London Fashion Week Men’s (LFWM) is being held January 5 to 7, 2019. This is the bi-annual showcase of the most creative and innovative names in the fashion industry and features over 40 designer businesses showcasing their latest collections. The event is a celebration of discovery and creative diversity that has made London an international hub for menswear.

From music and art to creative communities and fashion, LFWM is a unique mix of catwalk shows, presentations, designer showrooms and events which will shine a light on the depth and breadth of UK’s creative industry. Designer Adam Jones will showcase his up-cycled fabrications reminiscent of punk, using beer mats, vintage tea towels, blankets and ribbons pieced together.

From British heritage to emerging labels and vibrant street wear brands, this season pays homage to the ever-expanding creativity of the capital through a packed schedule of shows, presentations, installations and events. During a time of uncertainty surrounding Brexit, the creative sector is growing faster than any other sector in the UK economy and provides one in six jobs in London. In 2019, London continues to stay as one of the most culturally rich cities in the world, with world-class institutions and globally renowned talent.

The global denim jeans market is anticipated to grow at a healthy 8.5 per cent from 2018 to 2025. The major driving factors are: rising disposable individual incomes, surging e-commerce industry and increasing preference for denim jeans. Manufacturers are adopting fiber technologies that have enabled them to offer denim jeans products for athleisure and active wear besides work wear and casual wear. Manufacturers are trying to adopt product differentiation to gain a competitive edge.

Denim jeans are a specific type of trousers made of denim or dungaree cloth. Denim jeans, a significant part of the clothing and apparel industry, are mostly popular among the young. Denim jeans provide one a street style fashion to their lifestyle. Adding leather boots makes one junky and gives a rough look. Denims jeans are a very tough and durable material, cost effective clothing to wear and stylish at the same time.

The growth of the global denim jeans market is mainly bound to various macro-economic and micro-economic factors. The major restraining factors of the global denim jeans market are changes in consumer lifestyles and the introduction of yoga pants and other active wear.

The Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (DACCE) of Rajshahi University has developed a low-cost eco-friendly technology for textile industries of Bangladesh. The technology will play a positive role in significantly reducing environmental pollution by the textile industry. It has been developed under an industry-university collaborative sub-project of Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP) and is being implemented by DACCE

RU Prof Mohammad Taufiq Alam, the developer, filed a provisional patent application for the invention with the Department of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks under the Ministry of Industries on December 9. He claimed to have synthesised a pre-treatment agent at low cost that shows a synergistic effect when used with the above eco-friendly enzymatic process. In conjunction with an enzyme, it will perform pre-treatment and polishing together in a single bath, so that 45 per cent water, 35 per cent energy and 45 per cent time can be saved compared to currently using conventional chemical pre-treatment process. It will also significantly improve the whiteness and dye absorbency compared to above eco-friendly enzymatic process so that light shade dyeing is achievable.

"The fast-pace of our modern life makes it increasingly difficult to sustain the life of our garments even after producing them in the most environmentally friendly manner as possible. They end up in the garbage dumps quickly. For a long time, the industry has been greatly impacted by this use and disposal of clothing. A paper by WRAP suggests if consumers use their clothes for even nine months longer, they can reduce their footprint by around 20 to 30 percent."

The fast-pace of our modern life makes it increasingly difficult to sustain the life of our garments even after producing them in the most environmentally friendly manner as possible. They end up in the garbage dumps quickly. For a long time, the industry has been greatly impacted by this use and disposal of clothing. A paper by WRAP suggests if consumers use their clothes for even nine months longer, they can reduce their footprint by around 20 to 30 percent.

Applying this principle, outdoor manufacturers like Vaude, Patagonia, and Peak Performance are extending the life cycle of their products through their second-life initiatives.

Garments with life-prolonging measures

Peak Performance in collaboration with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) has developed the popular Higgs Index, which offers standardised measures for a more sustainable value chain. Companies are also incorporating life-prolonging measures into the planning of their garments. Accessories like zippers, cords, and push buttons are being offered as spare parts. Many also offer and promote a repair service. Vaude recently joined the online platform ifixit to develop repair instructions, while Patagonia repairs damaged clothes on site free of charge. It also explains the sustainable use of functional clothing in its workshops.

Product sharing becomes popular

Lately, ownership of clothes has lost value. Clothes today are shared, exchanged and rented depending on the function and occasion. The industry’s second life initiatives are building on this attitude. Companies now take back used clothing from their customers. They are recycled, resold, or donated to charitable associations.

Since October 2018, sporting goods retailer Decathlon has been offering an online platform for the resale of sporting goods by customers. At so-called Trocathlons, it is also possible to buy and sell used goods in the chain's stores similar to a flea market.

Vaude, in cooperation with eBay, has set up an online shop that consumers can use to sell their used Vaude products. The company is neither the operator of the platform, nor does it earn anything from it. The second-use website is one of many life-extending measures for products.

Burton’s sustainability program focuses on returns. The snowboard brand, which earlier focused on replacing damaged clothes, now aims to repair. The company has targeted a repair quota of 40 per cent by 2020.

The North Face offers returned goods and items with production defects in their own US online store – at reduced prices and with a one-year guarantee on wear and tear. James Rogers, Head of Sustainability at The North Face, sees resale as an important measure “to reduce the ecological footprint and open up new markets.

Recycling gains ground

When used clothing no longer meets the requirements for resale, all that remains is environmentally friendly disposal, upcycling, and recycling. Houdini sets up recycling boxes in its outlets and collects sorted-out polyester clothing. Customers can use the containers with a clear conscience. Houdini guarantees professional recycling.

Recently, recycling was limited to the outer fabric. Jack Wolfskin presented its Texapore Ecosphere jackets at ISPO Munich 2018. The outer fabric of these jackets, as well as the membrane and inner lining, are made of completely recycled material. In the winter of 18/19, shells, fleece, and hybrid models will also appear in fully recycled materials.

A first-ever bonded cargo from Bangladesh flew out of Kolkata airport recently. It is the first cross-border, land-air transshipment from Bangladesh that flew out of the Kolkata since Expo Freight Limited (EFL) introduced a tailor-made logistics solution to handle such cargo transhipments between the two neighboring countries. This was, a consignment of apparel from Bangladesh that flew out of Kolkata airport on January 1, 2019 and was jointly handled by the India and Bangladesh offices of the company.

As per media reports Bangladeshi trucks carrying cargo weighing 4.1 tonnes transferred the goods to Indian trucks at the Benapole (Dhaka) – Petrapole (India) border. From there, via GPS enabled trucks, the cargo moved to the Kolkata airport. Finally, it was air freighted to reach the terminal destination in Europe within the specified time window.

As per logistic experts, it is a landmark development and was possible because of a sharp improvement in bilateral relations between Dhaka and Delhi. By using such channel, Bangladesh RMG exporters have got a viable alternative to beat the congestion in their own ports and airports to reach consignments to foreign buyers on schedule and could provide West Bengal’s underutilised logistics infrastructure worthwhile business.

Demand for jeans is gradually increasing with strong growth expected in developing markets. South America leads this growth with a 12.1 per cent rate, while the rest of the world (all markets excluding North America, Europe, Turkey, Asia and South America) is set to increase in value by 19.7 per cent during the period.

The US is predicted to maintain its position as the largest jeans market globally, with China following in second place. Nearly half of China’s jeans production stays inside the country, marking a significant increase from data collected five years prior. Around 22 per cent of the jeans manufactured in China are traded outside of traditional retail markets in exchange for goods or services rather than currency.

The global jeans market benefits from its unique position as a category that has surpassed trends, allowing consumers to buy any jean style they prefer without being out of step with fashion.

These advancements are focused on efficiency and precision. Apparel manufacturers are transitioning from manual sewing machines to digital sewing machines. Moreover, sewing machines have been bestowed with a plethora of new features and functionalities. They have witnessed innovations in the form of real-time monitoring in sewing machines, modular sewing machines, convertibility in sewing machines, smart sewing machines and digital feed system in sewing machines, among others.

The increasing popularity of the do-it-yourself culture is an important factor contributing to the growth of the sewing machine market. People in order to give a personalized touch to their garments are increasingly practicing home arts such as sewing and knitting. Another prominent factor aiding the sewing machine market growth can be attributed to the declining cost of electronic sewing machines. This has enabled their adoption even across households with modest incomes. Furthermore, in coming years, the demand for industrial sewing machines is expected to be on the rise, mainly owing to fact that garment manufacturers are increasingly opting for high end sewing machines with a focus to save time, energy and reduce complexities.

Asia Pacific is the largest market for sewing machines. The presence of a large number of sewing machine manufacturers headquartered in the region is an important factor propelling market growth.

The United States is the number one importer of Indian textile products. The European Union ranks second. While the US has a 17 per cent share of India’s total textile imports, the EU has a 15 per cent share. Global textile and apparel hubs like Bangladesh and China are also in the top five list.

The US, the EU and Bangladesh jointly have a share of 42 per cent in India’s total textile exports. Sri Lanka, Brazil, and South Korea figure among the top 10 textile importers from India.

India’s textile products face an average tariff of 5.9 per cent and 6.2 per cent in the US and the EU respectively. Bangladesh and Pakistan have nil tariffs on exports to the EU. When it comes to the US, Bangladesh has to pay 3.9 per cent tariff and Pakistan pays 5.3 per cent tariff.

Interestingly, 38 per cent of India’s exports of textile are to the rest of the world, which are not majorly known for their textile or apparel markets. India is the second largest textile exporter in the world. Cotton yarn and fabric account for over 23 per cent of India’s total textile and apparel exports.

For India the outlook for cotton and synthetic textiles is expected to remain stable for the year 2019. This is in view of stable cotton prices and improved consumer spending outlook in key user countries. Measures have been taken to curb imports and promote domestic manufacturing.

Basic customs duty has been raised from 10 to 20 per cent on several items including 298 manmade fabric lines, five silk fabric lines and 22 fabric lines. Antidumping duty has been imposed on import of linen yarn from China and nylon filament yarn from Vietnam and the European Union.

During April to October 2018, the rupee depreciated by 6.7 per cent as compared to the same period the previous year. Imports of intermediate goods viz. fiber and yarn have a share of 43 per cent in India’s overall textile and apparel imports. These are raw materials for manufacturing value added products and imports are primarily need-based.

The country’s textile and apparel imports stood at $7,339 million in 2018 as compared to $6,293 million in 2017. From April to October 2018, India’s textile and apparel exports were $22.9 billion as compared to $22.3 billion during the same period last year.

Oeko-Tex has updated its standards for chemical use in textiles and leather

The new regulations will come into effect on April 1 after a three-month transition period.

Important changes for companies that are part of Oeko-Tex’s various certification programs have the substance benzene and four amine salts being included in the Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex and Leather Standard by Oeko-Tex programs with limit values defined. The substance quinoline, which has been under observation by Oeko-Tex since 2018, is now also regulated with a limit value.

Limit values have been made stricter for Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex for phthalates (softeners), alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates, as well for perfluorinated and polyfluorinated compounds.

The even more stringent requirements for residues in textile materials will result in an overall lower impact on the environment, workers and consumers.

Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex is a worldwide consistent, independent testing and certification system for raw, semi-finished and finished textile products at all processing levels, as well as accessory materials used.

For over 25 years, Oeko-Tex’s strategy has not been to wait for legislation but to be proactive in the field of consumer protection as a pioneer.

Oeko-Tex’s STeP assessment will be extended to leather production facilities in 2019.