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IndustrtiALL Global Union‘s textile and garment members from MENA region’s main producer countries Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco reported tangible progress in organising and collective bargaining at a meeting at Tunisian capital, Tunis, on 3-4 May 2018.
The affiliates developed further plans for important actions in the textile and garment supply chain.
In Jordan, a new sector-wide agreement that includes improvement in wages and working conditions was signed.
The agreement covers both Jordanian nationals and migrant workers. In close cooperation with IndustriALL, with an objective to strengthening the voice of migrant workers in the sector, the Jordanian affiliate General Trade Union of Workers in Textile Garment & Clothing Industries (JTGCU) is currently building a Migrant Workers’ Union Advisory Committee.
Through negotiations with Employers’ Association and threatening to strike, IndustriALL’s Tunisian affiliate, Fédération Générale du Textile, de l'Habillement, Chaussure et Cuir (FGTHCC-UGTT) achieved a 6 per cent wage increase in 2016 and 2017.
FGTHCC-UGTT is now preparing for the annual negotiations on the wages in the sector aiming at an 8 per cent increase.
Autefa Solutions has launched a few new solutions for thermo- and acoustical- insulation nonwovens fabrics. The first of these includes the random card Airlay K 12 which offers an improved MD:CD ratio and a three-dimensional web structure. It also offers the special advantages in terms of lighter weights and high loft fabrics.
Autefa Solutions has delivered a complete needlepunch line with nonwovens carding system Masterfelt, crosslapper Topliner and two over 13 m wide needle looms Stylus Variliptic and Stylus NL. The company has developed and patented the V-Jet injector which leads to higher tensile strength at same entangling water pressure than a standard injector. The new Square Drum Dryer SQ-V combines the advantages of a horizontal dryer with the lower space requirement of a conventional drum dryer. The nozzle system uniformly distributes the airflow in terms of speed and temperature throughout the whole working width, providing best spunlace web and surface quality results.
BaseAUTEFA Solutions also delivers high innovative Stylus needle looms with the Variliptic drive concept (elliptical needling) and with the NL drive for vertical needling.
The iconic Bermuda short returns this summer in denim. Be it cuffed, rolled, customized or distressed, the classic denim short has earned a permanent place in women’s summer wardrobes.
But a new silhouette is offering consumers new lengthier options. The casual short, which typically hits one-inch above the knee, is offered in a broad range of washes, colors and price points.
The shorts are the classic companion to other summer staples like striped T-shirts and canvas sneakers. People are searching for a longer and leaner silhouette. In particular, people are searching for Bermuda shorts that are white, high waist or available in plus sizes.
The uptick in Bermuda shorts can be chalked up to several factors. Modesty fashion, a term originally used to describe fashion for women who dress modestly for religious and cultural reasons, has become common fashion vernacular to describe everything from long shorts to bridesmaid dresses with sleeves.
Consumers may also be hungry for an alternative to vintage cut-offs which have dominated the women’s denim market for several years now.
The Bermuda silhouette brings a new level of comfort and freedom to women’s denim fashion—a potent combination for denim labels in competition with athleisure brands for consumers’ money and loyalty.
Sales of the fashion industry are expected to triple between 2016 and 2018. Emerging markets remain a crucial source of this growth. In 2018, for the first time, more than half of apparel and footwear sales will originate outside Europe and North America.
The main sources of growth are emerging market countries across Asia–Pacific, Latin America, and other regions. They are forecast to grow at rates ranging between 5 and 7.5 per cent in 2018. Meanwhile, the economic outlook in the mature part of Europe is stable, and fashion industry sales growth is likewise expected to remain at a modest but steady two per cent to three per cent. In North America, while overall consumer confidence is strong, the impact of policy changes is uncertain, and markdown pressures, market corrections, and store closures continue. Here, growth is expected to be modest, one per cent to two per cent.
Consumers are trading away from the midmarket price points even while the luxury, value, and discount segments are picking up speed. Stronger sales growth is expected in apparel and footwear. Handbags and luggage, and to some extent watches and jewelry, are returning slowly to their historic highs, driven by demand in Asia–Pacific. Athletic wear is the only category where record growth rates look to slow down slightly in 2018.
“Trade between Pakistan and Spain has been hovering around one billion dollar and concrete steps are needed to exploit untapped potential by encouraging frequent exchange of trade delegations and organising single country exhibitions in each other countries” , said Ambassador of Spain to Pakistan Carlos Morales.
Pakistani exports had recorded a phenomenal increase of 44 percent immediately after the grant of GSP plus status to Pakistan by European Union (EU) in 2014.
The country’s exports are restricted to textile and hence it should diversify its export base to further increase its exports particularly in Information Technology and food sector.
It produces a large number of agricultural products but lacks processing and value-addition.
Durst has been awarded the prestigious European Digital Press Association award for best flatbed/hybrid printer. The award was given for the new P5 platform with the new Durst P5 250 HS printing system.
Durst is a manufacturer of advanced digital printing and production technologies.
In the active business areas, Durst is the first choice and a preferred partner for the transformation and digitization of industrial production processes.
Durst is a family company with an 80-year history, where the values are focused on innovation, customer orientation, sustainability and quality. For more than a decade now, Durst has been the unrivaled technology leader in the segment of digital large format printing and has contributed considerably to the industry’s digital revolution.
Durst inkjet technology, whether in flatbed or roll-to-roll printers, provides convincing print quality, productivity, reliability and versatility. The machines´ ability to print on rigid and roll media, and to quickly change from one media to the other, is unique in the market.
Chemical giant DowDuPont was formed in August last year after a merger between Delaware-based DuPont and Michigan's Dow Chemicals. DowDuPont is posting massive increases in earnings, with sales up by 13 per cent.
The newly merged company is splitting into three separate segments. The three new spin-off companies will be in these industries: Specialty Products, Material Sciences, and Agriculture.
The DowDuPont merger creates the world’s biggest chemical company and has triggered other major restructuring in the industry. Now the company’s breaking up into three separate segments.
Each of the intended separations is fueled by the powerful combination of highly complementary portfolios, resources, and capabilities from Dow and DuPont. They will each be better positioned than their predecessors to continue driving innovation to provide superior solutions for customers, and better serve communities around the world.
The three companies are expected to be more competitive than either company could be on its own.
A petition on the site Care2 asking Adidas to drop its partnership with West "and tell the world they do not want anything to do with anyone who believes that millions of Africans chose to toil the fields in bondage for 400 years" has garnered more than 25,304 signatures.
Adidas executives have remained silent on the controversy thus far.
The German sportswear giant West last year announced an expansion of its relationship with the music and fashion icon and is developing a Yeezy-branded entity creating footwear, apparel and accessories for all genders across street and sport.
By contrast, Nike CEO Mark Parker is believed to have apologised for the company's culture and promised improvements, which have begun with the elevation of several executives, including women, presumably in a desire to take action after evidence that many complaints to human resources went ignored.
Pretty Denim, based in Canada, focuses on finishes, fabrics and the perfect fit. The brand has created a denim line that belongs to the dressier segment of women’s wardrobes.
There are still many occasions not deemed suitable for women to wear denim. Pretty Denim intends to change that.
The line features raw Japanese and Italian denims highlighted by distinctive features. Standout pieces include pants with fishtails and copper paint, shirts with outrageously beautiful collars and buttons that take on a new life throughout the collection.
The collection includes pants, tops, dress, kimono and bomber jacket.
This is a purpose-driven denim brand. It addresses denim as something special rather than just add its name to denim. The name perfectly describes what the brand is about and the revolution it wants to bring to women's denim.
Pretty Denim is the brainchild of Toronto-based husband and wife team Bob Froese and Tahnee Lloyd-Smith. Bob owns the advertising agency behind the successful Canadian launches of Kenneth Cole, Calvin Klein Jeans and Alfred Sung. Tahnee brings five years of luxury men's styling experience that ironically helped inspire the creative direction for the collection.
Pretty Denim is also a proud ambassador of luxury fashion manufacturing in Canada.
According to National Retail Federation, sales in the US retail market, during the month of April 2018, marked a slight increase of 0.4 per cent on the seasonally adjusted basis over March and 2.8 per cent year-over-year. Retail sales during March were up 0.3 per cent on monthly and 5.2 per cent on year over year basis.
Segment-wise, sales in furniture and home furnishings during the period increased by 5.8 per cent year-over-year and by 0.8 per cent from March (seasonally adjusted). Whereas, clothing and clothing accessory store sales declined by 0.4 per cent Y-o-Y and up1.4 percent from March on the seasonally adjusted basis.
During the review period, 12.2 per cent increase was reported in online and other non-store sales year-over-year and increased 0.6 per cent over March on seasonally adjusted basis. However, general merchandise stores noted 0.8 per cent decline year-over-year but up 0.3 per cent from March seasonally adjusted.
