As per official estimates, Uzbekistan will engage in complete processing of cotton fiber by 2020. The country will also increase its global share of finished products from 40 per cent to atleast 60 per cent. As a result of the creation of new capacities and organisation of cluster activities in 2019, as many as 78 per cent of the harvested cotton fiber will be processed in the country, which is twice as much as in 2017.

According to the State Statistics Committee, in January-May 2019, total exports of textile products amounted to $653.7 million and increased by 21.9 percent compared to the same period of 2018, which is 10.2 percent of total exports. Russia is the main consumer of textile products from Uzbekistan. The country consumed over 38 percent of Uzbekistan’s textile exports during January-May 2019.

Over the past three years, Uzbek textiles exports to China more than doubled, from $90.9 million in January-May 2017 to $190.3 million in the same period of 2019. Turkey is also one of the largest consumers of textile products from Uzbekistan. From the beginning of the year, products worth $63.6 million were shipped to Turkey.

The main share in the structure of textile exports is taken by cotton yarn (58.6 percent), as well as finished knitwear and garments (22.4 percent). Since the beginning of the year, more than 336 types of these goods have been exported to 50 countries.

As per ‘Cotton and Wool Outlook’ report of June 2019 by US Department of Agriculture (USDA), global cotton production in 2019-20 is forecast to rise by 5 per cent over the previous year to 125.3 million bales. This would be the second largest crop on record after 127.2 million bales produced in 2011-12. Cotton yield shall remain similar to the average of the last 2 years.

A major part of this production will be led by the United States (+3.6 million bales) and India (+2.5 million bales). For 2019-20, India is forecast to return as the leading cotton-producing country, surpassing China.

For 2019-20, India’s cotton crop is projected at 28.5 million bales—10 per cent above the previous year—as both higher area and yield are expected. India is forecast to account for 23 per cent of the world’s cotton production in 2019-20. Production in China is projected to remain unchanged t 27.75 million bales, as slightly lower area is offset by a higher national yield of 1,751 kg/hectare (1,562 pounds per acre). Cotton production in Pakistan is forecast at 8.0 million bales in 2019-20, a 4 per cent increase from 2018-19, as a rebound in area and a nearly unchanged yield lift the crop above the 3-year average.

Meanwhile, cotton production in Brazil and Australia is expected to decrease in 2019-20 as lower area and yield are projected. For Brazil, production is forecast at 12.0 million bales, 6 per cent (800,000 bales) below the record 2018-19 crop currently being harvested.

Industry powerhouses – Cone Denim® and Westex by Milliken, the flame resistant (FR) textiles business of global manufacturer Milliken & Company – have extended their exclusive partnership to provide innovative flame-resistant denim apparel fabrics for the industrial workwear market through 2025. The partnership began in 2015 with a joint collaboration to merge fashion with protection and supply an unmet need for guaranteed FR denim to provide the same comfort and style of everyday denim clothing for industrial workers.

Under the extended agreement, Cone Denim is the sole supplier of indigo, dyed greige denim fabric for Westex by Milliken to engineer to be flame resistant. Westex Indigo® fabrics combine market-proven FR protection with upgrades in look, feel and comfort, and advancements in fabric design that offer better mobility and durability for premium performance, without compromising safety.

This partnership has been well received by the marketplace and has grown consistently every year since it began. It allows Westex to provide quality denim fabrics with guaranteed FR protection that make adopting everyday FR apparel easy.”

India, Bangladesh, Turkey and some other states are lobbying against Pakistan and pushing the EU to withdraw the GSP+ facility from Pakistan. Unfortunately, this time circumstances are not favourable for Pakistan. In 2013, Pakistan lobbied with support of the United Kingdom (UK) and this time the UK’s position is not the same in the EU. The EU has also shifted its focus towards the Central Asia and targeted on low- and middle-income countries for concessions.

It is currently negotiating agreements with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The EU in 2013 granted GSP+ status to Pakistan with 406 votes, giving Pakistani products a duty free access to the European market till 2017. Reports suggest, 406 members of the European Parliament expressed their support for Pakistan while 186 lawmakers had voted against it.

The GSP Plus status allows almost 20 per cent of Pakistani exports to enter the EU market at zero tariff and 70 per cent at preferential rates. According to Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Pakistan has earned $15 billion due to the GSP Plus since 2013.

Kim Kardashian West has sparked an online debate after she named her new shapewear line Kimono Solutionwear. Supposed to be a play on her name; Kimono as a brand name, has nothing to do with the traditional Japanese garment. According to many people, this appropriates Japanese culture and Kimono’s rich history.

These people even took to Twitter to show their outrage and call out the reality star. They said that the naming of the product is quite baffling, since it has no resemblance to Kimono, and is outright culturally offensive, especially as it’s merely a word play on Kim’s name. Popular Instagram page, Diet Prada, known for calling out copies and bashing huge brands for cultural appropriation in the world of fashion, also took to Instagram to troll Kim.

Others were also annoyed that the Japanese traditional garment was reduced to and forced to share its name with an intimate wear brand. Though the line does boast of an inclusive size range and nine skin-tones, it was dragged for not using any plus-size models in the shoot. They called it problematic at best and tagged Kardashian as a culture vulture, by playing with the words #KimOhNo.

Cherokee Global Brands is changing its name to Apex Global Brands, effective June 27, 2019. The name change is meant to reflect the company's expanded brand portfolio, marketing and design services. The company recently added several new brands including Hi-Tec, Magnum, Interceptor and 50 Peaks. It is now positioned to deepen its relationships with licensees as we assist its partners to deliver more products and introduce new categories faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Earlier in April this year, the company announced its Q4 results which recorded a net loss of $0.6 million, marking a major improvement from the loss of $45.2 million it reported in the prior-year period, thanks to its successful restructuring efforts.

Garment manufacturers from Asean countries discussed the challenges facing the industry and strategies to promote region-wide cooperation at a recent two-day meeting in Phnom Penh. The ASEAN Federation of Textile Industries (AFTEX) meeting, organised by Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC), aimed to discuss problems such as how to lower production costs and add value to products.

One of the important subjects discussed was the common stance of AFTEX on the Rule of Origin (ROO) for garments for RCEP (regional comprehensive economic partnership), which is a mega Free Trade Agreement between Asean and China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

AFTEX was set up in 1978 and the group been able to maintain the spirit of collaboration and unity through regular meetings organised in all countries on a rotation basis. Yuttana Silpsarnvitch, Chairman of National Federation of Thai Textile Industries at the meeting noted that while there are differences in each country, textile representatives are working to combine the supply chain among the Asean countries to help reduce costs. According to him Singapore wants to focus on branding, trading, and design, however Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia aim to promote productivity transform from CMP [cut-mark-pack] to FOB [free on board]

"According to Anarock's latest retail report TCCx: Redefining the Future of Retail Malls released at the CII North Retail Conclave today in Delhi, the retail sector is riding high on the phenomenal rise of consumerism and renewed interest by institutional investors."

According to Anarock's latest retail report TCCx: Redefining the Future of Retail Malls released at the CII North Retail Conclave today in Delhi, the retail sector is riding high on the phenomenal rise of consumerism and renewed interest by institutional investors.

Indian mall developers are planning to add over 65 mn sq. ft. of new mall supply by 2022-end across the country. Of this total new supply, the top 7 cities comprise 72 per cent share and the remaining 28 per cent (18.2 mn sq. ft.) will come up in Tier 2 & 3 cities MMR, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad and Bengaluru together lead with new supply aggregating to nearly 34 mn sq. ft. in these cities

Amidst this rising new mall supply, developers are gradually on-boarding various new-age technologies. The report further stresses on the need for mall developers to imbibe PropTech in the leasing of mall spaces for a potentially faster, more insightful transaction process.

The report also maintains that REITs can be a viable tool for mall developers to raise funds, but this fund-raising instrument still needs to mature sufficiently. Also, the retail REIT structure and performance may not be directly comparable with the commercial office sector.

The report also examines how PropTech has disrupted the retail sector in India - specifically in mall designing or creating avenues for enhancing customer experience. From basic AutoCAD drawings, architects and designers have moved to software such as 'Revit' and 'Archi Cad' to enhance overall mall designs to ensure a superior customer experience. Architects and designers use these tools to visualise and plan the placement of stores within the mall to increase visibility.

"Porcher Sport the Sports and Leisure Division of Porcher Industries and the world leader in high performance fabrics for aerial and nautical sports will unveil new innovations for the outdoor equipment and apparel sectors at Outdoor by ISPO 2019 in Munich."

Porcher Sport the Sports and Leisure Division of Porcher Industries and the world leader in high performance fabrics for aerial and nautical sports will unveil new innovations for the outdoor equipment and apparel sectors at Outdoor by ISPO 2019 in Munich.

These innovations will range as wide as new thermoplastic insoles for customised footwear to a new highly durabletent fabric. Porcher Sport will also showcase its recycled ultra-light fabric developed for Berg Outdoor and present a prototype of Skytex 21 – its newly developed super lightweight paragliding fabric that weighs only 21gsm and will be available in 2020.

Highly durable tent fabric weighing only 41 gsm

Porcher Sport plans to disrupt the backpacking tent market with its newly developed 20 denier tent fabric, weighing only 41 gsm. This fabric is slightly lighter, but significantly stronger and more durable than existing high-quality materials on the market. Through continuous R&D, Porcher Sport has improved the performance of its tent fabric by increasing the tear strength.

The material is equipped with a rip stop and is coated on both sides with two layers of silicone creating a reinforced, waterproof fabric that is lightweight, tear-resistant and highly durable. As a result, Porcher Sport guarantees customers will be able to enjoy their tent for a minimum of 10 years. The novel tent fabric will be available in 2020.

Thermoplastic insoles for customised footwear

Porcher Sport will also present its innovative thermoplastic insoles for footwear developed with Sidas. The insole is thermo formable at 80ºC and becomes extremely pliable when immersed in boiling water, in order to form to the shape of the shoe it’s being used in, for a highly customised fit. This means that Porcher Sport’s insoles can be fitted at home by the customer, in contrary to other similar insoles on the market that have to be thermoformed at much higher temperatures. The thin and lightweight product offers advanced comfort and cushioning, and is ideal for hiking, skiing and other rugged outdoor activities.

Sustainable ultra-light fabric for award winning jacket

Berg Outdoor’s GERES Zero Gravity down jacket represents the latest trends for sustainable produce in the outdoor sector since it is made out of second grade waste of ultra-light parachute fabrics and other recycled components. The top layer of the jacket uses Porcher Sport’s recycled ultra-lightweight parachute fabric that has been treated with an in-house formulated PU coating that is both water repellent and designed to resist the harshest of conditions. Grade B sections of parachute material were recycled rather than scrapped and were specifically chosen for their extreme tear resistance and foldable, light weight attributes. The jacket received a Gold Award for Innovation at the ISPO 2019 show in February 2019.

Super lightweight 21 gsm

Porcher Sport, known for its Skytex 27 - the lightest paragliding material in the world weighing just 27gsm – has recently launched Skytex 21, a significantly lighter fabric that has made its first flight at the Red Bull X-Alps. Skytex 21 will be available from 2020 and will make a huge difference in an extreme sport where every gram delivers a very significant advantage.

"IWC Schaffhausen has appointed athlete Tom Brady as its new brand ambassador. Brady-a world-class athlete is a modern day icon and a connoisseur of haute horlogerie. His collection includes several IWC watches, among them a Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOPGUN Miramar and the iconic Portugieser Perpetual Calendar."

IWC Schaffhausen has appointed athlete Tom Brady as its new brand ambassador. Brady-a world-class athlete is a modern day icon and a connoisseur of haute horlogerie. His collection includes several IWC watches, among them a Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOPGUN Miramar and the iconic Portugieser Perpetual Calendar.

Brady has till date won six Super Bowl titles, four Super Bowl MVP Awards, three League MVP Awards, and 16 Division titlest. Brady’s unprecedented football career includes a multitude of NFL records. He is the first player in NFL history to accumulate 80,000 total yards.

Brady also holds the record for most game wins of any quarterback. He is the all-time leader in passing yards and has the most career touchdown passes of any player in history. Throughout his career, Brady has integrated a holistic approach to health and wellness through preparation, performance and recovery.

In 2014, Brady co-founded TB12, a performance lifestyle brand, to share his approach and wellness movement with a global audience. Brady’s TB12 brand integrates revolutionary concepts in deep-force muscle pliability work, hydration, nutrition, functional strength & conditioning, and cognitive health.

With a clear focus on technology and development, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has been producing timepieces of lasting value since 1868. The company has gained an international reputation based on a passion for innovative solutions and technical ingenuity.

One of the world’s leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of Haute Horlogerie at their finest, combining supreme precision with exclusive design. As an ecologically and socially responsible company, IWC is committed to sustainable production, supports institutions around the globe in their work with children and young people, and maintains partnerships with organisations dedicated to environmental protection.