FW
Brands and buyers should be more responsible for ethical buying practices to make businesses sustainable, said speakers at recent a webinar in Bangladesh. They also advocated for mandatory government endorsement for future apparel contacts so that the textile suppliers and workers could resort to multilateral resolution if any brand declared itself bankrupt amid the virus fallout.
The webinar on COVID-19 fallout assessment on Bangladeshi ready-made sector was jointly organized by the France Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFB) and the Policy Research Institute (PRI) of Bangladesh.
Dr Ahsan H Mansur, Executive Director, PRI was the keynote speaker, moderator and chair of the programme while Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Bangladesh Ambassador in France Kazi Imtiaz Hossain present were also present.
At the programme, Rubana Huq, President, BGMEA said that two French buyers Qamayu and Lahal had cancelled all orders in Bangladesh. However, other brands including Cellio were coming to negotiation gradually. Rubana said they were working with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) on ways of revising the contracts. She said the Bangladeshi exporters need to get back their position, but getting it back was not easy unless there was a fair purchasing practice in place. She said the buyers must understand a proper synchronization between sustainability and sourcing.
Mansur said the EU markets remain open for Bangladesh as they recover from COVID-19 while the USA market opens partly. But the demand of apparel may have shifted in both markets. He suggested diversifying products as the country mainly exports five items those contribute to about 73 percent of the total export. Dr Ahsan H Mansur also advised Bangladesh to develop a strong backward linkage industry to reduce the lead time – the time between the initiation and completion of a production process.
Esquel Group, one of the world’s largest shirt makers, has denied the US government’s allegations of using forced labor in its Changji Esquel Textile Co factory.
The Hong Kong-headquartered textile manufacturer established Changji Esquel Textile Co as a highly automated spinning mill in 2009 and has employed skilled technicians it says are paid at least 2-3 times the minimum wage level. The group reported that a global audit firm who last came to CJE in 2019 confirmed that it did not use forced labor, and over the years many international groups and customers have visited the site with positive reports.
Reports first linked Esquel Group to Xinjiang in 2019 and Esquel CEO John Cheh told The Wall Street Journal at the time that in 2017, officials started offering the company Uighurs from southern Xinjiang to employ. While Cheh said at the time that the company did take in 34 of them in the previous two years, its hiring decisions were made independently, and that Esquel Group was in no way forced to employ anyone.
He said the company’s recruitment process is the same for all candidates globally, and that’s what Esquel follows. Employees are free to leave the workplace at the close of the day or terminate their employment at will, he said, adding that there aren’t pay discrepancies based on race, ethnicity or gender either.
The Bangladesh government is going to establish three state-of-the-art technology centers and one design and technology centre to its raise productivity of masks and other PPE equipment.
For this purpose, Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza) and Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA) have allotted two plots in favour of the EC4J Project to establish the technology centres.The setting up of job-oriented training centres will fulfill the skills gaps in different sectors, said Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi.
This initiative of the government will mainly supply technical knowhow and skilled manpower, which will enable local exporters into becoming more competitive globally, said Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for ICT Division.
These technical centres will produce the skilled manpower and convey other technical knowledge in ICT business and hardware issues, he said. The technical centre inside Bangabandhu High Tech Park will also facilitate the creation of manpower for producing semiconductors and biotechnology and health technology products.
VF Corp plans to open Orefici 11, a 22,000-sq. ft. multibrand store on Milan’s central Via Orefici. The three-story space will house apparel and lifestyle products from three VF brands: The North Face, Timberland and Napapijri. The company’s other labels would periodically take over with dedicated corners.
In keeping with its commitment to environmental sustainability, the development of this store takes into account eco-friendly protocols, starting from the selected building, which is LEED Gold certified.
The group’s renovation of its Milan unit is aimed at preserving the storied building and celebrating the city’s architectural scene of the past century. Its new reception area will feature a small-scale architectural sculpture inspired by the facades of the city’s Sixties buildings characterized by green ceramic tiles, while elsewhere the signature walkways and balconies of Milan’s apartments will coexist with large steel beams nodding to the city’s industrial history.
The ground floor, named The Lab, will be dedicated to exclusive product collaborations and capsule collections developed by the featured brands, in addition to fitting rooms and relaxation areas. Inspired by the city’s architecture in the Eighties, it will be punctuated by a red tube running across the whole space paying homage to the local subway line.
Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics reveals that the profit of China’s industrial enterprises from January to May decreased by 19.3 percentage points on a year-on-year basis to total over CNY 1.84 trillion. The profit of its manufacturing industry also declined by 16.6 per cent to total over CNY 1.54 trillion.
From January to May, the main business income of Chinese textile enterprises above designated size decreased by 7.4 per cent to reach CNY 36.88 trillion compared with the same period the previous year; the profit of textile industry totaled CNY 30.96 billion, with year-on-year decline of 10.3 per cent. While the main business income of enterprises above designated size in garment and accessories industry declined by 16.9 per cent year-on-year to reach CNY 464.7 billion. The profit of garment and accessories industry declined by 29.2 per cent year-on-year to reach CNY 18.05 billion,
From January to May, China’s main income from its leather, fur, feather and their products and footwear industry declined by 18.1 per cent year-on-year to reach CNY 362.85 billion, while their profit totaled CNY 16.74 billion, with year-on-year decline of 30.3 per cent.
From January to May, the main business income of enterprises above designated size in chemical fiber manufacturing industry declined by 18.0 per cent year-on-year to CNY 286.29 billion, while its profit declined by 59.1 per cent to total CNY 4.1 billion, In May, the profit of industrial enterprises above designated size improved by 6.0 per cent to total CNY 582.34 billion
Dora L International (DLI), a global intimate wear company has developed a range of cooling bras with hi-tech features. These bras are made up of a silky microfiber material with breathable mesh details and an open back to help keep things cool. DLI spends a significant amount of time and research on materials and testing the newest fibers that translate trends into viable products that women will love. The company has a large network of resources that allow it to create a ‘best in class’ solution that women of every shape and size will love.
These cooling brands are carefully designed using cutting-edge technologies to resist moisture, keep your body cooler for longer, and are made of fabrics that are specifically engineered to offer support and comfort. The DLI team used research from thermal imaging which shows the difference between body heat when wearing a “normal bra” versus one using cooling fabrics.
Wear testing was also used to ensure both technology and design work together with the intended style and purpose. Cooling bras developed by DLI have both cooling fabric and breathable pads to enable air flow in addition to the cool to touch fabric which wicks moisture away from the body. Another technology, 3D design, allows for illustrating and sharing with clients.
While Pitti Immagine has decided to team with Dolce & Gabbana to launch the brand’s bespoke tailoring and haute couture collections with runway shows in Florence, the organizer is also releasing a wide range of projects on its digital platform Pitti Connect. Some of the projects that Pitti Immagine has launched on its digital platform include 15 shorts videos by Olivier Saillard featuring as protagonists Eighties and Nineties’ models interpreting iconic men’s wear pieces.
Through these videos, the company gives visibility to 13 emerging brands focused on delivering eco-friendly collections, including Flavia La Rocca, Ksenia Schnaider, Kids of Broken Future, Myar, Nanushka, Nous Etudions, Philip Huang, Phipps, Raeburn, Uniforme, Viròn, Vitelli and Youngsang.
In addition, Pitti Uomo selected ANDAM winner Glenn Martens’ Y/Project as the special guest of the sustainable fashion section, which will present the designer’s ‘Evergreen’ collection. A partner of the project, Textile Company Reda in September will give the chance to one of the brands showcasing in the section to create a capsule for its B-Corp certified sportswear brand Rewoolution.
As per Japan Textiles Exporters Association based on Ministry of Finance trade statistics, the value of Japan’s textiles and apparel (T&A) exports dropped by 26 per cent in May 2020 compared to the same month of last year to $441.46 million. The country’s exports of textile fibers, yarns and woven and knitted fabrics also decreased, while exports of nonwoven fabrics increased in volume but decreased in value.
Japan’s textile fibers exports in May declined 41 per cent in volume to 10,792 ton. Exports of rayon staple fiber dropped 77 per cent, along with those of acrylic staple fiber 55 per cent. Though the country’s exports of polyester staple fiber grew by 16 per cent quantitatively but decreased by 2 per cent in value.
Japan’s yarn exports fell 41 per cent in volume to 5,443 tonne, with those of rayon filament yarn declining by 60 per cent, nylon filament yarn by 40 per cent and polyester filament yarn by 30 per cent. Export of woven and knitted fabrics also dropped 28 per cent to 46.93 million sq. mt. Exports of nylon filament fabrics decreased by 17 per cent to 5.92 million sq. mt. while those of polyester filament fabrics dropped by 25 per cent to 13.34 million square meters.
By destination, Japan’s exports to East Asia declined by 23 per cent to $328.26 million while exports to China dropped by 22 per cent to $147.12 million. The country’s exports to Vietnam also declined by 18 per cent to $61.44 million.
Luxury brand Chanel is likely to record a significant decline in its sales and profits in 2020 due to the pandemic. The next 12 to 18 months would be particularly challenging for the brand as even a strong recovery could not compensate for the lack of international travel in countries where the group’s shops have reopened.
Like rivals, Chanel had to shut down all its stores across the globe and idle production sites as the virus first emerged in China’s key market for the sector and then spread to the rest of the world.
Since then, the group has reopened 85 percent of its stores and its sales in China have also bounced back by over 100 percent. However, the brand, which aims to make a profit this year, is reducing ads and promotions by more than a quarter, cutting out production and canceling or changing certain activities such as this year’s fashion shows, including streaming them online.
Haryana cotton growers have opposed the state government’s move to increase their share of premium under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) from Rs 620 per acre to Rs 1,650. This is the result of withdrawal of the 3 per cent subsidy by the government on the premium. Under PMFBY guidelines, a farmer is required to pay 2 per cent of the sum insured in for Kharif crop and 1.5 per cent for Rabi crop as the premium and the balance is shared 50:50 by the state and the Centre.
This year, farmers’ premium share under the government insurance scheme was hiked up to Rs 50 per acre for paddy, Rs 10 per acre for maize, Rs 40 per acre for bajra, Rs 1,030 per acre for cotton, Rs 8 per acre for barley and wheat, Rs 15 per acre each for gram and sunflower and Rs 130 per acre for mustard.
Rajbir Sihag, a farmer from Bhiwani’s Miran, criticized the government move and demanded a reduction in the hiked amount. He says, the move adds to the financial burden of farmers who have invest a lot in cotton production.
