Nike has once again topped the list of world’s 10 most valuable apparel brands. Published by Brand Finance, the list shows, the value of the Swoosh brand jumped by 9 per cent to $33.2 billion but still isn’t at the level it was two years ago. Last year, Nike’s brand value dropped by 13 per cent from 2020 to $30.4 billion but it still managed to hold the top spot.

The other brands in the list included Adias, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, and Hermès. The aggregate brand value for sportswear brands grew by 10 per cent to $74 billion, while luxury brands grew by 21 per cent to $125 billion.

With convenience at the center of marketing strategy, luxury and sports brands have mastered online delivery fulfillment, says Richard Haigh, Managing Director, Brand Finance.

Smaller sportswear brands were among the fastest-growing brands in the list. The brand value of Skechers’ skyrocketed by 68 per cent to $3.2 billion while Li-Ning’s brand value increased by the same amount to $2 billion. Sportswear brands — Nike, Skechers, Moncler, Li-Ning, and Adidas — were ranked 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10, respectively.

Texworld New York City (NYC), Apparel Sourcing New York City and Home Textiles Sourcing will return as physical events this July with new product categories, partnerships, educational opportunities, curated trends and more. These in-person international shows will include new invigorated specialty sections and a robust offering of networking.

They will include live textile talks and the seminar series with an impressive speaker line-up and tailored industry topics. Texworld NYC’s educational program will offer insightful and informative sessions for every role and level of experience across all segments of the industry that include topics that are necessary in today’s environment. In addition to live education, attendees can also discover the trends for F/W 23-24 in the Texworld Trend Showcase curated by New York-based trend agency, TOBE/The Doneger Group, fair organiser said in a press release.

Texworld NYC, Apparel Sourcing NYC, and Home Textiles Sourcing will connect global manufacturers and suppliers to the US market with hybrid format options: the Sourcing Showroom and the Virtual Platform. This innovative exhibition concept offers those exhibitors still facing travel restrictions the ability to showcase their textiles and finished goods without physically being present at the event.

BASF has collaborated with e3 Sustainable Cotton program and the United Nations-hosted Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network for a series of convenings in New York City throughout 2022. As per an Innovation in Textiles report, the network aims to foster transparent, inclusive and transformative engagement of global stakeholders to drive urgent action for sustainability. It will provide an impartial platform for the industry and the UN system to mobilise expertise, innovation, technology and resources towards a sustainable and inclusive Covid-19 recovery, with the SDGs as a guiding framework.

The program will co-host a series of roundtable events to explore how the fashion and lifestyle industries are positioned to collaborate and engage on SDGs.

Jennifer Crumpler, Regional Seed Sustainability and Fibre Development Manager for BASF Agricultural Solutions says, the collaboration will allow us to create awareness about sustainable cotton clothing. It will enable cotton farmers to deliver on sustainability measurements to leave the land better than they found it. It will make the cotton supply chain transparent for consumers. b

Sohail Pasha, Chairman, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) urged the new PML-N’s Government to forge export oriented policies to stabilize the crumbling economy and lead the country towards economic prosperity.

Pasha urged the government to prioritize economic growth and focus on achieving national goals. He said that all stakeholders should be taken on board to make viable and prudent economic policies to accelerate growth and speed up industrialization across the country.

Pasha hoped that the PML-N Government would gather a team of economic experts from all sectors of the economy to formulate business friendly policies and bring economic reforms to boost the trade and industry.

AmeerAhmand, Vice Chairman, PTEA, opined, the country desperately needs to boost exports to narrow its ballooning trade deficit, which has surged to $ 35.4 billion in nine months of current fiscal. It needs to introduce a methodology to explore new markets and increase export volume. Pragmatic policies need to be formulated in consultation with stakeholders to reduce the cost of business by fixing rates of inputs in line with competing countries in the global market to create a level playing field, he suggested.

Ahmand emphasized on switching the focus towards value-addition in textile industry as sustainable growth hinges upon value addition. He hopes, the industry will overcome all export related challenges in coming months.

Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA ) has entered into the metaverse Web3 to launch an educational program alongside a coalition of digital creatives and thought leaders. With creative consultancy 5Crypto, the council will work with The Sandbox and Polygon Studios to establish a Web3 blueprint for American fashion in the metaverse with a mission to educate, innovate, and create community in a digital world.

American design talent will be piloted into virtual spaces to introduce Web3 to a larger consumer segment and provide brands with insights that will allow them to authentically engage and empower their communities, while establishing new revenue streams. The CFDA will also be offering members professional development and educational resources, allowing them to gain insights and cultivate opportunities for their businesses.

The Sandbox, a leading metaverse co-founded by SebastienBorget and Arthur Madrid, empowers creators to build their own virtual and gamified worlds. The Sandbox’s decentralised platform provides endless possibilities for creation and collaboration; previous collaborators include Snoop Dogg, Gucci, and Adidas.

The initiative also leverages the expertise of Polygon Studios, the NFT and gaming arm of Ethereum layer-2 scaling protocol Polygon. Polygon Studios already works with the majority of today’s top Web3 games and NFT projects and has helped multiple luxury brands enter Web3, including Dolce&Gabbana, Bulgari, Prada, and Adidas.

Despite graduating from LDC category, Bangladesh hopes to get the GSP+ privilege.

TapanKantiGhosh, Commerce Secretary said, Germany will continue to give GSP+ privilege to Bangladesh as it moves out of the LDC status in 2026.Ghosh was addressing a ‘Corporate Due Diligence Obligations for the Prevention of Human Rights Violations in Supply Chain’ in Dhaka by the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF) and Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).

The German Act will not be directly applicable to Bangladesh, it would become a factor to address when its components were incorporated in the GSP+ incentive, he added.

Germany recently enacted an act on corporate due diligence obligations in supply chains even if the act will come into effect in 2023.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has revised its outlook for world trade volume in goods to 3 per cent in 2022 from the previous projection of 4.7 per cent in October. The outlook is marked by uncertainties caused by the Russia-Ukraine war and COVID-led economic downturn, says Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, WTO. A strong consumer demand led to world trade volume growing by 9.8 per cent last year. However, this year, the double whammy of the pandemic and the war has once again lowered growth expectations, he adds.

Lockdowns in China are once again disrupting seaborne trade leading to shortages of manufacturing inputs and higher inflation, he adds. Given this volatile situation, WTO economists estimate merchandise trade volume in 2022 will either sink to 0.5 per cent or grow to 5.5 per cent.

As per a Women’s Wear Daily report, global trade value increased 26 per cent to $22.4 trillion in 2022, with China’s trade value growing 30 per cent to $3.36 trillion, followed by the US with 23 per cent growth to $1.75 trillion and Germany with an 18 per cent gain to $1.63 trillion. The value of apparel exports increased by 21 per cent to $550 billion in 2021, adds Coleman Nee, Senior WTO economist. The overall value of apparel trade was above the 2019 pre-COVID-19 crisis levels. China registered a 24 per cent increase to $176 billion, he adds.

Similarly, exports of Bangladesh and Vietnam surged by around 24 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively with their shipments values exceeding $30 billion each. Other apparel exporters whose exports surged last year included Turkey whose exports surged by 22 per cent to $18.7 billion; Cambodia, whose exports increased 8 per cent to $8 billion; India which reported a 24 per cent surge in exports to $16.1 billion and Indonesia whose exports increased 23 per cent to $9.3 billion. The exports of Sri Lanka, Egypt, Jordan, Mexico, Canada, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Peru, also grew by double digits.

In contrast, apparel exporters that posted double-digit contractions in 2021 included sanctions-hit Myanmar (Burma), and the United Kingdom.

The Tiruppur Exporters' Association (TEA) has urged an additional 20 per cent loan support for the labor intensive MSME driven garment industries under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS). This loan support will help MSMEs that make up majority of RMG industry and are currently facing liquidity crisis, owning to a surge in inputs costs, says Raja Shanmugam, President. The ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka can boost India’s textile exports if the government resolves current problems facing the industry, adds Shanmugham.

The surge in cotton and yarn prices places the Indian textile industry in a disadvantageous position. A level playing field by lifting the import duty on cotton enables it to double turnover from the Tiruppur industry by 2024.

Vietnam’s textile and garment exports increased 22.5 per cent in Q1 FY22 to $8.84 billion. As per reports, many garment and textile companies in Vietnam were impacted by labor shortages during the pandemic which disrupted production and business activities in the country. Around 1,719 employees of Hoa Tho Textile and Garment JSC tested positive last month, says Tran Tuong Anh, Deputy Director-General. The company encountered many difficulties in arranging production plans, compelling it to reschedule delivery times, rearrange production plans and prioritize urgent orders, he adds.

The company also had to arrange different workplaces and canteen for the infected employees, he adds. 8-3 Textile Co also struggled with labour shortages during the COVID outbreak. The company had to rotate workers’ shift to ensure continuation in production and business activities.

Aligro JSC had to ensure its companies social and welfare interests to make them feel secure, adds Hoang Van Linh, Chairman, Hao Tho Textile and Garment JSC directed its infected workers to immediately stop work. It also provided them finance and meals post their return to factories. From a Zero COVID policy, Vietnam has changed its strategy to a safe and flexible adaption and effective control of the pandemic. The textile and garment industry has received orders till end of the year and is expected to earn $43 billion in exports this year.

Morocco’s Ministry of Industry and Trade had added fabrics to the list of imported products required to comply with quality and safety regulations in the Verification of Conformity Program introduced in 2020. Depending on the type, the products will be verified either at the country of export, before shipment or at their destination, on arrival of the cargo. The regulation is already in force but importers of clothing fabrics can still bring goods into the country without a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) until May 7, 2022.

The new rules say, clothing fabrics need to comply with the technical regulation standards (NM 09.0.000:2018) of Morocco and obtain a CoC before entering the Moroccan market. The certificate must be presented upon the goods’ arrival and is required before the goods can clear customs. Products that do not conform with conformity assessment may be subject to a second analysis at the request of the importer. However, the ministry will grant this measure only if it consists of two samples taken from which the test results are done. Moreover, if at least one of the two results proves to be non-compliant, the goods will not be authorized to access the market.