FW
Estimates of India's cotton production have been kept unchanged at 382.75 lakh bales for the 2014-15 marketing year ending September. Production stood at 40 million bales during 2013-14. The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has procured about 8.7 million bales to provide price support to farmers but has not been able to sell the stocks.
The pace at which the commodity is being disposed, a sizable quantity is likely to remain unsold at the end of the season. This augurs badly for the country and apprehensions of a major support price operation at the beginning of the next cotton season are looming large.
China is holding stock equivalent to its consumption of about two years and is finding difficulty in liquidating it. India needs to learn a lesson from the mistakes China made and dispose off the cotton lying with CCI quickly, to avoid getting into a China-like situation.
The projected balance sheet drawn by the CAI for 2014-15, estimates total cotton supply at 453.65 lakh bales while domestic consumption is estimated at 31.5 million bales. CCI started procurement operations at the support price from October 2014 to protect farmers from the sharp decline in domestic prices in view of expected higher production.
Gruppocinque, an Italian company known for woven plain, piece dyed and jacquards has come up with Newlife collection, a chemical-free textile produced from plastic bottles. The company produces high quality fabrics, made with creativity, based on select raw materials. The Newlife collection is dedicated to women’s contemporary fashion aesthetics.
This line features new wool and silk combinations with Newlife in textures, double cloths, reversibles, astrakhan and faux knit structures. It features fleece effect finishes mix with geometric jacquards and micro patterned silk blends while tessellated and classic checked settings create movement and drama.
The latest technical research in new finishes, touches and skin-feel have been given an unusual optic through unique yarn dye combinations and new structures. Instead of common plainness of piece dyed fabrics a new and subversive 3D reflective subtlety is created through a balanced contrast of yarns, lusters and colors. Using ultra-fine nylons with super-light cottons and silks, new super-sophisticated effects emerge, that are at once unique, subtle and rich.
This new perception of colors combines naturals with eco-smarts and techno coolness. A smart contemporary interpretation of nature is re-imagined through a new mix of colors, textures and patterns.
www.gruppo-cinque.com/
The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety has elected Tapan Chowdhury, founder of Square Textiles and former president of the Dhaka Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Simone Sultana, Chair of BRAC UK, to serve on its board of directors. The realignment of the board reflects the focus on strategic engagement.
The Alliance board of advisors provides expertise and counsel to the Alliance board of directors and senior leadership. And the membership relies on their guidance and counsel to bring about safe working conditions for garment factory workers in Bangladesh. Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety was founded by a group of North American apparel companies and retailers and brands in 2013 after the Rana Plaza tragedy. It is a binding five-year undertaking that will be transparent, results-oriented, measurable and verifiable with the intent of improving safety in Bangladeshi ready-made garment factories.
Collectively, these Alliance members represent the overwhelming majority of North American imports of readymade garments from Bangladesh, produced at more than 580 factories. Alliance also elected two new members to its board of advisors: Rumee Ali, Former MD of BRAC Enterprises & Investments and Vidiya Amrit Khan, Director, Desh Garments and Director of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
www.bangladeshworkersafety.org/
Orders for Italian textile machinery recorded a 15 per cent increase for the second quarter of 2015 over the same period last year. Domestic orders have risen by seven per cent compared to second quarter of 2014. Orders have made a definitive move in foreign markets, a 21 per cent increase over the same quarter for 2014.
Italy is showing signs of recovery as government incentives have contributed to this recovery. As for foreign markets, the first four months of the year confirm a recovery in various textile machinery importing countries. India, for one, has resumed its growth trend and there’s been a rise in exports to Bangladesh with EU markets also appearing to show good form. However, China has yet to show signs of recovery. Investments in machinery are still low compared to a year ago.
For years, Iran was a benchmark for Italy’s textile machinery industry. International sanctions effectively halted the flow of towards Iran. But the recent nuclear agreement opens up a window for a recovery in investments in textile technology by Iran’s textile sector. Meanwhile Italian exhibitors are preparing for ITMA 2015.
Home fashion business platform Ambiente India & Heimtextil India, held from June 25-27 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi recorded an increase in business visitors in its second edition with 7,233 professionals from India and abroad. For three days, 162 exhibitors from seven countries presented their multifaceted decor, lifestyle and furnishing products to the Indian market across 11,000 sq. mtr. of exhibition space. Focused on interior décor, home textiles and furnishings, the strategically co-located fairs proved to be the perfect way to start off the Indian buying season.
Raj Manek, Executive Director and Board Member of Messe Frankfurt Asia Holding said, “Ambiente India & Heimtextil India accompanied by the several value-add fringe programs make it a specialised platform for the business of home fashion. The spectacular displays by our exhibitors have raised the bar for ingenuity and modernity in interior spaces while the growth in business visitor demonstrates the increasing attractiveness of the shows in India.”
Exhibitors at the fair not only reported a good experience in terms of networking but also business and order confirmations. Exhibitor Sonali Sharma, Executive Director, Thanor Pottery said, “This is the first time we are exhibiting at a trade fair and we chose Ambiente India because of the Messe Frankfurt brand. The visitor response has been simply brilliant with some of the major retail chains ready to place orders, give us mall space and close deals.”
Heimtextil India exhibitors echoed similar views. Ajay Arora, Managing Director, D’décor said, “We launched an entire new category of blinds besides unveiling the summer spring and Diwali collections at the show and the response has been overwhelming. There has been incessant traffic at our stall right from day one. The show is well timed for the Indian market and offers fabulous opportunities, economy of time and great networking.”
Added Gaurav Sureka, Director, Rumours, “Heimtextil India is a strong show for the domestic market. The footfall has been more than last year and we managed to achieve our targets in just two days. Whoever visited our stall didn’t leave without ordering. We will definitely not go without confirming our bookings for the 2016 edition.”
German company and Ambiente India exhibitor ritterwerk GmbH, in search of distribution partners in India, left assured with their interactions at the fair and are confident of finding a suitable corporation partner for business in the coming months. Heimtextil India exhibitor Negi Sign Systems & Supplies, who was demonstrating digital printing solutions for textiles also reported good business during the fair.
Looking for products in the home and lifestyle segment, Calvin Wooly, Global Supplier Development Leader, Textiles, Ikea Services India, who visited the fair, said, “Ambiente India and Heimtextil India fairs are good opportunity from a local perspective to meet domestic suppliers. This is the most appropriate time for us to come here. We are looking into new segments and both the shows give us the scope to source for more products in India.”
Brands unveil 2015-16 collections
Attracting retailers, interior designers, project planners, buying agents and e-commerce majors from across India, the co-joined fairs witnessed an enthusiastic response from trade visitors to the latest product lines, innovations and trends. The extensive product showcase was further enlivened by the season’s new collections such as 2015 Diwali collection by D’décor, digitally printed and patented Warner Bros collection by Dicitex, fashion roller blinds by Dimora, 12 shade cards by Jaydurga Décor, digital weaving machine by Norindic, newly launched digital textile printing machines by Negi Sign Systems, award winning household appliances by ritterwek GmbH, stone art by Australian artist Gaurav Khanna for Pikscape and 24 karat gold and platinum plated dining products by Grey Rose, among many others.
Stressing on the constant need for innovation in décor, Manish Gajjar, Product Head – Home Décor, Borosil Glassworks said, “The Indian home products market is worth more than Rs 5,000 crores and will only grow. Everyone likes décor and spends on it according to their spending capacity. It is important to bring in new products and innovations in the segment to keep consumers’ interest running. Borosil this year launched products for dining and décor segments and the visitor response to the products has been really good.”
Interior Lifestyle Awards & Experience Zone
The twin fairs teamed up for the launch of the Interior Lifestyle Awards (ILA), the new launch pad for aspiring Indian designers willing to prove their creative mettle on an international platform. After evaluating over 400 entries from across the country, the jury selected eight contestants for the final round. The contestants created interior spaces on the themes like Collision by Sahil Bagga, Sarthak Sen, Jasleen Supreet, Infinity by Joya Nandurdikar & Amrita Guha, Introspection by Poonam Nimesh Parekh & Prashant Chauhan and Phoenix by Vandana Agarwal, Anar Patel & Ayush Kasliwal. Vandana Agarwal, Anar Patel & Ayush Kasliwal were announced winners and awarded at the ILA Gala Night. All the three winners will fly down to Frankfurt to display their concepts at Ambiente & Heimtextil - the world’s most renowned consumer goods and home textiles shows that set next season’s furnishing and design trends internationally.
Also a big hit with the trade visitors, this year, was the Experience Zone demonstrating exciting themes in interior spaces that can inspire and be converted into commercial concepts. Sunil Sethi, President, Fashion Design Council of India said, “The ILA experience zone is something nobody should miss. Every contestant has put in their best effort. I have seen their creative skills and they are at par with anyone else in the world. We needed a Heimtextil and an Ambiente in India and this gives an impression of what there is for the best.”
Sustainability in home textiles
Sustainability - a topic that is gaining much attention globally was taken up at Heimtextil India in an exclusive seminar open to industry professionals visiting the fair. Bringing sector specialists to address the audience, the seminar dealt with important topics of organics in home textile industry, sustainable fibre production and processing, recycled polyester fibers, innovations in dyes & chemicals among others.
An important highlight of the seminar was the panel discussion on ‘Sustainability from Fibre to Textile – Challenges and Way Forward’ which offered a great opportunity to the audience to discuss the issues related to sustainability to further increase their understanding of the subject.
Another highlight of the event was ‘Live Sessions’ covering vital topics in interior designing such as ‘Window Dressing, Creative Textiles and the Role of Interior Décor and Furnishing in dressing your home for optimum design and functionality’.
The next editions of the fairs will return to New Delhi from June 22 to 24, 2016 with a host of new innovations in interior design, lifestyle, homeware, textiles, furnishing, fabrics and décor.
The US domestic textile and apparel industry is on a positive growth trajectory as the sector has seen a good year until now. There’s support for macro-economic growth with the country’s gross domestic product expected to grow at more than three-per cent annually. What’s added to their optimism is the low interest rates spurred both by household and business spending, sharp drop in energy costs, big increases in net worth engendered by Wall Street and housing recoveries, and, improving consumer optimism as unemployment continues to edge lower is proof that the picture looks rosy enough.
Factors contributing to growth
Indeed general economic growth boosts textile and apparel industry.But, other factors such as a slowdown in import, rising overseas costs, growing interest in reshoring, enhanced innovation and marketing strategies, strong capital spending, rising profits, and a more level playing field too have contributed to the growth of this sector.
What’s more the subsectors too, help in benefiting the overall industry in many ways. Basic mill products such as fibres and fabrics are set to lead the increase, but highly fabricated items such as carpets, household furnishings and industrial products would also move up at a fast pace after seeing flat growth in 2014.
Non-woven fabrics, fabrics designed for active wear, the denim market have all done well. Besides, overall apparel shipments are likely to rise by another five per cent over the New Year. The US domestic producers would meet all demands, as industry capacity is more than enough to meet consumer demand. Also, the fact that overseas suppliers, need to remain both willing and able to fill any and all orders emerging from the US.
Imports though, aren’t the only reason for current excess capacity. Another key factor is the need for more efficient capacity to survive today’s strong international competitive pressures. Perhaps this explains US-based mills spent upwards of a billion dollars on new plants and equipment despite less-than-desired demand. Moreover demand and supply trends will be influenced by incoming shipments from abroad that will consist of the biggest share of US textile and apparel demand. Yet, it is believed that big domestic losses of the past years are over.
The cost of fibre, especially cotton, has dropped greatly through the years and according to studies, 2015 shall witness further dips. Current projections for 2014-15 marketing year point to another big global crop of 120 million bales. On the other hand, world usage is put at about 114 million bales. This supply-demand differential means that the current year’s ending stocks could rise to nearly 107.5 million bales.
Stable demand, supply, a positive factor
Another factor is China’s huge stockpile of cotton, the equivalent of a big 1.65 year’s supply. Such big collection hanging over the market could be a major factor in inhibiting the fibre’s recovery. Also, man-made fibres affect the market, but prices have remained stable lately. Man-made prices have a long history of not rising. In fact, they have inched up less than 1 per cent annually over the past three decades and there may hardly be any change in this pattern.
Labour too may not be a problem as pay hikes have remained modest and continuing productivity gains, mostly, are offsetting the impact of any higher pay rates. Worker efficiency has been rising. According to the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), mills have increased their productivity by 24 per cent over the past decade, making textiles one of the top industries as far as boosting efficiency is concerned.
The bottomline is textiles and apparel industry in the US is headed towards a bright year.
Kitex Garments (KGL), aims to be the global leader in infant apparel segment 2018. Kitex had reported a turnover Rs 524.51 crores in 2014-15, up 15 per cent, and an increase in PAT to Rs 98.51 crores, 72 per cent higher compared to the previous year. The company has invested in modernisation, technology upgradation, right product mix and right talent to achieve its goal.
The company has an ability to manufacture 5.5 lakh pieces of infant wear per day, becoming the third largest player in this segment, globally. Kitex now plans to further invest Rs 102.50 crores from 2014-2018 to increase its production capacity from 5.5 lakh pieces per day to 1.1 million pieces by 2018. The goal is to increase capacity utilization from 65 percent in 2014/15 to 75 percent by 2015/16.
With leading brands like Mothercare and Carters expanding their market presence in developed and Indian market expected to create opportunities over the next two-three years, Kitex wants to emerge as the preferred supplier to these global brands. The company made an investment of Rs 30 crores in the last financial year to strengthen its production lines and plant modernization process.
Next on the company’s agenda is to improve profitability through backward integration of its operations right to the spinning segment along with acquiring related product companies.
A major part of Bangladesh's economy depends directly or indirectly on jute farming, trading and employment in jute manufacturing. Jute has been a vital sector for the country and remains so even today with about 45 million people depending on various aspects of the industry. Chairman of the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) had recently stated that the country's jute industry is going through a rough patch. As per reports, government-owned BJMC has lost Tk 450 crores during FY2014-15. This is larger than the losses incurred by it in the two previous years, which totalled to Tk 326 crores.
Besides, BJMC's 4,000 employees and 67,000 factory workers are yet to be paid for the last two months. Gratuities for its 5,700 retired employees and workers too, have not yet been settled. This alone totals Tk Tk 350 cores. In 2011, the government reopened five closed jute mills and allocated Tk 105 crores for this, besides recruiting 35,000 permanent workers through the BJMC. The BJMC report states that it can't purchase raw jute on time due to fund constraints and government's delay in releasing funds. Thus, it incurs losses up to Tk 700-800 million every year.
The BJMC, for the FY2015-16, planned to purchase raw jute worth Tk 1,000 crores, were provided with only Taka 1.0 billion just before Eid-ul-Fitr and was told to not expect any more funds. So, they can't clear arrears worth Tk 1.0 billion due to small raw jute traders and will have to purchase raw jute on loans once again. All this adds up to the cost and reflects in the company's balance sheet.
One of the largest eri producing cocoon states, Assam's artisans are withdrawing from their tradition of weaving eri cloth, a natural warm silk made of yarns derived from the cocoons of eri worms. This cloth is known to be wholly organic and thus has great demand in other parts of the country and abroad. The main reason why artisans are withdrawing from this tradition is lack of proper equipment to produce the weft yarn from silk cocoons. Now, a new charkha has been innovated to get rid of the problem of spinning the weft yarn of eri silk. The new invention is aimed at checking the massive flight of eri cocoon to other parts of the country.
The new charkha has been invented by former North Eastern Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST), Jorhat S N Choudhury and his mechanical engineer son KN Choudhury, at their workshop in Shreenagar. It is named Choudhury Eri Spinning Charkha-II. This charkha is expected to eliminate problems with spinning.
The charkha can be operated manually in both, right and left directions through an adjustable pedal, and weighs around 6.5 kg. The equipment is made of wood, brass and steel parts, bearing and bushings. About 250 grams of weft yarn of around 25 counts can be produced with the help of this equipment within eight hours.
Leading denim producer, Levi Strauss & Co, recently has announced the expansion of its clothing recycling initiative to all its mainline and outlet stores in the US. This expansion aims to help consumers recycle clothing and shoes. With this, the company takes its commitment to sustainability to a new high by reducing the volume of waste sent to landfills and creating an infrastructure that supports a circular economy by 2020.
Consumers can simply drop off any brand of clean, dry clothing or shoes in the collection boxes at their local Levi’s store. Anybody who brings an item of clothing or shoes to recycle will receive a voucher for 20 per cent off on a single, regular-priced Levi’s item in-store. Most people in the US are familiar with recycling bottles, cans and paper, but still throw away clothing. According to reports, Americans discard more than £28 billion of unwanted clothing, shoes and other textiles every year. Roughly 15 per cent of these items are collected by charitable organisations and others while the remaining 85 per cent end up in landfills.
Michael Kobori, Vice President of Sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co. said that they were thinking about sustainability across all facets of their business and how to shift consumer behaviour towards recycling clothing. He feels that collecting used clothing at Levi’s stores makes it simple and easy for consumers to do their part and also helps their commitment to do the right thing for the environment.
