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Bangladesh’s Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) has launched a new study, ‘New Dynamics in Bangladesh's Apparels Enterprises: Perspectives on Restructuring, Up gradation and Compliance Assurance’. The CPD study seeks to capture the profound changes taking place at the enterprise level in Bangladesh’s export-oriented RMG sector through better compliance and their implications for cost and competitiveness. The study will come up with a set of recommendations towards future development of the apparels sector of the country as a compliant, highly competitive, gender-sensitive, productivity-driven and decent labour promoting industry. The study will build on CPD's recent works carried out in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza tragedy.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of Bangladesh will chair the Study Advisory Group which will include representatives from labour organisations, trade bodies (BGMEA and BKMEA), experts, activists, International Labour Organisation and other stakeholder groups. The aforesaid study will be based on data and information generated through extensive enterprise-level survey, focus group discussions (FGDs) with workers and entrepreneurs and expert group meetings.
The global textile chemical market is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of four per cent from 2016 to 2024. Asia Pacific is the leading market for textile chemical industry. It has accounted for over half of the gross revenues in the world over the past couple of years. Increasing initiatives in countries like India to retain a healthy growth in the textile industry is one of the driving factors of this market. Fast growing markets like China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Malaysia are triggering the demand in the textile chemical market.
The global textile chemical market has products like surfactants, desizing agents, colorants and auxiliaries, coating and sizing chemicals, yarn lubricants and finishing agents. The market is further segmented into home furnishing, apparels, industrial and others. Market segments in terms of geographical regions include North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World.
Textile chemicals are specialty chemicals which are in demand due to an increase in the variety of fabric manufacturing. These chemicals help impart better quality, flexibility and durability to the fabrics. They are the crucial part of the textile industry and play a vital role in manufacturing different type of fabrics like water resistant fabrics etc.
Rohit Aggarwal has been appointed president of Huntsman’s Textile Effects division. He succeeds Paul Hulme, who will retire as president of Huntsman’s Textile Effects division, a position he has held since 2006.
Aggarwal joined Huntsman in 2005 and has held various positions within the corporation’s Advanced Materials and Textile Effects divisions. Currently, Aggarwal is Huntsman’s vice president and managing director of Indian Subcontinent, a position he has held since July 1, 2015.
Aggarwal has more than 20 years’ experience in the chemical industry across multiple chemical specialties. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and a master’s degree in international business from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi.
Huntsman is a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals with 2015 revenues of approximately 10 billion dollars. Huntsman Textile Effects is the global provider of high quality dyes and chemicals to the textile and related industries, with operations in more than 90 countries and seven primary manufacturing facilities in six countries (China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico and Thailand). Its textile business is aligned with the industry’s growth markets and its cost efficiency and sustainability platform are widely recognised as the industry’s best practice.
"While fashion shows and women’s glossies are filled with hyper-thin girls, the reality is their body types don’t come close to representing the average American woman. According to researchers, social media has helped spur a wake-up call that has stores, brands and even magazines, realizing the plus-size customer is not just underserved, but that the category is likely filled with pent-up demand."
Research shows social media has been a significant driver in changing the industry’s attitude toward plus customers.While fashion shows and women’s glossies are filled with hyper-thin girls, the reality is their body types don’t come close to representing the average American woman. According to researchers, social media has helped spur a wake-up call that has stores, brands and even magazines, realizing the plus-size customer is not just underserved, but that the category is likely filled with pent-up demand.
According to the Institute for Health Metrics, most adult women in the U.S. don’t fit into single-digit sizes (the average is 14), much less a runway model’s size 0 or 2. The fact is, 160 million American adults are considered overweight or obese. Among women, almost two-thirds (64 per cent) fall into this category, according to the National Institutes of Health. Thirty-six per cent are considered obese and 8 per cent extremely obese. This rate has been relatively stable since 2010. The NPD Group’s 2015 Women’s Special Size Study revealed the number of teens buying plus-size clothes has nearly doubled - from 19 per cent to 34 per cent - since 2012.
This is a $17.5 billion market, according to The NPD Group, but has the potential for marked growth. Just half of all plus women say they ‘love or enjoy shopping,’ which is significantly less than their non-plus counterparts at 64 per cent, according to a survey. And plus shoppers spend about $42 per month on clothing, which is 37 per cent less than the $67 spent by non-plus women.
Exceptional year
Says Fullbeauty Brands spokesperson Dasheeda Dawson, if 2015 was a breakthrough year for plus women and fashion, this year is shaping up to be even more exceptional. Fullbeauty has a number of brands in its stable including Woman Within, Roamans and, more recently, Violeta by Mango. Its ‘Swimsuits4All brand’ launched the curves in bikinis plus-size swimwear campaign in 2015. Featuring plus model Ashley Graham, the campaign was driven by one of the most talked about ads in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
The newness in the category will help ease the frustration plus shoppers feel. Mintel, a global market research firm, released a report that shows 16 per cent of plus women buy what fits although it doesn’t necessarily mean they like the clothes. Further, Mintel’s found 21 per cent of plus-size shoppers think the styles they really like do not look good on them. However, women under age 45 are more likely than those over 45 to have positive outlooks.
Demand for natural fibers
Actress Melissa McCarthy actually took issue with the term ‘plus-size’ when she introduced her Seven7 line of apparel late last year. McCarthy’s collection runs from missy size 4 up to size 28 and is carried in a range of stores, including Lane Bryant, Macy’s, Evans, and Nordstrom. Online retailer ModCloth also ditched the ‘plus’ nomenclature, opting instead for ‘Extended Sizes’ among the brands that go beyond 12.
According to data available, the fact is 77 per cent of plus women say better quality garments are made from all natural fibers such as cotton. And slightly more than half of all plus-size women (51 per cent) are willing to pay more for natural fibers.
When listing the important factors in buying clothes, plus shoppers put fit (78 per cent) at the top, followed by comfort (75 per cent) and then price (67 per cent), data shows. Style (35 per cent) is significantly less important to them than non-plus shoppers (44 per cent). But with the influx of new brands and retailers in the category, that is likely to change.
Bloggers and other consumer advocates have also been successful at influencing retailers to offer plus size…options and to reconsider how they price and market such clothing.
Because of its strong social and website contact, Dawson says Fullbeauty Brands knows its customer expects, and in many cases demands, more fashionable options.
India’s blended spun yarn export value was up 11.2 per cent year on year while volumes rose 19.5 per cent as compared to the same month last year.
Polyester cotton yarns was exported to 53 countries in April 2016, of which Bangladesh and Egypt were the largest importers followed by Colombia. Turkey, Honduras, Spain, Brazil and South Africa were the fastest growing markets for PC yarns while South Korea significantly reduced its import of PC yarns from India.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were among the 10 countries that did not import any PC yarns from India during April. Iran was the major destination among the 14 new markets found during the month.
In April, polyester viscose yarns were exported to 30 countries from India with volumes at 3.3 million kgs. Turkey continued to be the largest importer, with a 63.23 per cent share of the total volume exported from India during the month.
Iran, Japan, Russia and Argentina were the fastest growing markets for PV yarn while Honduras and Romania were the new major markets for PV yarn. Six countries did not import any PV yarn during the month, including the major ones like Peru, Uganda and Tanzania.
Also, acrylic and cotton yarn prices were down 16 per cent year on year in April.
For the first four months of 2016 the total value of retail sales in Hong Kong decreased by 11.4 per cent compared with the same period in 2015.The value of retail sales in April 2016 was down 7.5 per cent compared with the same month of 2015.
In April 2016 compared with April 2015, the value of retail sales of jewelry, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts decreased by 16.6 per cent; clothing fell 5.9 per cent; electrical goods and photographic equipment was down 23 per cent; miscellaneous consumer durable goods fell 31.6 per cent; motor vehicles and parts fell 5.4 percent; footwear , allied products and other clothing accessories down 5.8 per cent; books, newspapers, stationery and gifts fell 9.4 per cent; medicine fell 0.9 per cent and optical shops fell 9.3 per cent.
On the other hand, in April 2016 compared with the same month in 2015, the value of retail sales of commodities in supermarkets increased by 2.4 percent; pharmaceutical and cosmetics increased by 1.7 per cent; food, alcoholic drinks and silt grass were up five per cent.
Up to three months of the end of April 2016, compared with the preceding three months, the value of total retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 2.1 per cent while the volume of total retail sales fell by a seasonally adjusted 3.1 per cent.
Small and medium-sized enterprises in Estonia stand to gain from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the trade agreement being negotiated between the European Union and the US. Estonia’s exports to the United States could rise by as much as 13 per cent when the agreement is concluded.
Small and medium enterprises will benefit from the reduction in tariffs resulting from the agreement, especially in sectors where such businesses make up a large portion of businesses such as in the food, garment and textile industry. The reduction in non-tariff barriers will also be good, since small companies have less money to deal with red tape.
Estonian small and medium enterprises are champions in transatlantic trade compared with businesses in other member states, as among the companies exporting to the US they account for 65 per cent of total exports – the highest indicator in the EU.
The EU-United States transatlantic economy represents the largest economic relationship in the world, accounting for more than 40 per cent of world trade. Negotiations on the TTIP opened in July 2013, with the goals of eliminating duties and other restrictions on trade in goods; freeing up commercial services; and providing the highest possible protection, certainty, and level playing field for American and European investors.
Pitti Immagine’s main strategy will be to continue to enhance Pitti Umo’s influence in Asia. It hopes the Chinese media and more high quality buyers understand Pitti Umo, so that they know they can find what they want at Pitti Uomo. The intention is to let Italian men’s brands be recognized by Chinese consumers and contacts.
The belief is that overseas buyers are playing a big role in the fashion industry and their proportion is continuing to increase in Pitti Umo, which is the world's most important men's fashion event. It includes not only fashion but lifestyle in terms of new clothing, accessories, as well as a variety of products. Asian markets are increasingly being compared to Western markets and more and more attention is being focused on the future course of business in Asia as in terms of future prospects profits in Asian markets could be bigger.
The Pitti Uomo menswear show will be held June 14 to 17, in Florence, Italy. At last year's show, 41 per cent of buyers were from overseas, from countries such as Japan, China and South Korea. This year is the 90th anniversary of Pitti Uomo.
Pitti Immagine sees great potential in Chinese designers and feel they should cater to Chinese tastes instead of turning to western inspired designs. The idea is to narrow the distance between consumers and fashion as not all of the pioneer designs and not all of the avant-garde designs are accepted.
So while young Chinese designers are educated, they also need to know what works and never forget their roots. So while they may be open to outside influences, they need to pay attention to consumer needs, cut out what’s fancy or outlandish, and attempt to blend China’s local culture and fashion together.
This year Pitti Immagine is trying a new technology called ready-to-order APP. This involves many small-scale garment manufacturers who may have a great design or quality or some young designer with promise. They can participate in the show. It is expected to help in smoother communication between visitors and vendors and more convenient business contacts.
The G-III Apparel Group, based in the United States, has reported fiscal first quarter earnings of 2.8 million dollars. Profits are six cents per share. The results topped Wall Street expectations.
The clothing and accessories maker posted revenues of 457.4 million dollars in the period. For the current quarter ending in August, G-III Apparel expects revenue in the range of 485 million dollars. The company expects full-year earnings to be 2.55 dollars to 2.65 dollars per share, with revenue expected to be 2.56 billion dollars.
G-III Apparel shares have fallen 12 per cent since the beginning of the year. The stock has declined 31 per cent in the last 12 months.
G-III Apparel, founded in 1956, designs, manufactures and markets men’s and women’s apparel. It operates through two segments, wholesale operations and retail operations. It makes outerwear, dresses, sportswear, swimwear, women’s suits, women’s performance wear; and women’s handbags, footwear, small leather goods, cold weather accessories, and luggage.
The company offers its products to department, specialty, and mass merchant retail stores in the United States, Canada, Europe and the Far East and distributes products through its retail stores as well as through G.H. Bass, Wilsons Leather, Vilebrequin, and Andrew Marc websites. As of January 31, 2016, it operated 199 Wilsons Leather stores, 163 G.H. Bass stores, and five Calvin Klein performance stores.
American factories expanded for the third straight month in May, helped by a weaker dollar.Orders to US factories for long-lasting manufactured goods rose 3.4 per cent in April, the most since January. Most of the April strength came from the volatile commercial aircraft category.
The index was stuck below 50 from October through February as American factories struggled with economic weakness abroad and a strong dollar that made US products more expensive in foreign markets. The dollar has fallen against other major currencies since the end of January, giving factories some relief.
Manufacturing has stabilized. The weaker dollar this year has already made a material difference to exporters.
Manufacturers' new orders and production grew more slowly in May. Export orders and a measure of employment were unchanged. The index was pulled up by an increase in deliveries from suppliers. Overall, 12 of 18 manufacturing industries reported growth last month, led by wood products manufacturers and textile mills.
The US economy got off to a rough start this year, growing at a lackluster 0.8 per cent annual pace from January through March. Manufacturers' troubles weighed on growth. The growth rate is expected to rise to perhaps 2.5 per cent in the second quarter as a robust American job market gives consumers the incomes and confidence to spend more. Employers have added a healthy 2.7 million jobs over the past year.
