FW
According to industry sources, after the killings of two foreigners, business executives from global clothing giants H&M Inditex and Gap have cancelled trips to Dhaka this month. This has caused anxiety for Bangladesh’s $25 billion garment export sector.
For the year-end Christmas season, Bangladeshi suppliers to the world’s top brands said they didn’t expect the disruptions to hurt their orders. However, the pressure on an industry is increased by the attacks. The industry faces competition from other low-wage countries and is trying to repair its safety image after several fatal accidents.
Britain warned of more attacks after an Italian aid worker and a Japanese man were shot dead in a span of few days, and the US and Canada asked their diplomats to restrict their movements. Australia too, cancelled a cricket tour in the wake of the attacks.
However, Bangladesh’s government rejected the claim by the Islamic State and blamed the growing violence in the country on its domestic political opponents trying to show it in poor light.
Siddiqur Rahman, Chief of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said that their western buyers panicked after the killing of the two foreigners and some buyers cancelled their visits during the peak time when they place more orders.
H&M spokeswoman Anna Eriksson said that they were monitoring the situation in Bangladesh closely and they were taking appropriate security measures. Besides, she said, they were also in close dialogue with other brands regarding the situation. Gap, on the other hand, refused to comment on a change in its travel plans. Tesco said that they had asked its employees to be vigilant and consider their movements carefully, but had not stopped business travel to Bangladesh.
www.hm.com
Five leading Hong Kong fashion designers participated in the recently concluded Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo 2016 Spring/Summer. They were supported by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). Tokyo Fashion Week is one of the international fashion events throughout the year where the HKTDC organises Hong Kong designers to participate.
The ‘Fashion Hong Kong’ group show stole the limelight, grabbing the attention of fashionistas and industry players alike at this year’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo 2016 Spring/Summer, which took place at Shibuya Hikarie.
Lulu Cheung, Chailie Ho, Polly Ho, Kathy Lam, and KOYO William were the participating designers. They received an overwhelming support from both the local and international fashion communities, and the show went viral on various social media channels.
A ‘Fashion Gallery’ Pop-up Showroom was also set up to facilitate networking and business opportunities besides staging the ‘Fashion Hong Kong’ group show. Over 260 buyers, media and fashionistas visited the ‘Fashion Gallery’. The designers’ sources of inspirations, such as music, movies, paintings, space travel, and nature, and their showpieces were showcased.
Hong Kong industries, such as the fashion industry get support by HKTDC by creating marketing opportunities. Besides the Tokyo Fashion Week, the HKTDC will also come together with designers to explore other fashion markets, such as participating in the Copenhagen Fashion Week and the New York Fashion Week, as the next stop abroad.
www.hktdc.com
Bangladesh garment manufacturers and exporters want a ten-year loan rescheduling. They also want the government to provide gas connection on a priority basis.
The readymade garment sector faced challenges from January to March this year due to political unrest. Due to the blockade in the first quarter of this year, supply of raw materials and accessories and transport were affected, so garment manufacturers could not finish products on time and as a result shipments suffered.
In 1983-84, readymade garment exports stood at 3.89 per cent of the country’s total exports. It was 79.61 per cent in 2012-13 and 81.16 per cent in 2013-14. Among other pressures on the readymade garment sector are the devaluation of the dollar in the international market.
In the 40 years since independence, the poverty rate has plummeted from 80 per cent down to less than 30 per cent today, GDP growth has averaged around five to six per cent for over 20 years, and the garment industry has had a lot to do with it.
Bangladesh rose to its position largely because of its lack of regulation and the low wages it pays its garment workers. Bangladesh’s minimum wage for the sector is one of the world’s lowest.
International Conference on African Textile Industry is being held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, starting from October 19, 2015. A press release issued by Ethiopian Textile Industry Development Institute stated that participants include investors engaged in cotton, textile, tailoring and stakeholders. Holding the conference in Addis Ababa will benefit Ethiopia to share experiences in textile and garment industry.
Through this conference, the country can also display its potential in the sector and also bring in foreign investors and buyers. Based on the conviction that only by sustainable development the livelihoods of future generations and vital resources can be protected, Aid by Trade Foundation started and initiative, ‘Cotton made in Africa’, which was established in 2005.
The long-term aim is to further develop the value chain in those countries where raw materials are produced in order to generate maximum added value. This goes beyond supporting sustainable cultivation of agricultural and forestry products.
Slow producer sales, lower crop prospects in India, US dollar index weakness and technically oriented buying have combined to lift cotton futures above the highs of the prior four weeks. Concerns about US crop quality also may have played a role.
Prices averaged 57.61 cents, up from 54.41 cents, reflecting gains to 12.62 cents from 10.94 cents in premiums over loan repayment rates. Deficit rains have stunted India’s crop growth and lowered expected yields. Rainfall during the southwest monsoon season (June to September) was 14 per cent below the long-period average.
The Cotton Corporation of India was expected to begin procurement under the minimum support program the third week of October. US total cotton demand remained estimated at 13.9 million bales, 9,20,000 bales below last season and the smallest since a similar offtake in 1988-89. Exports at 10.2 million bales would account for 73 per cent, with domestic mill use contributing the remainder.
Global stocks are projected to decline four per cent or nearly five million bales from the 2014-15 all-time high. The world stocks-to-use ratio is forecast at 95 per cent, down from 101 per cent last season, but well above the recent low of 40 per cent in 2009-10. China is expected to account for 61 per cent of the world carryover, similar to the prior two seasons.
China and Cambodia have seen a 16 per cent rise in bilateral trade volume in the first seven months of the year. Bilateral trade between China and Cambodia has rapidly increased in recent years.
The two countries hope to be able to achieve a target of $5 billion in trade volume by 2017. China is the largest investor in Cambodia. Chinese investments have been made in the fields of energy, garment industry, banking and finance, telecommunications, construction and real estate, tourism, and agriculture. There are more than 3,000 registered Chinese companies operating in Cambodia.
China is one of the top providers of development assistance to Cambodia. The main drivers of the growth of trade between Cambodia and China over the last several years include the strong growth in construction sectors that need to import construction materials, especially from China, while Cambodia exports agricultural products like rice, corn, cassava.
Chinese assistance is mostly in the form of concessional loans. These loans target infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, and hydropower projects, and oil and mineral exploration.
As Chinese labour becomes more expensive, and workers become more vocal, Cambodia’s cheap and controlled labor force provides an escape route for Chinese companies.
Very soon the work to build Perarignar Anna Handloom Silk Park in Kanchipuram will begin. The environmental clearance for it is almost done, and the park will hire more than 2,000 weavers.
During the public hearing recently, no objections were raised and the environmental clearance that had delayed the project is set to come through in the next couple of months with the installation of a common effluent treatment plant, said Rajesh NV, Managing Director, Perarignar Anna Handloom Silk Park Limited.
The proposed treatment plant with Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system will ensure environmental safety, said Rajesh. The technology was developed by WTT Technologies, Tirupur.
During the Global Investors Meet last month, Perarignar Anna Handloom Silk Park was a part of MoUs signed with the State Government. Through Scheme of Integrated Textile Parks (SITP), the project has got a funding of Rs. 83 crore. Through Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), it plans to raise another Rs. 100 crore.
Rajesh further said that they were planning to 2,000 upgraded handlooms that would directly benefit 2,000-4,000 people. In the next three years the park should be operational.
The Rieter spider web mill control system covers the entire spinning mill from fiber to yarn and for all four spinning technologies - not only for new machines but also for older generations. The system is configurable for individual requirements. It stores and monitors the quality and production of all Rieter spinning systems. Subsequent enhancements can be upgraded.
In addition, Rieter offers value-adding innovations such as internet use for optimising the entire system, new machine generations for preparatory and end spinning as well as corresponding spare parts and after sales services. The mobile solution not only provides an overview of the data of the spinning mill, but also offers a configurable alarm function. With six new modules, it opens the door to an internet-based, intelligent spinning mill control.
Rieter offers spinning mill audits that identify feasible short-term opportunities for improvements and create measurable results for customers. For older generations of combers, Rieter offers conversion kits that improve the productivity and yarn quality and make a reduction of the noil rate possible.
The new R 66 rotor-spinning machine makes yarn production economical. A higher yarn production per square meter is obtained with longer machines. Rieter now produces a length of up to 700 spinning positions possible. The new machine length can reduce the costs for the entire rotor spinning system.
www.rieter.com
Sensient Imaging Technologies has launched a new range of digital sublimation printing inks for high performance decoration of polyester fabrics. The new range is suitable for fashion apparel, sportswear and flag and banner applications.
The ElvaJet Punch range of digital textile inkjet inks is designed to achieve the highest quality sublimation polyester fabric printing using both coated and uncoated transfer papers, delivering unsurpassed color vibrancy and printing performance. It offers customers maximum color performance combined with industrial reliability.
The premium ink is also ideal for direct printing on to fabrics, with no image bleed and good print-through. It shows superior color vibrancy and gamut, enhanced transfer efficiency from a wide range of coated and uncoated sublimation papers and exceptional jetting performance.
Sensient, based in Spain, is a leading supplier of inkjet inks for digital textile, industrial digital and sublimation printing. Sensient first entered the inkjet market with a line of high-performance ink solutions designed for some of the world’s most popular desktop printers. It is a business unit of Sensient Technologies Corporation, a leading manufacturer and marketer of colors, flavors and fragrances.
With the recent acquisition of Xennia Technology, the company has expanded its product range and increased its innovation scope and power. ElvaJet Punch is the first fruit of that innovation.
www.sensient.com
Interesting sessions throughout the day
Ahmed Badr the representative for Pantone, who presented the colour trends for 2016/17, kick-started the fair on a colourful note. He talked about how the colours have a significant impact on the upcoming trends. A session by Mallory Giardino of Ethical Fashion Forum followed, who addressed the issue of business case of sustainability in fashion and textiles.
A stylist tutorial by the Islamic Fashion & Design Council (IFDC) was highlight of the day. Visitors were busy exploring fabrics on display from across the world. Almost around 7,000 visitors were at the event. Emma Hall, delved into the details of starting her design label ‘Haylan Hall Swimwear’, followed by Shlaga Agarwal and Eljammi Gozalli from American University in the Emirates. A hijab and make-up tutorial organized by the IFDC will acquaint the ITF visitors to the concept of ‘Islamic fashion.
’ ITF Dubai not only had its own down pour of student population in the UAE from its various academic partners but also saw interested budding fashion designers and interior decorators attending high school turning up for the show. Ayesha Siddequa (Founder and creative director, Future Fashion) spoke about ‘Looking good without costing the Earth’; while providing insights into the topic of sustainable fashion. Bringing in a very interested panel of students all the way from Heriot Watt University and a troop of designers crossing seas from Australia, Siddequa’s conference session was nothing short of being a ‘full house’.
ITF’s second annual edition was held on October 11 and 12, 2015. National award winning textile exhibitors, global fashion authorities, revered academic institutions, exclusive keynote speakers, and the world’s leading corpus on sustainable fashion assembled under one roof during ITF, hailed as the Middle East’s premier textile fair.
www.internationaltextilefair.com
