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The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA)’s research project “Revolutionary Relaxation Process for Sweater Manufacturing” was selected as one of the winners of the R&D 100 Awards in the category of process/prototyping. The project involved joint collaboration with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU).
The R&D 100 Award is one of the world’s most prestigious innovation awards programs. It honors R&D pioneers and revolutionary ideas in science and technology. HKRITA’s award-winning project involved research into restoring the desired properties and performance of knitted fabrics using a novel relaxation process.
Relaxation of knitted fabrics is a prerequisite to the restoration of their properties and performance, and HKRITA has developed a low-pressure relaxation (LPR) process. Unlike the conventional washing and tumble drying (WTD) process, which features mechanical agitation, the LPR process applies micro-agitation to achieve sweater relaxation. In this way, the LPR process restores more effectively the sweater properties of dimensional stability, fabric appearance, and hand feel.
The process is based on the principle that when air pressure drops, water evaporates and its volume expands. The force field created by water vapor expansion in a garment acts on its fibers and yarns. An agitation action occurs, which has a relaxation effect on the garment. The new process is far more sustainable than the conventional one since it is faster, consumes less energy and discharges no water.
"One of the reasons for these brands’ failure in the Chinese market is their conflicting ideas on doing business in China. However, there are a multitude of reasons for their failure in China that from bad timing to cultural missteps or inflexibility. Also, the Chinese market changes much faster than those in the US and Europe. On other hand, Western brands are slow to react to changing trends. Their lack of understanding of the legal and cultural environment leads to most failures."
In recent years, China has become a predictor of future retail trends. The new retail model promoted by Chinese e-commerce giants like Alibaba and Tencent is “revolutionising the retail-scape” and is perfectly in line with changing consumer behavior. Therefore, these days a brand’s success in the Chinese market has become absolutely necessary for its global success. Failing in the Chinese market signals total global failure for these brands. Some recent examples of this are brands Macy’s and Forever 21, whose failure in China has made them the latest victims of the retail apocalypse.
Slow adoption of global trends leads to failure in China
As per Harvard Business Review, one of the reasons for these brands’ failure in the Chinese market is their conflicting ideas on doing business in China. However, there are a multitude of reasons for their failure in China that from bad timing to cultural missteps or inflexibility. Also, the Chinese market changes much faster than those in the US and Europe. On other hand, Western brands are slow to react to changing trends. Their lack of understanding of the legal and cultural environment leads to most failures.
Be it Bay’s failure to build connections with consumers, Macy’s disregard for the local culture, Amazon’s failure to adapt to local market or Forever 21’s flawed marketing strategy. These Western brands commonly ignore market considerations while breaking the rules of engagement with Chinese consumers.
Brand success stories in China
However, all is not lost as there are some Western brands who have translated their Chinese triumphs into an overall resurrection. Some of the most prominent examples are struggling luxury retailers like Tiffany & Co. and Salvatore Ferragamo who have successfully reinvented themselves as premier players in China.
Similarly , LVMH and Kering too have recorded stellar performances in the Chinese market as their best performing brands — Louis Vuitton and Dior for LVMH and Gucci and Saint Laurent for Kering — rely heavily on Chinese consumers. These examples reiterate the fact that the Chinese market can either make or break brands. Furthermore, luxury retailers that implement a “new retail” concept — even in Western societies — can replicate their Chinese success globally as both consumers and markets across the world are becoming just as sophisticated as the Chinese consumers.
Seamless multi-channel experience in China
A few years ago, consumers were looking for personalised services and chose stores that offered it. Harvard Business Review states this has changed now as consumers now expect a more sophisticated approach in their retail interactions. This has led to brands offering seamless multi-channel experiences, highly personalised products, made-to-order services, and persistent personalised customer experiences. Luxury brands that are serious about future success should look to China for inspiration and impulse.
China’s Canton Fair featured more than 9,000 cloth and textile stands covering children's wear, underwear, accessories, sports and casual wear, men’s and women’s clothes, raw materials and home textiles.
Chinese companies showecased their raising capability in global operations, smart manufacturing and new product development. Sunrise Carpet offered flame-retardant silk and cotton blended carpets. Artweaver merged elements from native American culture with its denim fabric in its new impressionism-style carpet. Xique offered a towel made of bamboo charcoal fiber which can thoroughly clean pores and wash away dirt for a fresh experience. The company has covered developed markets such as Japan, Russia, Thailand, Singapore and Canada, and is adding new categories to its product line and introduced pillows to this year's Canton Fair.
An incubator for small and medium-sized companies, and an engine for market leaders, Canton Fair helps textile companies have fruitful results and encourages exhibitors to present new products and new technologies as well as to expand their market. The event is a platform where buyers need no longer visit the factory but pick up product samples on-site. This helps companies establish business relationships and raise brand awareness with partners. In addition to innovative design concepts, companies can look for new materials.
In the first quarter of the current fiscal year, garment exports from Bangladesh dropped 1.64 per cent year-on-year. Earnings from the sector fell 11.52 per cent short of the quarter’s target. While the country’s apparel exports have taken a hit in recent months, competitors have seen a rise in exports. Garment shipments from Vietnam increased by 10.54 per cent in the same quarter. It was 2.2 per cent for India and 4.74 per cent for Pakistan.
The second biggest apparel exporter globally, the Bangladesh garment manufacturing sector is not having the best of times lately. In the last seven months, 59 garment factories have gone out of business while around 25,900 workers have lost their jobs. Most garment factories are small and medium enterprises and they fail to maintain compliance strictly and pay their workers under the new wage structure.
Labor costs are rising across Asia and Bangladesh is no exception. Factories in Bangladesh have grown in a haphazard fashion, some even operating on the upper floors of office or residential buildings. Western apparel makers feel more secure buying from countries like China and Vietnam, where manufacturing is better planned and organized. Price pressure is intense. Western customers are demanding that prices be kept under control.
Sutlej Textiles’ net sales were Rs 643.90 crores during the period ended September 30, 2019, as compared to Rs 666.89 crores during the period ended June 30, 2019. Net profit was Rs 16.64 crores for the period ended September 30, 2019, as against Rs 7.43 crores for the period ended June 30, 2019. EPS was Rs 1.02 for the period ended September 30, 2019, as compared to Rs 0.45 for the period ended June 30, 2019.
Net sales were Rs 643.90 crores during the period ended September 30, 2019, as compared to Rs 708.73 crores during the period ended September 30, 2018. Net profit was Rs 16.64 crores for the period ended September 30, 2019, as against Rs 24.61 crores for the period ended September 30, 2018. EPS was Rs 1.02 for the period ended September 30, 2019, as compared to Rs 1.50 for the period ended September 30, 2018.
Net sales were Rs 1310.79 crores during the six month period ended September 30, 2019, as compared to Rs 1344.64 crores during the six month period ended September 30, 2018. Net profit was Rs 24.07 crores for the six month period ended September 30, 2019, as against Rs 32.52 crores for the six month period ended September 30, 2018. EPS was Rs 1.47 for the six month period ended September 30, 2019, as compared to Rs 1.99 for the six month period ended September 30, 2018.
Ferrari is collaborating on an apparel line with Giorgio Armani. This is part of the carmaker’s strategy to squeeze more out of its brand value. In the third quarter, earnings before interest, taxes and amortization rose 11 per cent. Revenues rose nine per cent. Ferrari, based in Italy, aims at earning ten per cent of earnings before interest and taxes within a decade from three defined brand extension areas: apparel, entertainment and luxury services. Ferrari has long had one of the world’s most recognizable brands, but it has only recently translated that into value. Its brand value grew from $4 billion in 2014 to $8.3 billion in 2019.
As a part of the new strategy, Ferrari will focus the use of its brand, reducing licenses by half and eliminating a third of the product categories currently available. Besides the apparel line to be produced in Italy through a long-term deal with Armani, Ferrari will expand its entertainment offerings, which currently comprise theme parks in Abu Dhabi and Spain and two museums in Italy, with driving simulation centers to leverage its Formula 1 racing heritage. The third category, luxury services, will include a new restaurant with Michelin-star chef Massimo Bottura to open next year at the Maranello headquarters, which already has a Ferrari-themed hotel.
Origin Africa was held in Tanzania from October 28 to 30, 2019. Experts from the public and private sector forecasted the future of the East African cotton, textile and garment industry. During Origin Africa 2019, designers demanded more attention and appreciation for their role. While in India, for instance, designers work with factories and factories work with designers, East African designers hardly have any training working with factories and brands. Their creations are not respected or rewarded as intellectual property.
Even Tanzania is inhabited by over 100 tribes with their own colorful clothing traditions but outside the country garments called kanzu (a white or cream-colored tunic for men) and khanga (a more colorful dress for women) are considered to be the traditional attire of Tanzania.
Employment in the East African textile and apparel industry, including Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, could reach 80,000 jobs in 2025 and 2,00,000 in 2030. Garment exports from the region could reach 1.4 billion dollars in 2025 and double to 2.7 billion in 2030. Within two or three years Madagascar is expected to be Africa’s biggest apparel exporter to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, beating Kenya and all other AGOA-entitled African countries.
Global cotton consumption is expected to fall this year. Decrease in consumer confidence; trade war are two major reasons. China will continue to be the main cotton consumer. Mexico and Pakistan, meanwhile, will increase their imports by 48 per cent and eight per cent respectively.
India is expected to produce six million tons of cotton in 2019-2020. The surge in production due to a bigger cultivated area and a boost to yields from above-average monsoon rains is likely to bring down prices. But India still has to import cotton. This is because certain grades such as contaminated free certified cotton and extra long staple cotton are not produced in India.
For the moment though high cotton prices in India have kept the industry burdened with low earnings. Since Indian supplies are uncompetitive due to higher prices, buyers are giving preference to Brazil and the US. The expectation is that bumper cotton production in the new season could damp prices and make exports viable. The minimum raw cotton buying price has been raised by 38 per cent in two years even as global prices were corrected to their lowest level in more than three years.
Garmon has unveiled a revolutionary patented technology that reduces the amount of water and energy utilised in garment finishing. Smart foam will allow manufacturers to follow a sustainable and accessible garment production. Unlike traditional process, where the chemical carrier is water, in smart foam technology the chemical carrier is a special foam created with new technologies. Smart foam is capable of developing a range of finishes, unique designs and concepts from traditional styles.
Apart from a significant reduction in water and energy consumption, application of chemicals through smart foam helps save water to the extent of 80 per cent. The system requires room temperature to process the treatments. So the energy required is reduced. It is also the easiest and most affordable system for saving water in garment finishing. Compared to the nebulisation system, the all-new smart foam technology can load chemicals three times faster in the washing machine and requires no sealed equipment thereby allowing technicians to interrupt finishing treatments and check garments with safety and ease. The technology can be utilised with any type of traditional or advanced washing machine.
Garmon, a brand for chemical solutions for the denim and fashion industry, also offers easyfoma and easyfoam pro.
Intex will be held in Sri Lanka from November 13 to 15, 2019. More than 200 suppliers from 12 countries are expected to participate at this textile trade show and promote their business and explore new business opportunities in South Asia and other markets. Textile fabrics, yarns and accessories will be exhibited.
Fashion for Good will give insight on trends and technological innovations in textile, driving sustainability in the value chain; Better Cotton Initiative will highlight sustainability in textiles for a better understanding of environmental, social and economic sustainability; Cotton Council International will present the latest in research, highlighting new ideas in technology, fashion, blends, processes etc.
Intex South Asia provides a robust platform for untapped South Asian intra-regional trade, by delivering access to industry developments, networking opportunities and strategic initiatives with other global suppliers from across South Asia and the world to help expand industry and business, in one location, under one roof. While agility, flexibility and digital solutions have become the crucial drivers of success, partnerships and relationships form the core. Intex South Asia provides an excellent forum for all stakeholders of the industry from Sri Lanka and overseas to build and develop these relationships. This exclusive networking platform is useful for importers, wholesalers and agents.
