FW
Interfilière Shanghai was held September 26 to 27, 2019.
This highly anticipated edition celebrated great success. The show was immersed in a very dynamic and business-driven ambience. Booths were fully occupied across two days. The two-day trade fair welcomed 150 exhibitors, representing 15 countries and regions, with a wide range of offerings from fibers, fabrics, laces, accessories, embroidery, OEM and ODM, machinery, textile designers, trend agencies to testing and certification institutions. Among these 53 per cent of exhibitors were committed to sustainable solutions. Sustainability continued to be the focal point of the show. A new area showcased eco-products and eco -manufacturing processes.
Visitors from Mainland China and Hong Kong continued to top the ranking as the major visiting regions, followed by Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, Russia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and India. In terms of visitor profiles, close to 50 per cent of the visitors were from brands and the rest comprised OEM, distributors (buying offices, chain stores, imports and exports etc.), design offices, agents and media. Visitors increased by 15 per cent. Attendees expressed a high level of satisfaction owing to the smooth entrance registration service, diversified offerings by selective exhibiting suppliers, the exclusive trend preview, inspiration from the Trend Forum as well as a comprehensive event agenda such as keynote conferences and fashion shows.
Bangladesh is planning to seek the GSP-plus facility from the EU as it is set to graduate into a developing nation that would shore the country of its existing GSP facility. The country also plans to seek higher prices for its local ready-made garment (RMG) products in the EU markets, as it has made its factories labour-compliant as per the EU guideline. It has also introduced labor laws into the country and oversees the progress of labor rights scenario in line with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
A co-chair of the sub-groups of the EU-Bangladesh JCM will reportedly try to formulise next course of actions, and clear up the barriers on the way to augmenting bilateral trade, economic cooperation and development. At JCM, Bangladesh would reportedly seek continuation of some existing benefits along with some fresh facilities for exporting its goods to the European market, after Bangladesh’s graduation from LDC status.
Bangladesh’s competitiveness is eroding owing to weakening macroeconomic stability, deteriorating labor market conditions and inadequate progress in infrastructure, says the Global Competitiveness Index. Complex administrative requirements and weak entrepreneurial culture have weakened business dynamism. Inadequate skills of the work force and lack of preparedness of the work force to face future challenges of technologies are the other weaknesses.
And then there are emerging market risks: rise in energy prices, failure in urban planning, underemployment, failure in climate change adaptation and industrial pollution. Entrepreneurs complain of expectations of bribes in connection with tax payments and low ethical standards of politicians. The extent of corruption has further increased and has squeezed the scope for doing business particularly for the new entrants and micro, small and medium enterprises.
Corruption has become a major burden for businesses, which reduces competitiveness both in local and global markets. Though infrastructure has improved the level of improvement is still inadequate to ensure the accepted level of quality. There is some doubt about how sound banks are. A few business groups dominate major corporate activities. Complex administrative requirements and a weak entrepreneurial culture have weakened business dynamism.
The country is ahead of Nepal and Pakistan but lags behind India and Sri Lanka.
Te Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) organises over 30 exhibitions in Hong Kong every year. Of these, 11 are considered as the largest marketplaces of their kind in Asia, of which electronics, jewellery, gifts, watches & clocks and lighting are the world’s largest.
Rampat Gupta, HKTDC Delhi Consultant, recently announced that nine of these international fairs covering watches and clocks, fashion, electronic products, lighting products, green products, optical products as well as wine and spirits, will be held in Hong Kong from September to November. These fairs will serve as ideal platforms for traders and suppliers from India to expand their businesses into new markets. The fairs are as below:
• HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair (Sept 03-07, 2019)
• Centerstage (Sept 04-07, 2019)
• HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition) (Oct 13-16, 2019)
• electronicAsia (Oct 13-16, 2019)
• HKTDC Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition) (Oct 27-30, 2019)
• HKTDC Hong Kong International Outdoor and Tech Light Expo (Oct 29 – Nov 1, 2019)
• Eco Expo Asia – International Trade Fair on Environmental Protection ( Oct 30- Nov 2, 2019)
• HKTDC Hong Kong International Optical Fair (Nov 06-08, 2019)
• HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair (Nov 07-09, 2019)
HKTDC’s fairs attracted over 39,000 exhibitors and over 770,000 visitors from across the world in 2018/2019. Gupta looks forward to welcoming more corporations in Delhi to explore business opportunities and tap into global markets through HKTDC exhibitions.
"Though a Bureau of Economic Analysis NIPA table notes Americans spent $391.5 billion on their clothing and footwear in 2018, their share of disposable income on these items declined from 3.8 per cent in 2007 to 3.0 per cent in 2019. Even more alarming is the fact that their global share of expenditure on fashion was only 4.9 per cent. To revive their flagging interest in fashion, the industry needs to come up with some radical new ideas."
Though a Bureau of Economic Analysis NIPA table notes Americans spent $391.5 billion on their clothing and footwear in 2018, their share of disposable income on these items declined from 3.8 per cent in 2007 to 3.0 per cent in 2019. Even more alarming is the fact that their global share of expenditure on fashion was only 4.9 per cent. To revive their flagging interest in fashion, the industry needs to come up with some radical new ideas.
A sustainable alternative to cotton
One of such radical ideas could be to make more clothes out of hemp. Hemp fabrication can open the door to
more of American’s closets as it is a more sustainable, organic and regenerative agricultural crop and can used to make clothes similar to the ones made with cotton but with less environmental impact. Also, unlike cotton which requires more water, chemical fertilisers and insecticides, hemp grows faster, cultivation is cleaner and naturally resists insects. It also enriches the soil in which it grows by removing pollutants like cadmium through a process called phytoremediation. Little wonder, then it is known as a super plant.
Another advantage of hemp is that it is a more sustainable and environmentally sound alternative to cotton and synthetics. Though oil-based synthetics such as acrylic, polyester, nylon, spandex make up for 62 per cent of worldwide fiber consumption and cotton accounts for 26 per cent of the market, these could be easily replaced with Hemp at a reduced environmental cost. The hemp fiber can be mixed with other fibers to make it more softer and flexible.
Leading brands opening up to hemp
Though hemp’s popularity is marred by its incorrect classification as an illegal drug, hemp fashion has gotten a foothold in niche markets with some of the leading fashion brands like Recreator, Hoodlamb Hemp Tailors, Hempy’s, Jungmaven, Wama underwear, and Tact & Stone flirting with hemp fabrication.
Last September during New York Fashion Week, former Project Runway designer Korto Momoluintroduced a 26-piece collection in sustainable hemp, jute, linen and cork. Momolu developed the collection in partnership with Women Grow, a network which aims to cultivate women leadership within the cannabis industry.
Other early users of hemp are Patagonia which offers an extensive collection of hemp clothing for men, women, and children. Levi’s introduced its first “cottonized hemp” denim jean in collaboration with Outerknown under its Wellthread x Outerknown line earlier this year. In future, more hemp fashion is likely to enter the mainstream and help the industry save itself and world from environmental pollution.
Canopy and ZDHC are partnering to increase their collaborative work toward taking on the negative impacts of chemical processing, wastewater discharge and raw material sourcing in global viscose production.
The aim is to improve the ecological footprint of the fashion sector on forests, species, waterways. The partnership brings together the two organizations’ expertise on different sustainability issues in the fashion industry. ZDHC’s deep knowledge on toxics pollution will combine Canopy’s 20 years of forest expertise to work toward creating integrated solutions for brands and manufacturers to address the issues related to viscose production.
ZDHC has expertise in chemical processing and wastewater. Since 2011 ZDHC has been working to drive the global implementation of safer chemical management practices in the global textile, apparel, leather and footwear value chain. Last year, ZDHC expanded its content scope to include the production of manmade cellulosic fibers and develop guidelines for wastewater, sludge, waste and air emissions specific to cellulosic production. Over the past six years, Canopy has worked to eliminate the world’s ancient and endangered forests from the production of viscose. The initiative represents 198 clothing brands, retailers and designers collaborating on reaching this goal. Canopy is also working to kickstart new industries that make viscose and fabrics from next-generation sources including recycled clothing and leftover straw.
Yarn manufacturers in Pakistan want cotton imports to be duty-free. The country needs to import five million cotton bales to achieve textile export targets in the current fiscal year. Duties and taxes on cotton imports comprise 11 per cent of the import price. Industry players say taxes have made this essential import unviable for yarn manufacturers. On the other hand Pakistan needs to import cotton. There has been a significant shortfall in domestic cotton production. This has been badly hit by untimely rains and pest attacks. Pakistan’s cotton production estimates for the year have been revised down by 32 per cent.
Yarn is used by the fabric and cloth-making sectors of the textile industry. Duties and taxes on imports include a three per cent customs duty, a two per cent anti-dumping duty, a five per cent sales tax and a one per cent income tax. Besides, there is a 17 per cent general sales tax on yarn, which is refundable.
Pakistan’s textile exports accounted for 61 per cent of total export proceeds in the first two months of the current fiscal year. They had come in at 58 per cent of the total export proceeds in the previous fiscal year.
In 2018, revenue of the US knit fabric market rose 2.6 per cent. Knit fabric consumption, however, continues to indicate a relatively flat pattern. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2014 with an increase of 19 per cent year-on-year. In 2018, knit fabric exports from the US declined by 5.9 per cent against the previous year. Exports peaked in 2013; however, from 2014 to 2018, exports failed to regain their momentum.
Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala are the main destinations of knit fabric exports from the US, together accounting for 50 per cent of total exports. Mexico, France, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Australia, Chile and China together account for a further 33 per cent. Among the main destinations, Australia has experienced the highest growth rate of exports, over the last five-year period, while the other leaders have experienced more modest paces of growth.
The average knit fabric export price over the last five years has increased at an average annual rate of 8.8 per cent. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2014 when the average export price increased by 22 per cent. China, India and Israel are the main suppliers of knit fabric imports to the US, together accounting for 79 per cent of total imports.
Turkey will have a significant presence at International Sourcing Expo and Footwear and Leather Show to be held in Australia, November 12 to 14, 2019. Australia has been identified as a focus region for export by footwear and apparel exporters in Turkey. The Australian market provides a huge potential for Turkey with its high purchasing power and living standards. International Sourcing Expo presents Turkish traders with an unique opportunity to deepen relationships in the Australasian region, and showcase the European quality and standards of Turkish products. Turkey’s has an annual production capacity of 400 million pairs of shoes. It has a reputation for being among the top ten footwear producers in the world. Visitors to the shows can form connections with suppliers from Turkey.
Akinabella is one such company from Turkey, having a daily production capacity of 60,000 pairs. Producing thousands of slipper varieties for men, women and children, Akinabella places great importance on foot health and elegance and exports to some of the world’s largest and most prestigious markets.
International Sourcing Expo and Footwear and Leather Show are expecting around 4,000 trade visitors. There will be more than 700 textile, apparel and footwear exhibitors from countries like China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and USA.
Sportswear company Puma has launched its new swimwear collection, the first since they discontinued the line in 2016. The collection will include swimsuits, bikinis, shorts and even vests. Puma will distribute this new collection starting from February 2020 in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
The company wants to launch these products with a very diverse size range and using sustainable materials. In fact, all the bathing shorts in the collection are created with Repreve polyester made from recycled materials, such as plastic bottles. Sustainable materials and innovation will continue to play an important role in the collection for the future.
The first collection of Puma swimsuits since 2016 will be available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in selected stores and in its online platform on a global scale starting February 2020.
