vegan items and accessories. House of Anita Dongre, Welspun India, Purvi Doshi, Paperdom, and PAIO are among the other Indian companies, designers, and brands that use the mark.

Recognized for its Italian elegance and high-quality footwear, Empyrean Luxury is celebrating its move from leather to veganism by utilizing the hashtag #WeLoveAnimals on its website and offering a 10 per cent discount to customers who use the purchase code “GOVEGAN.”

By embracing vegan fashion, the company commits to stand as a socially responsible business and never advocate any form of cruelty to animals in any way, says Saksham Chaudhary, Owner, Empyrean Luxury. The company’s most sought-after vegan shoes are designed to assist shoppers in putting an end to cow cruelty.

Maker of sustainably sourced Naia™ cellulosic fiber, Eastman, recently launched its Naia™ fiber in the sweaters/knitwear category. The fiber gives sweaters and knitwear designers more choices and versatility to create, as per a report by Global Fashion Agenda.

A ustainable fiber made from wood pulp, Eastman Naia™ cellulosic fiber offers full traceability from tree to fiber. The fiber is made with the highest safety, social and environmental standards. Eastman’s closed-loop production process allows recycling and safe reuse of solvents and water, resulting in fibers that have a low environmental impact.

Naia™ allows for the creation of sweaters that are comfortable, extremely soft, smooth, breathable and—depending on the blend— feel lightweight to provide longer-lasting comfort.

Made with sustainably sourced wood, Eastman Naia™ cellulosic fiber brings the richness of nature to comfortable and effortlessly luxurious fabrics. The fiber is the perfect choice for fabrics in womenswear. The filament yarn transforms into luxurious, soft, and easy-to-care-for fabrics, while our staple fiber creates eco-conscious blends that are supremely soft and quick drying and consistently reduce pilling, giving designers more freedom and choice.

Alberto Paccanelli, President, Euratex, issued an urgent appeal to European and national authorities to support companies facing a massive increase in their energy costs.

Euratex urged for immediate measures to alleviate the burden of these energy costs, e.g. by reducing VAT on the energy bills. In the longer run, the EU should develop a smart strategy towards ensuring long term sustainable energy supply, at reasonable cost for the industry. If this is not considered, any attempt towards developing a new EU Industrial strategy will be meaningless, since competition with third countries will be devastating.

As the voice of the European textile and clothing industry, EURATEX works to achieve a favourable environment within the European Union for design, development, manufacture and marketing of textile and clothing products.

The EU textile and clothing industry, with around 160,000 companies employing 1.5 million workers, is an essential pillar of the local economy across many EU regions. With over € 62 billion of exports, the industry is a global player successfully commercializing high added value products on growing markets around the world.

Working together with EU institutions and other European and international stakeholders, Euratex focuses on clear priorities: an ambitious industrial policy, effective research, innovation and skills development, free and fair trade, and sustainable supply chains.

Chargeurs*PCC Fashion Technologies has emerged as one of the Global Faashion Agenda’s supporting sponsors for CFS +2021.

Chargeurs*PCC has rolled out a series of innovations since the initial launch of its Sustainable 50 collection, including a line of circular-knit interlining products using an innovative, process patented by partner mill Weemeet that requires no water. At launch, the Chargeurs*PCC sustainable collection offered 50 items, but the range has now expanded to include more than 250 items. In addition, the company can now sustainably manufacture any base material from its catalogue of thousands of products, including nylon, polyester and cotton.

The manufacturer is holistically committed to sustainability and is the only supplier in its market segment to have both signed the UN Global Compact (the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, driving businesses towards supporting the 17 Sustainable Development Goals) and performed Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audits (SMETAs) on its facilities as well as those of its suppliers. The audits cover all aspects of responsible business practice across Sedex’s four pillars of labour, health and safety, environment, and business ethics.