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A recent Vogue Business poll reveals consumer opinion of leather has plummeted in recent years. Conducted by Morning Consult, a survey of 2,000 British and American residents showed that 37 percent of people in the UK and 23 percent in the U.S. consider leather as a somewhat or very inappropriate material to use in clothing.
Labels like Stella McCartney and Veja have already found success using animal-free alternatives. Since the inception of her brand, McCartney has been staunchly anti-fur and leather, while sneaker brand Veja responded to customer requests and launched a biodegradable version of its popular V10 sneaker in October.
Though popular leather alternatives including polyurethane and PVC are often described as “vegan,” yet are essentially plastic and petroleum based. PVC in particular releases toxic fumes, such as cancer-causing BPAs and phthalates. It’s also unclear whether the lifespan of genuine leather exceeds that of leather alternatives, potentially reducing waste.
Therefore, companies are now experimenting with biodegradable, plant-based alternatives to polyurethane and PVC but their higher price and cardboard-like texture often turn customers off.
The Home Textile Exporters’ Welfare Association (HEWA) has sought Prime Minister Modi’s intervention for release of pending dues under the RoSCTL, a taxes and levies rebate scheme. In March, the government had announced the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies on Export of Garments and Made-ups (RoSCTL) scheme which provides rebate on all embedded taxes on exports, but HEWA claims exporters are yet to receive the refunds from this scheme which are pending since last eight months.
A delegation from HEWA met Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani in September and had detailed discussion on pending RoSCTL dues. Under the scheme, maximum rate of rebate for apparel is 6.05 per cent while for made-ups, this goes up to 8.2 per cent. The made-ups segment comprises of home textiles products such as bed linen, pillows and carpets.
Indonesia has imposed duties on imports of textiles and textile products. These duties, to the tune of 67 per cent, are a safeguard measure to protect the domestic upstream industry from a surge in imports and encourage the use of domestic products.
Indonesia has seen a jump in imports of textiles and textile products. Imports of textile fabrics rose by 74 per cent between 2016 and 2018. Imports of textile products, such as some types of synthetic yarns, doubled in the three years to 2018. Indonesia imports products from China, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, among others. The restriction is aimed at protecting domestic producers of products such as certain types of yarns, fabrics and other goods. The reasoning is that products that can be produced domestically should no longer be imported. Textile importers have to gain approval before they can ship in textile goods. With economic growth, and a shift in demand from basic clothing to functional clothing, such as sportswear, the national textile industry is building production capabilities and increasing economies of scale in order to meet the demand in domestic and export markets. Companies that have been so far oriented to local markets are being encouraged to become more export oriented.
Pakistan’s apparel exports have increased 17 per cent. The second phase of the free trade agreement with China will be operational from December 2019. This will relax tariffs for Pakistan’s garment sector, allowing it to enhance its export volumes. The textile sector will focus on value addition.
Pakistan is framing a long term and comprehensive textile policy. The aim is to increase Pakistan’s share in world garment exports. Its small and medium sector will be promoted and developed. A task force will focus on facilities and incentives to attract investors to this sector. The task force will also work on the development of genetically-modified cotton seeds and ensure consistency in business policies. The industry wants levies on cotton imports removed so that textile exports can go up. The country’s textile exports constitute more than 60 per cent of total exports. Knitwear exports comprise 14.4 per cent of total exports. Readymade garment exports have a share of 12.5 per cent in exports. Bedwear has a 10.7 per cent share in exports. A special energy package was extended early this year to the erstwhile zero-rated industry to provide it a competitive energy tariff to expand and increase exports. Pakistan’s textile industry has become viable after a gap of ten years, especially through the provision of regionally competitive energy tariffs.
Fespa will be held in Turkey, December 5 to 8, 2019. This is an event for screen, textile and digital wide format printing. It includes printed interior décor applications. Printers and sign makers attend the event. It brings together a buoyant specialty printing community. Visitors can have access to a comprehensive line-up of suppliers of technology, materials for printing and sign-making, consumables and accessories. The exhibition will be packed with innovations from more than 250 exhibiting brands. Fespa’s profile as the leading European exhibition for textile printing continues to increase. Vendors offered new textile printing solutions.
The aim is to move the Fespa global print expo to an annual cycle and make every event a comprehensive showcase of all processes and products. The 2019 edition is 30 per cent larger than the last event in December 2018 and will accommodate 20 more exhibitors, providing the region’s specialty print community with a substantial showcase of technologies and consumables for screen, digital and textile print. Visitors will be given access to an expanded choice of suppliers and even more solutions to explore. The expo is a forum for meeting customers face-to-face, making concrete sales and developing business pipelines. Printers from all parts of the world attend but particularly from Europe and the Middle East.
The 19th Shanghai International Exhibition on Textile Industry, organised by Shanghai International Exhibition, Shanghai Textile Technology Service & Exhibition Co and Adsale Exhibition Service, will focus on textile technology and innovative life applications including knitting, hosiery, spinning, weaving, digital printing, dyeing, etc. The show will be held at Shanghai New International Expo Centre (Pudong) from November 25-28, 2019. Over 1,200 exhibitors at home and abroad participate in the show under the theme of ‘Smarter Textile • Better Life.’ In addition to the exhibition, the expo will also hold a series of industry prospective thematic forums and activities around the four themes of ‘Textech Galaxy,’ ‘Digital,’ ‘Materials and Cross-border Innovation’ and ‘Green,’ providing an exchange platform for visitors to closely follow the ‘Digital Textile Fashion Trend.’
The three series of activities of ‘Textech Galaxy’ will be the highlights of the 2019 exhibition. Various exhibitions, lectures, conferences and competitions will cover the latest technologies for the textile industry 4.0, artificial intelligence and supply chain optimization of textile and fashion industry, so as to prepare for the future market demand. In W5 Pavilion, the exhibition will launch ‘Textech Start-up Star Zone,’ ‘Textech Innovation Lecture’ and ‘The second Shanghai International Textile Intelligent Manufacturing Summit Forum,’ which will provide a platform for science and technology innovative enterprises to display brand-new fashion technology, including heating fabrics, 3D customised jeans, artificial intelligence production management scheme, light self-cleaning yarn and clothing insect prevention technology.
Sri Lanka is recycling 30 per cent of its waste into fabric and brushes. Trischel Fabric, a subsidiary of MAS Holdings, has produced 4500 meters of fabric with yarn made of waste plastic bottles, including those collected from Sri Lanka’s beaches. MAS Holdings, a maker of intimate, sports and swimwear, has launched an initiative to collect beach plastic. Most of the brands MAS works with are expected to stop using virgin polyester raw materials by 2025.
Sri Lanka cricket team’s World Cup jersey in May 2019 was made with recycled yarn. It takes about ten PET bottles to produce enough yarn to make a jersey.
Companies around the world are implementing recycling solutions that are sustainable and business friendly. American start-up AlgiKnit makes fibers from kelp that can be spun into yarn. AlgiKnit offers a solution that can transform the highly polluting textile industry into a circular economy by using biomaterials. After having been used, this seaweed textile can serve as compost or animal feed. It also reduces the carbon footprint of the clothing industry, because no harmful fiber particles are lost during washing, such as is the case with polyester. The company is working on a prototype of a T-shirt and sneakers will be next.
Tommy Jeans Sport Tech Denim is Tommy Hilfiger’s capsule collection inspired by the past. The collection turns the clock back to 1997, when clashing color block patterns appeared on everything from hoodies to fanny packs, and street wear blurred the line between men’s wear and women’s wear. The latest drop includes 15 unisex pieces colored with teal, navy and lavender hues inspired by the street wear of the late ’90s. The piece that’s perhaps the most reflective of the time and the most iconic within the collection is the sport tech jacket. With metallic blue coloring and pops of red and white, the jacket is almost a larger depiction of the Hilfiger and Tommy Jeans logos, which are featured on the left shoulder and arm. Also included in the collection is the sport tech hoodie, available in teal, navy and orchid. It features a Tommy Jeans logo on the chest, as well as enlarged logos vertically stacked on the left arm. The opposite arm features a metallic graphic. The capsule also includes a sporty polar fleece with a bold geometric pattern, a multi-print T-shirt and colorfully striped T-shirt, and street-inspired accessories such as fanny packs and beanies.
The brand is also digitizing its design process.
Exhibiting commitment to sustainable fashion in Indonesia, Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) participated in the Bali Fashion Trend Spring Summer 2020 was held in Bali from November 07-09, 2019. The domestic designer creation event was organised by the Indonesia Fashion Chamber (IFC). It raised the theme of sustainable fashion as outlined in a number of works made from viscose or rayon fabric that were produced in a sustainable manner.
The concept of sustainable fashion and "Everything Indonesia" would strengthen the opportunities of the domestic textile industry. The concept aims to encourage the use of local products, where all parties are invited to use raw materials originating and produced in Indonesia and oriented to the welfare of society, such as rayon fiber produced by APR.
In the fashion show at the Inayah Putri Bali Hotel, APR collaborated with designer IFC Sav Lavin and Eny Ming to present 16 Indonesian-style clothing made of rayon.
Ten designers have made it to the finals of the International Woolmark Prize. The finalists have been selected from over 300 applicants, from 47 countries. They represent diversity in the global fashion industry and show promise in their commitment to innovative practices. The global final will be held in February 2020.
Among the finalists is UK’s Samuel Ross who launched A-Cold-Wall in the fall of 2015. Having studied graphic design and illustration, Ross creates handcrafted graphic garments that have a stark urbanity. South Korea’s Shin Kyu Yong and Ji Sun Park have been selected for creating Blindness, known for its gender-less, bold silhouettes, dramatic layers and lavish embellishments of pearls and frills. Instead of shying away from heavily gendered design elements, Shin Kyu Yong and Ji Sun Park blend these elements to create collections that are playful and subversive. Feng Chen Wang is a Chinese-born men’s wear designer. Ireland’s Richard Malone has an unwavering commitment to sustainability and is strongly against the concept of mass production, often releasing collections in strictly limited numbers.
The Woolmark Prize celebrates outstanding fashion talents from around the globe who showcase the beauty and versatility of Merino wool. It was first held in 1953 as an initiative of the International Wool Secretariat.
