FW
Centro Seta has introduced a collection of sustainable silk fabrics for autumn/winter 2015-2016. The collection, called Bacx, was developed through extensive technological research to ensure high quality silk fabrics were also sustainable and responsible, and the new range offers complete transparency across all production processes.
Bacx is a complete collection of new generation silks characterized by innovative styles and compositions born of innovative sustainable research, processes and solutions. Centro Seta is an Italian textile company. The transparent traceability of Bacx begins at the source – the raw materials – and crosses the production process all the way to the finished product.
Centro Seta’s new eco-friendly silks are offered in two ranges: GreenFiber and Newlife. GreenFiber range fabrics are created using a new silk yarn derived from recycled production wastes. The Newlife range of high-tech, eco-silk fabrics combines traditional silk with Newlife threads, which are made from recycled bottles. The bottles are transformed into a polymer and then worked into a thread through a mechanical process.
The result is a range of refined, unique and fully sustainable silk fabrics, 100 per cent made in Italy, produced using special, exclusive dyestuffs that ensure good wash fastness properties. The Bacx collection is certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard and is available in a wide variety of colors. For 30 years Centro Seta has been known for style, creativity and production excellence.
The Denim by Premiere Vision held in Spain on November 19 and 20 saw almost 4,000 visitors. Europe alone represented 70 per cent of the visitors. The event showcased products like fashion accessories and fabrics. It showed a glimpse of 2016 Spring/Summer trends.
The show saw 98 exhibitors from 20 countries. After Spain, Turkey had the second largest contingent, followed by Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Portugal and Belgium. About 72 per cent of visitors were international and came from 60 different countries. There were visitors from Japan, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong and Brazil. Northern Europe and Scandinavia are specialist markets for premium denim. Among the top Northern European visitors were the Netherlands, followed by Sweden and Denmark.
The Middle East and North Africa, with Tunisia and Morocco leading, had a significant presence of manufacturers, launderers and finishers, who came to meet their weaver clients. The Northern American countries also registered a significant increase since visitors from this area grew by 38 per cent when compared with the November 2013 attendance figures.
Visitors included buyers, decision-makers and creatives from premium and established brands including 7 For All Mankind, Abercrombie & Fitch, Benetton, Burberry, Calvin Klein and Chanel.
www.denimbypremierevision.com/
The European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing (Textile ETP) will be in the spotlight at ITMA 2015, the textile and garment technology exhibition to be held from November 12 to 19, 2015. Its key projects will be showcased at the exhibition's Research and Education Pavilion (R&E Pavilion).
The Textile ETP, initially launched in 2004, was established as an international non-profit organisation last year by three founding members: EURATEX, the European Apparel and Textile Confederation; TEXTRANET, the European Network of Textile Research and Technology Organisations; and AUTEX, the Association of Universities for Textiles.
Among the actions which will be highlighted in the Textile ETP are Energy Made-to-Measure campaign and 2BFUNTEX project. 2BFUNTEX, spearheaded by AUTEX, 2BFUNTEX aims to boost collaboration between research centres and the industry, and to facilitate rapid adoption of innovative functional textile structures and textile-related materials. Within the project, eight multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) have been set up called antimicrobial textiles, biotechnologies, electro-spinning, flame retardancy, nanotechnologies, plasma, smart textiles and sustainable textiles.
Energy Made-to-Measure is the campaign coordinated by EURATEX and supported by the European Union to pursue greater energy efficiency in the textile and clothing industry. Several organisations from 11 countries are involved in the campaign which brings resources and information to companies, supporting them to take action.
Among the institutions which will be participating in ITMA 2015 is the NC State University College of Textiles, USA. The R&E Pavilion will feature a Speakers Platform for participating institutes to present their latest projects. At the same time, to recognise outstanding achievements in textile and garment related post-graduate research, CEMATEX has launched the Research & Education Excellence Award. Participating institutions in the R&E Pavilion may nominate their post-graduate students for the Masters and Doctorate categories of the award.
A free trade agreement between China and South Korea could mean a severe blow to Taiwan’s textile exports. It’s estimated Taiwan’s exports to China will fall by 30 per cent. Chinese buyers will shift their orders from Taiwan to South Korea in order to get cheaper textiles.
Fabrics, yarn and fibers are among the major textile products Taiwan sells to China. The free trade agreement grants tariff-free status to 85 per cent of the textile items exported to the China market by South Korea in future. Taiwanese industries, including petrochemicals, flat panels, machine tools, textiles and steel, will be affected by the China-South Korea agreement. And these industries serve as the major driver to Taiwan’s export growth.
Taiwanese exporters are concerned over South Korea’s rising competitive edge against Taiwan in the huge China market. South Korea is likely to take a bigger share of the Chinese market. South Korea’s major exports to China are fibers, garments and accessories.
What Taiwan can probably do now is to speed up the pace of signing a trade-in-goods agreement with China in a bid to stem the adverse impact of the Beijing-Seoul free trade agreement. Taiwan and China have held nine rounds of negotiations on the trade-in-goods pact, which is a follow-up deal to the landmark Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement signed by the two countries in 2010.
Woolmark has added a new section to its website exclusively featuring merino wool clothing. The aim is to make merino wool crafted products, designed by various brands from across the globe, more easily accessible and discoverable for consumers worldwide.
The platform not only allows consumers to browse the world’s finest wool clothing and accessories but also link the farm-to-fashion journey of the wool fibers used in the products. The web portal aims to increase consumer engagement and provide a central marketing channel for the fiber, its products and its brand image.
The digital marketplace currently features an array of pullovers, tailored shorts, pants, jackets, beanies, skirts, capes, cardigans, sheath dresses and bombers from international labels like Rag & bone, Burberry, Giorgio Armani, DSQUARED2 and Emilio Pucci.
Woolmark is the Australian-based international wool textile organization. Over the past two years its digital presence has significantly grown. Currently it’s about 60 per cent digital and 40 per cent traditional. Within the next three years that may go up to 90 per cent digital and 10 per cent traditional. The company is the global authority on merino fibers. It engages in the research and development of better textiles. The company’s iconic Woolmark symbol stands for the versatility and luxury of merino wool.
www.woolmark.com/
Heimtextil exhibitions will be held in Germany from January 14 to 17, 2015. This is the world’s largest trade fair for home and contract textiles. With growing awareness o of sustainable and socially responsible production techniques, the theme this time is sustainability. The fair will offer a forum for companies committed to sustainability and put the focus on products that conserve resources.
There will, for the first time, be a platform dedicated to bodies which award seals of approval and quality marks, to certification organisations and interest groups relating to sustainability issues. Visitors will get free of charge a green directory containing an overview of all exhibitors at the show who espouse the cause of sustainable working practices. Also eco symbols on the stands of certificated exhibitors will provide practical help for visitors in finding those products that have been manufactured to ecological and social standards.
Awards will be given for upcycling. In contrast to recycling, upcycling has, as its goal, the creation of higher value products from waste materials. At least 30 per cent of the materials used must be textile-based. The Theme Park will offer space for a comprehensive display of themes and issues that are relevant to the future. It will focus attention on design-oriented, contemporary aspects.
www.heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com/
Kyrgyzstan has a strong trade relationship with China. Sewing products made in Kyrgyzstan are of high quality and affordably priced. About 70 per cent of the raw materials, fabrics, and accessories for Kyrgyz sewing industry are imported from China. Since China's garment production is no longer seen as profitable, investors from China see Kyrgyzstan as a strategic area for new investments.
Since the beginning of 2014, trade between Kyrgyzstan and China has grown 8.5 per cent compared to the same period of 2013. China has to import textiles, as its own resources are insufficient to meet the demand. Due to the rising tariffs for water and electricity, China has to shift its production to the countries of Southeast Asia. As Kyrgyzstan neighbors China, it intends to export its goods through Kyrgyzstan to the CIS and other countries.
Kyrgyzstan annually produces about 10,000 tons of wool, but only about 30 per cent of the total volume is thin and semi-light wool. The remaining 70 per cent is rough and semi-coarse wool, and it is not in demand. Therefore, Kyrgyzstan is very interested in attracting Chinese technology to refine wool processing.
Export of apparel products is one of the most important sectors of the Kyrgyz economy. Kyrgyz garment producers believe that entry into the Customs Union countries including Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus will be profitable for them.
A big industrial centre for textiles is coming up at Tayal, on 250 hectares. Turkey is collaborating with Algeria on this venture. It will generate about 25,000 jobs. Tayal will be built in two stages. In the first stage, eight integrated plants, specialized in the manufacturing of denim fabric, netting and other types of fabrics as well as the making of shirts and jeans, will come up over an area of 100 hectares. It will be spread over a period of 36 months, and will see the construction of a business centre, a big training school, houses for the staff, showrooms and spaces for leisure.
In the second stage of the project, on the remaining 150 hectares, about 10 other plants, specialized in the production of household linen, clothing accessories and non-woven fabric, will be constructed. The North African country of Algeria is keen to revive its textile sector. Nearly 4,000 private units in the sector have disappeared due to a policy that favors the import of textiles in the country. The textile sector in Algeria currently only employs 15,000 workers, whereas it employed around 2,00,000 workers 20 years ago. The recovery plan wants the textile sector to register an annual growth rate of 10 per cent.
The Texworld trade fair to be held in Paris from February 9 to 12, 2015 will see exhibitors from the top textile manufacturing countries – China, South Korea, India, Turkey and Pakistan. These countries are underlining their interest in the European market, which, with the US, represents the strongest demand.
India’s Texprocil, the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council of India, will have a strong presence at the fair, with almost 35 exhibitors. Texprocil is responsible for promoting Indian cotton producers, but it is also helping silk manufacturers, lace makers and embroiderers to exhibit at Texworld. As it happens cotton has the most demand at Texworld. It represents an aspect of the fair which is undergoing constant development.
Texworld serves as a forum for discussion about the fashion and garment industry for professionals and key industry players. It helps them gain an opportunity to enhance their knowledge about the sector and get the latest and updated information about the latest trends and new products.
Many companies across sectors have confirmed their attendance since the end of the last fair in September. The event will be fully booked soon, with the last confirmations now being issued and new companies chosen by the fair’s selection committee.
https://www.messefrankfurt.com/.../texworld-paris-spring2015.html
Cambodian garment factory workers are fighting for minimum wages though export earnings of the garment sector is about a third of the country’s GDP. Cambodia has one of the lowest minimum wages in the Asia-Pacific. There are more than 6,00,000 garment workers in the country, most of them women. Aside from receiving low wages, workers also suffer poor working conditions.
Some factories have been hit by strikes lasting for as long as a year. Strikes are often violently dispersed by government forces, resulting in the deaths of workers. Learning from this debacle, garment workers decided to revive the campaign for wage increase, this time have directed their appeal to global clothing brands that buy and sub-contract supplies from Cambodia. The campaign was aimed at pressuring global brands such as H&M, Walmart, Levi’s, Gap, Puma, C&A, Adidas and Zara to directly negotiate higher wages for workers with their suppliers.
Garment workers say they are justified in using this strategy. They say global clothing brands have amassed more than enough profit which can be used to for the welfare of workers in Cambodia. However, the government reiterated its position that a substantial wage increase would scare away investors and disrupt local economy.
