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Myanmar, in the last five years, has built around 250 garment and footwear factories. The country’s, export earnings from the CMP garment sector in 2017 reached nearly US$ 2.7 million. Its exports from the industries have increased around three times during five years. The garment sector sees an inflow of foreign investments. In 2017, the EU overtook Japan which is also placing more garment order. Currently, the EU has topped the list of garment orders placed.”
Myanmar earns an average of 10 per cent income for sewing. Some garment industries earn eight per cent and 12 per cent incomes respectively based on products.
Gap’s first quarter profit has fallen below expectations. The quarter presented challenges like operating issues and the unseasonably cold and snowy weather. The brand has struggled to keep pace with fast-fashion rivals such as H&M and Forever 21 and tackle the dominance of Amazon.
Though the company has pushed hard to bring styles to stores faster like fast fashion chains, the company has failed to capture the imagination of shoppers like it had done a decade ago. Besides Gap, the company also owns Old Navy and Banana Republic. Sales at Gap branded stores open for at least a year sank four per cent.
Even its strong performing Old Navy business posted a lower-than-expected three per cent rise in same-store sales, missing estimates for the first time in four quarters. Inventories in the quarter rose 3.7 per cent from a year earlier, mainly due to Gap merchandise stuck on shelves and in warehouses.
Gross margins dropped 120 basis points, excluding new accounting rules, in the quarter. The company, however, expects pressure on margins to ease in the current quarter. Overall same-store sales rose one per cent in the three months ended May 5, while analysts were expecting a 1.67 per cent increase.
Digital innovation, rising globalization, and changes in consumer spending habits have catapulted the Australian fashion industry into the midst of seismic shifts. The fashion industry achieved double-digit growth in online sales for the sixth consecutive year growing 27.2 per cent in year-on-year sales.
Currently fashion accounts for 35.6 per cent of all online orders representing an estimated $7.6 billion in total sales for the industry. According to a report women's fashion is the driving force in the category recording a 43.8 per cent growth for the year while men's fashion also grew by 26 per cent. Fashion consumers will have more buying power, as the number of potential customers is projected to grow. November was the biggest month of the year for fashion purchases, overtaking December sales numbers after recording a 30.2 per cent year-on-year growth.
According to Australia Post, the trend has been driven by improved return options and the improvement of buy now, pay later (BNPL) services. Fashion is changing the traditional retail landscape, with one in three items bought online now a fashion item. Well defined return options are giving fashion shoppers more confidence when shopping online. With 57 per cent of BNPL purchases fashion-related BNPL services are also helping fuel growth. It’s payment services now make up 7.7 per cent of total online spend on physical goods.
Cotton Australia has announced the list of 16 successful applicants who will participate in the 2018 Australian Future Cotton Leaders program. The program, now in its sixth year and conducted in partnership with the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, identifies potential industry leaders and provides them with the necessary skills for future success.
Participants were selected by an industry panel, including graduates from past Australian Future Cotton Leaders Programs. The final list of participants was drawn from an unprecedented number of high-quality applications, which were received from all sections of the cotton supply chain.
In 2018, Future Cotton Leaders program participants will undertake leadership training, meet with industry leaders and will be mentored by already-established and well-recognised cotton industry figures. Participants will also develop and implement a small leadership project which mutually benefits both the individual and the cotton industry.
Thanks to the program, the 16 Future Leaders will have a tremendous opportunity to develop their leadership skills and directly contribute to industry decision making. The Future Cotton Leaders program is one of a number of leadership and development programs available within cotton, demonstrating the commitment of the industry to developing its people.
For the participants, this is a unique opportunity to grow as people, and to develop innovative ideas which will continue driving the industry towards an even stronger future.
A new study reveals women and men with higher BMI and body weight opt for a particular type of clothing. Clothes say a lot about personality, state of mind and most important weight. According to a study done by the European Association for the Study of Obesity, the choice of garment colour is a predictor of body mass index (BMI). The findings reveal darker and multicoloured clothes are preferred by women with higher BMI, while men with higher BMI are more likely to choose black or white garments.
Charoula Nikolaou, Stuart Gilmour and Mike Lean examined the relationship between BMI and the size and colours of clothes purchased from a global online retail service. In the middle of October and December 2017, data on body weight and height, clothing size, and colour were collected from over 34,000 customers who completed feedback forms. Clothing colours were also grouped by dark, light, metal, pastel or print colours.
Results revealed clothing size was closely related to BMI and waist circumference. Women with a higher BMI were more likely to buy black/blue or dark coloured and floral dresses, and multicolour and dot-patterned skirts. Men with a higher BMI tended to stick to black or white trousers. Clothing size is a reliable indicator of BMI so non judgmental messages about weight-management could be provided with purchases of large size-garments.
In the first quarter of 2018, the domestic market for China’s textiles and apparels grew at a faster pace. Exports of textile and apparel grew in both volume and value. In the first quarter, the main business income of textile enterprises above a designated size saw year-on-year rises of 3.1 per cent. Revenues of textile machinery industry, technical textile industry and home textile industry increased 16.8 per cent, 7.1 per cent and seven per cent year-on-year.
The textile and clothing industry in China has eight major categories: garments, cotton fabrics, chemical fabrics, wool fabrics, silk fabrics, knitted fabrics, textile machinery and bast fiber. Textile fiber production in China accounts for 54.36 per cent of the world’s share. As much as 64.2 per cent of the world’s chemical fibers, 64.1 per cent of synthetic fibers and 26.2 per cent of cotton are produced in China.
The textile and clothing industry is seeing steady investment growth over the last few years. China is playing an increasingly important role as a textile supplier for apparel exporting countries in Asia. Bangladesh’s textile imports from China, measured by value, rose from 39 per cent in 2005 to 47 per cent in 2015. Similar trends can be seen in Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and other developing countries in Asia.
The United States wants Bangladesh to resolve long-standing labor rights concerns so that it can focus on preparing for a future as a middle income country and, eventually, a developed country. Bangladesh is preparing to graduate from least developed country status in 2024. Its readymade garment sector is much safer than in 2013 when the Rana Plaza disaster occurred. Dramatic improvements are taking place that are bringing the sector up to world-class standards.
However, there is still work to be done on factory and building safety. Efforts need to continue to ensure remediated factories stay safe, and that new workers are properly trained on safety practices. Bangladesh has improved labor safety and standards. Child labor is being weeded from hazardous jobs. Labor laws are being made worker-friendly. The country is now very proactive, candid and open in terms of having discussions over labor issues.
Safety in the workplace has become a major priority in Bangladesh. A training program has been launched for some eight lakh readymade garment workers. This training is expected to contribute greatly to that goal as both workers and employers will benefit from improved safety practices. A well-coordinated approach will be taken to address emerging labor standards.
EPFL scientists have devised a fast and simple way to make super-elastic, multi-material, high-performance fibers. These fibers have been used as sensors on robotic fingers and clothing. They are made of elastomer and can incorporate materials like electrodes and nanocomposite polymers. The fibers can detect even the slightest pressure and strain and can withstand deformation of close to 500 per cent before recovering their initial shape. All this makes them perfect for applications in smart clothing and prostheses, and for creating artificial nerves for robots.
The fibers were developed at EPFL's Laboratory of Photonic Materials and Fiber Devices (FIMAP), headed by Fabien Sorin at the School of Engineering. The scientists used a thermal drawing process, which is the standard process for optical-fiber manufacturing. They started by creating a macroscopic preform with the various fiber components arranged in a carefully designed 3D pattern. They then heated the preform and stretched it out, like melted plastic, to make fibers of a few hundred microns in diameter. The end result was a set of fibers with an extremely complicated microarchitecture and advanced properties.
"The US has been the undisputed leader in trade negotiations. Notably, so as it governs the world’s biggest share of exports of services. US exports more services than it imports from the rest of the world, a $230 billion surplus. Let’s take a look at how the entire calculation works. Apple pays its subcontractor in China, Foxconn, about $10 for product assembly, with parts shipped from multiple nations. Foxconn ships the assembled iPhone to the US at an invoice value of around $220-$210 for imported parts, $10 for assembly. This is recorded as US import from China although only $10 of the trade value was added there."
The US has been the undisputed leader in trade negotiations. Notably, so as it governs the world’s biggest share of exports of services. US exports more services than it imports from the rest of the world, a $230 billion surplus. Let’s take a look at how the entire calculation works. Apple pays its subcontractor in China, Foxconn, about $10 for product assembly, with parts shipped from multiple nations. Foxconn ships the assembled iPhone to the US at an invoice value of around $220-$210 for imported parts, $10 for assembly. This is recorded as US import from China although only $10 of the trade value was added there. The iPhone’s $649 retail value minus $220 equaling Apple’s $429 gross margin appears nowhere in trade data. The Chinese value-added $10 component is worth $150 million – 4.5 per cent of 15 million iPhones worth $3.3 billion.
Indeed, China has a principal role in the US merchandise deficit. Combining goods & services, China accounts for 59 per cent of the US trade deficit: $337 billion for China compared with $566 for the world as a whole. Tens of millions of Chinese workers slog for less than $5 per hour on behalf of the US consumers, making low-tech products, while a few million Americans in skilled jobs earn $35 or more per hour to develop aircraft and financial packages or produce soybean and pork.
Trade deficit
The US has been running deficits against the rest of the world for decades. The deficit with the world is $566
billion. In goods, that growing deficit is $796 billion, although in services the US posts a surplus, also growing, of $230 billion. Imports from China amount to $524 billion, or 18 per cent of the US’ total imports of $2,895 billion. The US runs a surplus with few countries. Most are small. The combined surplus with the top 15 of such nations, including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Guatemala, is just over $148 billion. The rest of the world, including China, partially finances the US trade deficit. The Chinese do not need or use dollars in their country. Chinese firms turn them over to local banks in exchange for their own currency, and banks turn them over to their central bank. The central bank reinvests that surplus in US assets, mainly Treasury securities. This helps prop up the US Government budget, keeping the US dollar strong and aiding US consumers with affordable goods and low interest rates for mortgages and credit cards while maintaining Chinese jobs. The US Government, spending more than it takes in from domestic tax revenue, has run a deficit for most of the last 35 years. But it still funds expenditures like defense and, has accumulated $19 trillion in debt.
Dumping occurs when unprincipled importers sell products below cost and hurt competing local producers. Most international marketers practice global price discrimination, pricing products at what each country’s market can bear, thus maximizing overall global revenue and profits. Such dumping forces local producers to reduce prices, occasionally driving them to reduce workforce or even shut shops. In light to this, the Trump administration has accused Chinese steel and aluminum firms of dumping. China has excess capacity, more than its domestic market demands, aided by cheap loans and land from the Chinese Government. The Chinese companies are probably not losing money. But so-called dumping also results in multibillion-dollar benefits to the US and other countries with low-cost steel and aluminum for cars, machinery and other products.
Learning the trade secrets
Chinese regulations don’t allow foreign firms to invest and do business in China without taking on a local company as a partner, though the norms have been relaxed recently. While the US may have superior capabilities but the US laws generally frown upon government covertly helping US firms. In a nutshell, these three factors would still hold the supremacy for the US industries: Foreign and domestic investors continue to have faith in the dollar as safe haven, investing in US Treasury bills and bonds; Foreign workers continue to toil for wages at less than $5 per hour; and US employment remains at tolerable levels.
"The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) released the results of the 40th annual International Textile Machinery Shipment Statistics (ITMSS). The report covers six segments of textile machinery, viz, spinning, draw-texturing, weaving, large circular knitting, flat knitting and finishing. As per the report, short-staple spindles, long-staple spindles, and open-end rotors respectively clocked in a growth of 21 per cent, 46 per cent, and 24 per cent in deliveries from 2016."
The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) released the results of the 40th annual International Textile Machinery Shipment Statistics (ITMSS). The report covers six segments of textile machinery, viz, spinning, draw-texturing, weaving, large circular knitting, flat knitting and finishing. As per the report, short-staple spindles, long-staple spindles, and open-end rotors respectively clocked in a growth of 21 per cent, 46 per cent, and 24 per cent in deliveries from 2016. Similarly, the number of shipped draw-texturing spindles and shuttle-less looms increased 23per cent and 13 per cent respectively. Shipments of new electronic flat knitting machines and finishing machines of ‘fabric discontinuous’ category rose by 44 per cent year-on-year. In contrast, deliveries of circular knitting machines stagnated in 2017 and finishing machines of the category ‘fabrics continuous’ fell 2 per cent.
Growth in international shipments
International shipments of new short-staple spindles grew by 1.65 million spindles for the first time since 2013.
Most of these were shipped to Asia, shipments rose by almost 24 per cent year-on-year. Global shipments of long-staple (wool) spindles rose 46 per cent to nearly 165,000 in 2017. The majority of long-staple spindles (68 per cent) were shipped to China.
Shipments of open-end rotors rose by 24 per cent to a level over 788,000 rotors in 2017. About 85per cent of worldwide shipments of open-end rotors were destined for Asia. Thereby, deliveries to Asia increased about 15 per cent to nearly 674,000 rotors. However, China, the world’s largest investor in open-end rotors, increased its investments by only 6 per cent in 2017 when countries like Iran, Brazil, Uzbekistan, and Japan saw 2 to 4 times more deliveries compared to 2016. The world’s second and third largest investors in 2016 were Turkey and India.
For a fine texture
Global shipments of single heater draw-texturing spindles (mainly used for polyamide filaments) decreased by 87per cent from nearly 8’500 in 2016 to 1,060 in 2017. With a share of 50 per cent, Asia is where most of the single heater draw-texturing spindles were shipped, followed by Eastern and Western Europe with a share of 36 and 8 per cent, respectively.
In double heater draw-texturing spindles (mainly used for polyester filaments), global shipments increased by 27 per cent on an annual basis to about 340,000 spindles. Asia’s share of worldwide shipments amounted to 90 per cent. Thereby, China remained the largest investor accounting for 66per cent of global shipments.
Weaving & Knitting threads
In 2017, worldwide shipments of shuttle-less looms increased 12per cent to 95,400 units. Thereby, shipments of air-jet, water-jet, and rapier/projectile shuttle-less looms increased by 18 per cent (to almost 27,000), 14 per cent (to 36,200), and 7 per cent (to 32,000), respectively.
Global shipments of large circular knitting machines rose slightly by 0.12per cent to close to 28,000 units in 2017. Asia is also the world’s leading investor in this category. Nearly, 84per cent of all new circular knitting machines were shipped to Asia in 2017. With 39 per cent of worldwide deliveries, China was the single largest investor. In 2017, electronic flat knitting machines soared 44 per cent to around 202,000 machines, the highest level ever.
The finishing touch
In fabrics continuous segment, shipments of mercerising-lines, singeing-lines, and stenters, increased in 2017 by 54 per cent, 11 per cent, and 2 per cent, respectively. Deliveries in other sub-segments decreased. In the fabrics discontinuous segments, shipments of air-jet dyeing and overflow dyeing machines increased 35 per cent and 72 per cent, respectively, whereas those of jigger dyeing/ beam dyeing machines fell by 7per cent.
