FW
Kashmir sericulture, or silkworm farming, is a casualty of changing regulations, regional political tensions and competition from China. Only about 30 per cent of the silkworm cocoons produced in Kashmir have been used locally to produce silk. The rest is exported to other regions in India and neighboring countries, which convert cocoons into silk more cheaply and efficiently.
Kashmiri silk factories have to find a way to produce as cheaply and efficiently as their East Asian competitors. Competition has meant that many Kashmiri silk producers have abandoned the industry as the price they receive for silk products has declined dramatically. The Kashmir silk industry once held a significant position in the world due to its superior quality and luster. Shortage of mulberry trees for rearing the cocoons is a pressing problem.
Since the 1980s, production has decreased dramatically. By the late 1990s the state was producing only 60,000 kg of cocoons per year. Rates have come down sharply from Rs 1500 per kilogram last year. The rates have touched Rs 500 to Rs 600 per kilogram. Previously prices were kept artificially high in an attempt to grow the silk industry. India is the second largest producer and consumer of silk products in the world.
Milan, Italy will host the PCI Fibres Conference 2015 from November 10-11 at Hotel Marriott, Milan, Italy. Aspects such as prospects for raw materials, fibres and textiles in the context of sustainability challenges, global health issues, and lifestyle and demographic changes will be discussed at the conference. These aspects have implications for the mix of fibres, the manufacturing locations of supply chains, and the production systems that are used.
Presentations will define the quantitative response in terms of fibre demand numerics. They will also touch up on the crucial issue of how to recover value, which is maybe, the most pressing requirement throughout the industry.
There has been unpredictability and chaos since the last two-three years in global fibres and textile supply chains. Supply chains and trade patterns have been reconfigured due to heavy investment in China and volatility in exchange rates in this time period, and overcapacity at all levels has become a major threat to the financial stability of large parts of the industry. Also, raw material prices have gone up dramatically and crashed.
PCI Fibres is a specialist consultancy in fibres and textiles and they are optimistic about rebalance and recovery in the market this year. As per reports, waiting for supply/demand balances to restore the situation will slowly help with the recovery. Directly addressing some of the complex challenges that global consumers present the industry with at every level of activity can help speed up recovery.
ICE Futures US will launch a world cotton contract on November 2, 2015. The contract will price delivery of multiple origins and allow delivery in multiple locations around the world.
Contract rules provide for delivery of cotton from the US, Australia, Brazil, India, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Mali, with the US as par and a pre-set premium or discount for each other. The rules provide for delivery in exchange-licensed warehouses at specified delivery points in Malaysia, Taiwan, Australia and the US, with the Malaysia and Taiwan locations at par and with pre-set discounts for delivery in Australia and the US.
Intercontinental Exchange is the leading global network of exchanges and clearing houses. Its futures exchanges and clearing houses serve global commodity and financial markets, providing risk management and capital efficiency. The New York stock exchange is the world leader in capital raising and equities trading.
ICE Futures US is the center of global trading in soft commodities with futures and options on soft commodities including coffee, cocoa, sugar, cotton and frozen concentrated orange juice. ICE Futures Europe lists London soft markets, including London cocoa, Robusta coffee and white sugar, providing a full range of global soft commodity products on the ICE platform.
Myanmar may lower tariffs on imports of fabrics from Taiwan. Importers of Taiwanese fabrics in Myanmar are currently required to pay 5 to 15 per cent import duties. Lowering of tariffs by Myanmar is seen primarily as a goodwill gesture. Fabrics are one of Taiwan’s few key export items to Myanmar, accounting for 14 per cent of Taiwan’s outbound sales to Myanmar.
Taiwan is thinking of exporting agricultural equipment and modified vegetable seeds and rice seeds to Myanmar in future. The two countries have agreed to work together on commodity inspection technology to lower trading costs. Taiwan will help Myanmar set up a system to speed up the goods clearance process at customs.
Taiwan is planning on bringing in migrant workers from Myanmar to resolve labor shortages in that Taiwan’s manufacturing and agricultural sectors. People in Myanmar share similar religious beliefs and lifestyles with people in Taiwan, making them a good fit in the local economy.
Myanmar has recently opened up its market for imports of goods including textiles from all over the world. The main countries Myanmar imports man-made fiber textiles from are China, Republic of Korea, Japan, Taipei, Indonesia, Thailand.
Through strengthened interactions and synergies between its six shows, the event was able to showcase specifics of business specialties and know-hows. There were 1,924 exhibitors who showcased their latest offerings to nearly 61,700 visitors, who visited the shows this season. Attendance was almost stable in terms of September 2014 edition.
Six integrated shows offer latest under one roof
Exhibitors recognised the quality and professionalism of increasingly international visitors. Visitors pointed out that it was at these shows that fashion directions are confirmed or reversed and they discover new inspirations and ground-breaking developments for their upcoming collections. The dynamism and strong business activity at the latest edition reflect a renewed optimism in a fashion industry looking for innovative, creative and differentiating products.
Each season, the six Première Vision Paris shows meet the same high standards of selectivity, quality and creativity in terms of offer and services. Around 1,924 exhibitors including 154 new companies from 57 countries presented their collections and latest seasonal developments.
Yarns and fibres, fabrics, leathers and furs, designs, accessories and components, fashion manufacturing... for three days, the global event for fashion professionals presents to the world’s fashion players a rich and exclusive offer across its shows. The full integration of Première Vision Paris shows led to collaboration of know-hows, to create connections between exhibitors and showcase interactions between different businesses. This new dynamics enabled some exhibitors - whose skills intersected several shows or businesses - to integrate new areas and reposition themselves to further improve their performance.
Rise in quality visitors from across geographies
Visitors were increasingly international - up by a percentage point this season over prior editions - and came from 132 countries. They were primarily from Europe. France is in the lead with over 16,200 visitors followed by Italy with more than 7,000 visitors. The UK, with 9 per cent of attendance and nearly 5,500 visitors was in the 3rd place. This trio is followed by Spain with more than 3,400 visitors, Germany with 2,982 visitors followed by Belgium and the Netherlands.
Some 13 per cent of industry professionals came from Asia. Japan, a major buyer of fashion and creative textiles, saw increased attendance with 1,901 visitors this session, while South Korea is establishing itself as a true future market for creative fashions, with an 8 per cent rise in visitors. Lastly, despite the recent devaluation of its currency and the slowdown in its economy, China saw a 17 per cent increase in visitors.
With over 2,800 visitors, North America, albeit slightly down due to the coinciding New York Fashion Week, continues to be represented by high number of quality visitors. The US stands in 7th place in terms of visiting countries, with over 2,400 fashion decision makers attending during the three days. For its part, Russian attendance, marked by a 13 per cent decrease, was in line with the September 2014 and February 2015 editions. Turkey is not to be left behind. With 2,350 visitors, this key country in the sector saw attendance rise by 3 per cent, bringing it to 8th place among visitor countries.
Première Vision Paris shows also saw a wide variety of visitors, both in terms of size - from independent designers to international groups, including small and medium-sized enterprises - and positioning - from mass-distribution brands to luxury houses, including medium and high-end fashion and accessory brands.
Events, seminars through the three days
Beyond the exhibition spaces of its shows and the rich and complementary offer they propose, beyond its various forums, each session Premiere Vision Paris organises events and collaborations dedicated to creativity and specific themes, to give food for thought and inspiration to its exhibitors and visitors. Some of these events helped highlight the creative and transversal richness of the shows’ offer, while others made it possible to look ahead to major evolutions.
There were six prize winners for the 7th PV Awards. Until now the PV Awards have distinguished only the most creative and innovative fabrics from the collections of Première Vision Fabrics exhibitors. For the 7th edition, competition was opened up to leathers presented by tanners at Première Vision Leather. Thus, instead of the four usual prizes, six PV Awards were presented this year - three for fabrics and three for leathers.
Like every year September edition of Première Vision Designs partnered with the Texprint competition, open to young international design students at British fashion universities, of which it is one of the main sponsors. The 24 finalists showing at the Texprint Village were a key attraction for buyers, designers and fashion brands looking for new discoveries and ideas. In addition to the five existing prizes, a new Texprint Award was awarded by the competitions’ partners and a jury of industry professionals, presided over by Rosita Missoni.
www.premierevision.com
Ahmedabad-based denim fabric maker Nandan Denim is set to raise Rs 50 crores by issuing 2.5 million fully convertible warrants to UK-based foreign institutional investor Polus Global Fund. Nandan is India’s second and world’s fifth largest integrated denim fabric maker. The warrant holder will have to pay an amount equivalent to at least 25 per cent of the consideration on or before the allotment of warrants while the balance 75 per cent shall be payable on or before the time of exercise of the warrants.
The UK-based FII currently holds 1,35,000 shares or a 0.30 per cent stake currently in the company, which will increase to 2.63 million shares or 5.48 per cent post conversion of the warrants into equity shares.
The company will use the fresh funds for expansion projects. Nandan Denim is in the middle of its capex execution with an outlay of Rs 612 crores for expansion of its denim fabric manufacturing capacity, spinning capacity and shirting capacity. The capex has a requirement of equity funding to the tune of 30 per cent and this equity infusion, coupled with the internal accruals, would balance the funding while the external funds have already been tied up.
www.chiripalgroup.com/nandanexim.php
The eighth edition of CEO Conference being organised by the Southern India Mills Association will be held in Tamil Nadu on September 25. The topic of discussion will be: how to overcome the challenges in textile business especially under the ‘Make in India’ program. The theme is in line with PM Modi’s vision of the need to boost textile manufacturing activities in the country and exports. Currently, the hurdles before the industry are tariff barriers, fluctuations in cotton prices, imports of Chinese textiles and tariff advantages of competing countries.
The textile industry feels ‘Make in India’ would be feasible only when products are manufactured economically and sold at competitive prices in a globalised ecosystem. While the textile industry is content with the record production of cotton, it is worried over falling prices of the fiber and cotton yarn.
SIMA, aimed at boosting the textile industry of South India organises a number of events and trade shows throughout the year which bring together different mills operating in the region in front of a large number of target customers. SIMA has more than 300 members from textile mills spread over Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu.
www.simamills.org/
Buyers of cashmere shawls are being protected by the state government of Jammu and Kashmir from imitations with nanotechnology. To turn wool into a work of art that is the cashmere shawl is no easy task. Skilled Kashmiri weavers working on traditional spinning wheels and looms are behind creating this artistic product.
However, the art faces new challenges and one of them is automated spinning machines and looms that turn out shawls faster than handicraft workers. The annual trade in cashmere shawls now exceeds $752 million. The yarn must be spliced with synthetic fibres, for the automated looms to work on the fine 12-16 microns wool of the pashmina goat. Nano particles with unique codes are inserted in the authentication labels carrying the ‘Kashmir Pashmina’ legend, which has geographical indications (GI) protection under the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement of the WTO.
Kashmiri craftsmen are benefitting from these measures. Experts say, fake pashmina shawl makers add nylon fibre to the wool before spinning and weaving it on machines. Professor Yasir Ahmad Mir of Srinagar’s Craft Development Institute, points out traditional Kashmiri spinning wheel and loom are perfect for producing fine pashmina fabric. Machine spinning is not meant for the extremely fine pashmina fibres, and so nylon is added to them.
Kashmir government’s initiatives to protect the interests of herders and craftspeople can be seen at the Pashmina Testing and Quality Certification Centre. Established at a cost of US$ 10 million, the centre has been functional since June.
Switching to organic cotton could reduce the global warming impact of cotton production by 46 per cent, compared to non-organic cotton, according to a report published in (Cool Cotton—Cotton and Climate Change) the Soil Association.
Consumption of scarce fresh water can also be reduced by over 90 per cent and energy use by over 60 per cent due to organic cotton. By contrast, if current practices remain unchecked, from cotton production could increase to 300 million tonnes of CO2e by 2020.
Due to its heavy use of insecticides and water, high GHG emissions, and land use, cotton has been termed as the world’s dirtiest crop. 26 million tonnes of cotton was produced globally in 2013-14, on about 33 million hectares of land in a hundred countries. This was done using 2.5 per cent of the world’s farmland. One hundred million households are dependant on cotton farming. These are mostly in some of the poorest countries of the world. Cotton is also responsible for 16 per cent of the global insecticide use—more than any other crop, apart from GHG emissions. Across the world, cotton production releases 220 million tonnes of CO2e, and one tonne of non-organic cotton produces 1.8 tonnes of CO2e.
Organic cotton is in great demand today. Global market for organic cotton grew by 67 per cent last year, and is now worth an estimated $15.7 billion. Sales of Soil Association certified textiles rose 3.4 per cent to £18.6 million last year in the UK and global production of organic cotton is estimated to increase by 15-20 per cent in 2014-15.
Techtextil North America will be held on May 3 to 5, 2016 where experts will gather to discuss industry advancements in the field of technical textiles. This is the 13th edition of North America’s only dedicated show for technical textiles and nonwovens. The event will address market developments, technological information, new technical processes and products, as well as international industry trends. It is a platform for exhibitors interested in introducing new brands.
Presentations by top industry experts are an attraction. They will provide exciting insights on new topics in a variety of formats. These sessions will give visitors and exhibitors the opportunity to engage and gain knowledge about upcoming advancements in their application field. Visitors will have access to a vast array of products and solutions from areas in technical textiles, durable nonwovens, sewn product equipment, software, geo synthetics, and composites. There will be yarns, woven fabrics, coated textiles, knitted fabrics, canvas products, composites, accessories, machinery, fibers and more.
The exhibition assembles all vertical aspects of the technical textile industry – from research and development, through raw materials and production processes and finally ending in conversion, further treatment and recycling.
www.techtextilna.com/
