FW
Invista’s Cordura brand has launched a new Cordura Combat Wool fabric made in collaboration with Marlane, a division of Biella Manifatture Tessili S.R.L, a leading producer of fabrics for elegant and high-end casual wear of Mongrando BI, Italy. Marlane combines traditional wool with innovative research and technology to offer leisure-chic fabrics for the workplace. Officina Endurance that will come into the market at the end of this year is a range of performance wool fabrics for menswear, crafted to merge fashion and function in the contemporary suiting market.
Cordura combat wool fabrics are designed not only to look fashionable, but also to function comfortably making them an ideal choice for the stylish professional on-the-go. The new fabric is Marlane’s prestigious addition to its family of Cordura brand authorized mills.
Cordura combat wool woven fabric, a durable wool blend technology, aims to offer enhanced abrasion resistance and longevity. From the commute to the boardroom, the Officina Endurance collection is the epitome of fashion meets function for the modern male, according to the manufacturer.
With leading brands including Lycra, Coolmax, Cordura, Stainmaster and Antron, Invista is one of the largest integrated makers of chemical intermediates, polymers and fibres. The company’s Cordura fabric, known for its resistance to abrasions, tears and scuffs, is a primary ingredient in many high-performance gear and apparel products ranging from luggage, upholstery and backpacks to footwear, military equipment, tactical wear, work wear and performance apparel.
Sixty-five readymade garment factories in Bangladesh have completed corrective measures recommended by the two platforms of western buyers and retailers. Thirty of these factories come under the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a platform of European retailers and buyers. Forty-one factories come under the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, a platform of North American buyers and retailers.
The total number of these factories is 71 but six of them are common on the lists of Accord and Alliance. These readymade garment factories received a letter of recognition from the buyer groups. Alliance expects all factories to sustain their commitment to safety through ongoing efforts to maintain the investments already made. Accord will do follow-up inspections at the factories which successfully completed remediation. These might identify new safety findings that would also require remediation.
Following the Rana Plaza building collapse, North American retailers and EU buyers undertook a five-year plan which set timelines for inspections and training and workers’ empowerment programs in Bangladesh’s readymade garment sector.
Alliance has so far conducted initial inspections at 759 factories while Accord inspected 1,600 factories. Due to failure to make required progress in remediation, Alliance so far has cut business relations with 104 supplier factories and Accord has terminated business ties with 41 factories.
Baba Ramdev-helmed Patanjali will soon to enter the textile manufacturing sector. The yoga guru expressed hope that the group's growth rate will swell to 200 per cent in the next fiscal with this inclusion. After venturing in the textile manufacturing sector, Haridwar-based Patanjali group will not only make traditional kurta-pajamas, it will come out with foreign wears like jeans as well, revealed Ramdev. He further disclosed that the Patanjali group wants to throw up Rs 10,000 crores income avenues to farmers in farming, milk production and other sectors in the next 2-3 years. He said that big economies globally were facing a slowdown but our economy stands strong.
Pakistan has taken a number of steps to enhance exports of cotton products. The textile policy for 2015-19 envisions doubling the exports of the textile and clothing sector from 13 billion dollars to 26 billion dollars. In order to reduce the cost of doing business, electricity tariff for industrial units has been reduced. Availability of affordable finance for the export sector has considerably improved.
Duty-free import of textile machinery is continuing during the current financial year. A technology up-gradation fund scheme for the textile sector has also been formulated to help boost exports of textile products. Exports of cotton yarn from Pakistan have risen while its consumption by the domestic value added textile sector has declined. Since consumption of cotton yarn by the value added textile sector has reduced exports of cotton yarn have increased.
Pakistan is the fifth largest producer of cotton in the world, the third largest exporter of raw cotton, the fourth largest consumer of cotton, and the largest exporter of cotton yarn. Meanwhile the power loom industry in Pakistan is facing a serious financial crunch. It has to bear the brunt of imports as well as multiple direct and indirect taxes including sales tax. More than half the power loom units have already closed down and unemployment has reached dangerous levels.
From January to September 2016 textile production in Kyrgyzstan has decreased by 30.3 per cent and clothing production by 15.8 per cent. Reasons include the financial crisis in partner countries such as Kazakhstan and Russia. The textile and clothing industry in Kyrgyzstan comprises mainly of small and medium-sized enterprises. It’s the highest export earner after gold and food.
Kyrgyz sewing companies have benefited from Kyrgyzstan's entry into the EEU. The cost of fabrics imported to Kyrgyzstan has increased only by seven to eight per cent while there are now no customs procedures at the border and delivery of goods to Russia has become one day shorter. Freight forwarders have reduced the cost of delivery of clothes from Kyrgyzstan to Russia by half.
At the same time, the garment industry faces problems. Most apparel businesses do not have their own premises, and the rented premises are often not suitable for production. The industry also suffers from limits on electricity consumption and shortage of skilled workers and working capital.
In order to adapt to increasing competition, apparel companies need better knowledge of the market, administrative and operational management skills, and better access to financial resources. The dollar appreciation and depreciation of the Russian ruble against the Kyrgyz som affected Kyrgyz exports.
This year’s ITMA Asia + CITME has Karl Mayer offering its innovative solutions for warp knitting, weaving preparation and technical textiles. In the fields of its expertise, the innovative market leader is showcasing its advanced products simultaneously in two places - in hall 4.1. on stand A 30 in the NECC and at an in-house show at Karl Mayer (China) in Wujin, Changzhou.
At the exhibition, visitors can also see an extensive range of products. The focus of the in-house is on the production of lace and an important new development will be setting new standards for multi-bar jacquard machines in terms of the cost: benefit ratio. This new machine is demonstrating its potential by making a fashionable lace for the outerwear market. The first of the machines have already been sold. In, Wujin, Changzhou, the company is also showing a new double-bar raschel machine that produces fashionable shoe designs and a direct warping machine for warp knitting with a new, hybrid operation.
Tricot machines are the focus of the presentation in the NECC. Karl Mayer will be continuing with the generation change that it introduced at ITMA 2015 in Milan. Manufacturers of technical textiles can see some new ideas for lightweight constructions on the company’s stand in Shanghai.
Currently, Karl Mayer is working on a gradual generation change for its HKS machine series which will delight its customers. The company is showing the fourth generation of its HKS 3-M at the exhibition premises. These extensive modifications have focused on the ergonomic machine design and the Kamcos® 2, a completely new automation platform.
After the resounding success of the first edition, the next edition of Intex South Asia is back, bigger and better than ever before with a new and powerful curated platform that enables a wider scope for both exhibitors and buyers to connect, network and expand. The fair to be held in Sri Lanka, between November 17 to 19, is the only international sourcing show in South Asia that brings together over 150 global suppliers of yarns, apparel fabrics, denims and clothing accessories from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and more.
This year there has been an 42 per cent increase since last year. Sri Lanka is the ideal location for a pan-regional show given its strategic location, logistical connectivity and neutrality. Intex South Asia focuses on the South Asian region because it is the second largest hub for textile and apparel manufacturing in the world, second only to China.
Like the inaugural edition of Intex South Asia in 2015 that had a grand opening, this year too, the proceedings are to be grand. Intex South Asia is endorsed by the High Commission of India, Colombo; the Export Development Board of Sri Lanka (EDB); Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) and other trade bodies in Sri Lanka, South Asia and other regions. Intex South Asia, with its theme “One Show – One Platform – One World”, would attract garment exporters and manufacturers, buying houses and agents, importers, distributors and traders, trading houses, local and international retail chain stores, apparel brands and fashion labels, design studios, government bodies and trade associations etc.
The sourcing show, is bringing international suppliers to Sri Lanka which will enable manufacturers to get world class fabrics on time thus increasing their competitive edge globally. At the same time, Sri Lanka’s central location in the region makes it an excellent point for re-exports.
The major factors which will decide cotton prices in India in the coming months are exports and domestic mill demand for cotton. Cotton supply in the domestic market is expected to be sufficient as export and consumption will be lower during the current cotton season.
Total availability of cotton is pegged at 398 lakh bales versus an estimated consumption of 309 lakh bales. Exports are expected to decline by 40 per cent in 2016-17 as compared to last year. The yield forecasts for cotton will increase by 10 per cent due to a sudden spell of heavy rains in the cotton growing regions of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana and Karnataka during the last weeks of September. But there are every chances of delay in arrivals.
The area under cotton is lower this year because farmers have sown other crops like maize and pulses due to lower profits, increasing vulnerability to pest attacks, and declining groundwater levels due to two years of drought in the country, especially in the northwest.
It will still be time before peak arrivals start after Diwali, during December and January, due to late harvest expected in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Due to prospects of higher crop production in the country, prices of cotton have been falling during the last two months of the cotton season.
The made-ups and home textile segment is likely to be covered under the Rs 6,000-crores special package that was approved by the Union government for the garment sector, says Union textile minister, Smriti Irani. After presenting the Texprocil awards, the minister said that her Ministry was actively considering extending the benefits of special package to the made-ups and home textile segment which had been excluded from its ambit. The idea is to extend the special package recently approved for the garment sector to made-ups and home textile. An announcement is likely to be made around Diwali.
The made-ups and home textile segment is more labour intensive than the apparel sector and has the capability of generating sizeable new employment. At the same time it will act as a pull factor for increased consumption of fibre, yarns and fabric produced domestically, she went on to say. The minister appreciated the industry's efforts to remain the leading exporter and assured all help to it. Hinting at the prime minister’s vision of doubling the income of farmers by 2022, she averred that it was a matter of joy that the farm yield has already increased and the country hopes to become a leading producer of cotton.
Earlier, R K Dalmia, Chairman, The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil), said that the special package of Rs 6,000 crores for the apparel sector was a step in the right direction given the current scenario of world trade and international competitiveness. The reimbursements of State and Central levies along with labour reforms would strengthen the textile sector by improving its cost competitiveness in the global market, he said.
Considering that textile is a low margin industry, introduction of such packages can lead to an exponential leap in export performance. This can be seen from the fact that in September 2016 export of garments showed a 12 per cent growth amid a downward trend in most other sectors, Dalmia claimed.
Around 150 participants from 24 countries attended the ‘European Textiles – going digital, going high-tech’ conference in Brussels on October 12 and 13. The main highlight of the event, organised by the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing (Textile ETP), was the unveiling of the Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA) that has been jointly developed by over 100 textile industry, technology and research experts from across Europe.
Advanced fiber-based materials, digitisation of manufacturing and supply chains, new sustainable and customer-centric business models and access to growth markets will shape the future of the textile and fashion industries in Europe, it was stated. Moreover, SIRA has outlined the major innovation themes and research priorities which are expected to drive and shape the future of the textile and clothing sector in Europe in the coming decade.
The document entitled ‘Towards a 4th Industrial Revolution of Textiles and Clothing’ expresses the conviction that the interplay of technology trends such as digitization and automation, market trends such as growing technical textile applications and more demand for sustainable fashion products and new business models such as circular and sharing economy concepts and personalized product-services. This will provide a new basis for a more knowledge-intensive, growing and more profitable textile and clothing industry in Europe.
The strong presence of the textile machinery sector at the conference through companies such as Brückner, Lindauer Dornier and Picanol, underlined the importance of a close collaboration between world-leading Europe-based technology developers and their local lead industry customers to exploit advantages arising from greater resource efficiency, digitisation and new material processing. The conference also featured a number of new companies exploiting research know-how and advanced technologies for revolutionary textile based products for the health (Bioserenity), construction (Lucem, Raina Industries), energy (MACO Technology) protection (Clara Swiss Safety Tech) or outdoor (inuheat) markets.
