FW
Australian women like to take fashion risks. They buy a lot of organza, colors and cut-outs. Tailoring has become fashion, not just work wear. And they love linen. Linen's popularity also reflects customers’ growing interest in sustainable fashion and people are willing to pay more for it. And they are going online in a big way. Consumers are developing more confidence to buy categories they would have previously shopped at a physical store, such as swimwear and denim.
Australia is a nation of T-shirt-and-jeans-loving shoppers, says online retailer The Iconic just released year in fashion report, which tallies the top sellers for the year, as well as breaking it down into various categories, including sportswear, gender and clothing with sustainable credentials.. And they are obsessed with sneakers. Popular footwear brands are Vans, Converse and Tirkenstock. The country’s female shoppers are becoming more comfortable with purchasing bigger ticket items online. Men love heritage brands including Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Ray-Ban and Polo Ralph Lauren. The hottest brand of 2019 was Bottega Veneta. Other major trends of the decade include slogan tees, ugly sneakers and natural brows.
Australian brands are turning against animal cruelty. Robust fashion policies are being aimed at reducing animal welfare risk and improving supply chain transparency. Brands want to be seen as opting to use only fabrics or textiles which do not allow for cruel animal practices or treatment while also striving for positive environmental and human welfare attributes.
Jacket Required, the UK’s only contemporary menswear and streetwear trade exhibition taking place at the Old Truman Brewery on the 22nd – 23rd January 2020, gets a facelift for the AW20 show with a re-edit focusing on new, premium, and sustainable menswear, an updated layout containing a skate ramp installation, and new premium show build.
The new layout aims to attract buyers with a streamlined edit of new brands to the show including Snowman New York, Hedon, Bjanko Milano, On Running, and Alexridolfi, alongside leading labels Aigle, Pantherella, R.M.Williams, Suit Denmark, Fjallraven, Didriksons, Cheaney Shoes, Blundstone, SECRID, LOIS Jeans, TOMS, Kangol, and many more.
Generating an experiential buzz, the installation of a Santa Cruz Skate Ramp will be entertaining live demonstrations from their skilled skate team. Santa Cruz will also be presenting its AW20 collection alongside streetwear brands Arbor, Powell Peralta, Straye Footwear, Body Glove, IMPALA and R8GZ. Sustainability continues to be a key focus for the show and will showcase the debut collection from new label Universal Change Makers (UCM).
Adam Gough, Event Director of Jacket Required quotes “The AW20 show will differentiate itself with a high quality streamlined premium, streetwear, and sustainability offering of brands. The show build is shifting to premium full height white walling, and the revamped layout has been designed to present visitors with an inspiring and stimulating buying environment. The Santa Cruz skate ramp installation and live DJ’s aim to elevate the whole Jacket Required experience.”
"The garment industry in Myanmar has grown significantly in the past five years, from an export value of $900 million in 2012 to $4.37 billion in the first 11 months of FY 2018-19. The country now aims to reach an export value of $10 billion garments by 2024 besides creating over a million jobs for its unskilled and semi-skilled workers."
The garment industry in Myanmar has grown significantly in the past five years, from an export value of $900 million in 2012 to $4.37 billion in the first 11 months of FY 2018-19. The country now aims to reach an export value of $10 billion garments by 2024 besides creating over a million jobs for its unskilled and semi-skilled workers.
After 2015, Myanmar’s garment exports have grown by almost $1 billion every year. This growth has been possible mainly due to the investments made by China and Vietnam in the country. Of late, both Chinese and Vietnam investors have been setting up factories in Myanmar. These countries produce their goods in Myanmar and send them to the EU which offers zero duty benefits on imports from Myanmar under its everything but Arms scheme in 2013.
Cheap labor, zero duty benefit boost attractiveness
One reason why these countries prefer setting up production units in Myanmar is because it is not only closer to
China but is also cheaper in terms of labor comparatively. Besides, the country offers zero duty benefit on export of goods to European Union. Myanmar has a lot of seaports from where goods can be shipped easily at cheaper rates anywhere in the world.
As logistics and transportation costs are cheaper in Myanmar, the country has been developing a lot of industrial zones and facilitating foreign investors off late. Currently, it produces only basic garments as manufacturers neither have a skilled workforce nor sophisticated machinery to cater to high-end-value-added garment items.
The garment factories in the country have also been receiving work orders of basic items diverted from China and Bangladesh. One reason for order diversion from Bangladesh is that all micro, small and medium factories in this country have either closed down or cannot take orders because of little or no profit. Large and medium-large factories are less interested to cater to basic work orders. As a result, these work orders are shifting to Myanmar.
New MSME policy for smooth manufacturing
Meanwhile as the number of garment factories in Myanmar increased last year, export volumes also increased as well. As per SMART Myanmar, Europe is the most important market for Myanmar-made garments. European countries like Germany, which accounted for $519 million worth of exports in 2017 and the United Kingdom, which bought garments worth $213 million in the same year, are the hot favorites for Myanmar exports.
Over 1.1 million workers are currently employed in garment, textile, footwear and accessories factories across Myanmar. And tens of thousands indirectly work in the industry through logistics and transport services. C&A Foundation estimates by 2020, the sector is likely to employ 1.5 million people. SMART Myanmar, a project funded by the European Union, recorded 19 factories registered so far for either garment or footwear production.
Levi Strauss has been named one of the winners of Engage for Good’s Golden Halo Awards. This award is given for outstanding achievements in corporate social impact. Denim giant Levi Strauss was recognised for its history of committing to equality and sustainability, from integrating US factories before the Civil Rights Act, to aggressively adopting water-saving and climate-conscious production techniques. The company believes in the values of empathy, originality, integrity, and courage.
Golden Halo is given to organisations which unite and engage consumers and employees around initiatives that make a purposeful impact.
Meanwhile Fashion brand Save the Duck has won Peta’s Company of the Year award. Save the Duck won the award for its commitment to respecting and protecting animals, using raw and recycled materials, and continually innovating its practices to meet the planet’s needs. All its products are animal and cruelty free. Not only has Save the Duck always been free of down, fur, and all other animal-derived materials, it also continues to push the boundary of what it means to be a sustainable company, constantly changing its product line to be more and more environmentally friendly. In addition, Save the Duck uses recycled plastic bottles, regenerated fishing nets and animal-free eco-fur in its designs.
British footwear company Clarks has announced a new restructuring plan for next year. According to this plan, the company plans to lay off 170 of its employees in the New Year. It currently has a labor force of 13,000 employees.
Clarks is led by Giorgio Presca, former Levi’s, Diesel and Geox executive who replaced Mike Shearwood, after his departure last March. In November of this year, the company appointed Philip de Klerk, former chief executive officer of Low & Bonar, as the new chief financial officer to face its restructuring.
These cuts come after the company reached losses of 82.9 million pounds at the end of 2018. Its group sales, on the other hand, fell by 4.6 per cent, to 1.5 billion pounds compared to 1.5 billion pounds, year-on-year.
The company, founded in 1825 by brothers James and Cyrus Clarks, has 750 stores worldwide. Currently, the Clark family continues to be the majority shareholder of the company with 84 percent of the shares.
The Union government has announced a ‘Scheme for Assistance to Strengthen Specific Sectors in the Textile Value Chain’ effective from September 4, 2018, to December 31, 2023. As against the policy that attracted fresh investments in ginning, spinning and garmenting, the assistance scheme covers segments such as weaving, knitting, dyeing/printing, machine carpeting, technical textile, composite units and other activities in the such as embroidery, winding, sizing, twisting and crimping.
The scheme provides financial assistance through credit-linked interest subsidy of six per cent for micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and 4-6 per cent for large enterprises, with an upper ceiling of Rs 20 crore per annum. Further, the scheme offers subsidy in power tariff of up to Rs 3 per unit for weaving, and Rs 2 per unit for other eligible segments with a validity of five years.
The assistance scheme is meant for new units being set up. These newer units would be more cost-effective, and compete with us on price difference. Already, the existing textile industry in Gujarat is struggling due to multiple reasons. Around 30 textile processing units have been shut in recent months, with the remaining 320 odd units functioning at only 70 per cent of the original capacity. Surat, the biggest textile market in the state, alone has seen daily production fall from 40 million metre per day to 25 million metre per day.
Based on the subsidy under the new scheme, newer units could carry a 15-20 per cent production cost advantage over the existing ones. Apparently, the scheme also offers assistance covering all existing units which are compliant with the government’s energy, water and environment conservation norms, and have been in operation for more than three years.
The scheme provides 20 per cent assistance on the cost of with a ceiling of Rs 30 lakh, and 50 per cent assistance for audit fees with a limit of Rs 1 lakh. The benefits can be availed once in two years during the operative period of the scheme. A one-time financial assistance of up to 50 per cent of cost, with a limit of Rs 25 lakh, is provided for and modernization. The scheme provides assistance of up to 25 per cent of capital expenditure on common facilities and infrastructure, with a limit of Rs 15 crore for setting up textile parks.
H&M sales rose nine per cent in the fourth quarter. The fashion retailer is on course to increase annual profits for the first time in four years following heavy investment in online and other services to adapt to a changing market. Over the past few years the Swedish-based retailer has invested in online services, new store concepts and independent brands to broaden its customer base and turn itself around. Germany is H&M's biggest market. The group has embarked on a road to recovery after slowing footfall at its core H&M-branded stores caused years of sliding group profits, mounting inventories and shrinking market value. Shares in the world's second-biggest apparel group have climbed 53 per cent this year.
Full-year profits are expected to grow for the first time since 2015, despite still-high inventory and investment levels. H&M has partnered with a startup Unspun on a project that recreates a 3D body scan into a pattern that can be used to customize jeans. H&M will begin implementing the project in its stores next year. Since last September, H&M’s innovation hub, The Laboratory, has been making the first software tests with one hundred clients of the Weekday chain. Customers are given the opportunity to customize Weekday jeans styles changing its trim, stitching and pockets and then using their body scan to fit the jeans.
The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) has approved three investment projects in the bags and garments sector with a total capital investment of $8.8 million. These projects including setting up a bag factory for Quan Ming Handbag (Cambodia) Industrial, a bag and belt factory for Gd New Sky Leather Products Co, and a garment factory for Tao And Kiven Garment.
These factories will generate 3,448 jobs. They will be located in Phnom Penh, and Kandal and Kampong Speu provinces.
As Cambodia may be at risk of losing duty-free export opportunities to the European Union (EU) if the Everything But Arms (EBA) agreement is withdrawn, the country is diversifying its export portfolio to reduce any potential impact. The country is expanding its export portfolio to combat any potential effect. It is also trying to reinforce its productivity and competitiveness in the export sector, which will help its products compete with those of other countries.
Stäubli presented its latest textile machines for weaving and knitting at ITMACH India 2019. The company showcased its new TIEPRO warp tying machine, S1692 cam motion and the S3260 electronic rotary dobby along with Stäubli TF weaving systems.
Weavers attending the exhibition also learned about Stäubli’s broad range of Jacquard weaving machinery. Covering virtually any application, this range includes machine formats with up to 25,600 hooks (or up to 51,200 by combining two machines) as well as Jacquard weaving harnesses for perfect coordination between the Jacquard and the weaving machine.
Locally active in the Indian market since 1947, Stäubli is a renowned player in the Indian textile industry. The company also offers in-house training for machine operators and support for customers’ production teams as part of change management. Maintenance and spare parts schemes are also locally available and highly appreciated.
Pure London is delighted to announce British designer Dame Zandra Rhodes to the AW20/21 show for a keynote address on day one. Zandra will take to the newly created Nomad stage in the National Hall of Olympia London to discuss her ‘50 Years of Fabulous’ at 3.30 pm on Sunday 9th February 2020.
As one of the most enduring and iconic designers of the generation, this year Zandra celebrates her own Jubilee in the fashion industry. Visitors will experience her speak about the ups and downs of continuing to thrive in the fashion world, offering fascinating insights and no doubt a few interesting stories over the years. Over the past 50 years, Zandra has dressed figureheads of the fashion industry in her signature creations, which combine vibrant patterns and finishes with superior-quality fabrics. Her seasonal collections are a fine display of her textile expertise and experience, captured in the colourful and timeless dresses printed and beaded by hand at her London atelier.
Zandra marked her 50 years in fashion in September 2019 with a retrospective exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum, a book published by Yale and a collection for SS20 entitled 'The Jubilee Collection.' The fashion icon shows no signs of slowing down - announcing future collaborations with the likes of IKEA and working on her AW20 collection to be shown in February 2020 at LFW.
The new Nomad Stage offers a dedicated platform for industry leaders, change-makers and personalities to discuss the most pertinent and significant global topics in the industry, share their stories and offer practical business advice.
