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JD, China's number two e-commerce firm, will invest 397 million dollars in fashion retailer Farfetch to expand its luxury offerings. JD is locked in fierce competition with Alibaba for China’s high end retail market.
JD will become a major shareholder in the UK firm. The partnership will combine the Farfetch brand and curation with the scale and influence of the foremost Chinese e-commerce giant.
Farfetch will be integrated into JD's existing logistics and marketing systems and the former will also employ JD's online finance tools, including its payment service and microcredit feature.
The deal comes as JD is looking to broaden its offering of luxury and branded consumer goods. Its largest domestic rival Alibaba has expanded heavily into branded goods with its online marketplace Tmall.
JD initially gained popularity as a retail platform for electronics and appliances, but it has since leveraged its extensive in-house logistics network to expand into a range of products including grocery, apparel and on-demand services.
JD has a high-end delivery service, JD Luxury Express, where staff in suits and white gloves deliver packages directly to customers’ homes using electric vehicles.
Online UK fashion retailer Farfetch has partnered with 700 global luxury brands and boutiques.
India and Australia will collaborate in the textile, clothing and fashion sectors. Appropriate measures will be identified to connect the Australian and Indian textile and fashion sectors; promote collaboration and international engagement between those sectors; nurture the skills and talents within those sectors; promote economic opportunities and encourage professional engagement, training, skill development and public exhibition of products derived from these sectors in the two countries. However, Intellectual Property Rights of either side will stand protected.
For overall development of the handloom sector, the initiative aims to increase handloom fabric production by way of establishing market linkages, encouraging innovation in designs and techniques for improvement in design capability, diversification of product lines and value addition, facilitating better access to domestic and export markets so that weavers are able to get continuous employment and improve their living standards.
Australia is emerging as an important market for Indian textiles and handicrafts. Australian fashion designers are interested in working with the textile and handloom sectors in India. Major department stores in Australia source from India.
Exports of Indian handicrafts to Australia have been only 1.31 per cent of India’s total exports of handicrafts. Australia is a small but high-end market where buyers are willing to pay for quality.
Zara and H&M are been found to source viscose from manufacturing sites whose processes pose serious health and environmental dangers, according to a new report from Changing Markets Foundation. The report found that untreated hazardous waste was leading to severe air and water pollution.
Viscose is used by fast fashion brands and high fashion alike. Its provenance from trees gives it the appearance of being natural, making it a prime candidate for corporate green washing. Although viscose itself does not damage human health or the environment, the chemicals used in its manufacturing process can be highly toxic. One of those chemicals, carbon disulfide, can damage the nervous system to the point of insanity in factory workers — though not consumers, as viscose doesn’t retain residue from chemicals used in manufacturing.
Viscose production is highly concentrated. About 70 per cent of production is controlled by 10 companies, and, as the above graph shows, roughly two-thirds of global viscose production takes place in China. India and Indonesia are the second and third largest producers, respectively. Environmental regulations in these three top viscose-producing countries are hardly stringent. Factor in mass production as a result of steady consumer demand for cheap, trendy clothing, and you have what the Changing Markets Foundation calls a “toxic” combination.
Despite growing awareness of the ugly environmental and social consequences of fast fashion, the trend is not slowing. When investigators from the Changing Markets Foundation visited viscose factories in China, India and Indonesia, they found that the manufacturers were dumping untreated wastewater into local water sources. The resulting heavily contaminated water has affected fishermen’s livelihoods, and it is also hypothesized to be behind nearby areas’ increasing cancer rates.
According to the report, other viscose buyers like Zara, ASOS, Tesco and Marks & Spencer are also linked to the polluting factories. H&M sources from six of the polluting factories that the foundation investigated. However, the specificity of the information on H&M’s suppliers also reflects on the company’s greater transparency. Out of the 45 major brands that the foundation contacted, only H&M provided a full list of the viscose factories that it works with.
GE and Oerlikon will collaborate on research and development in additive machines and materials (more often called 3-D printing) over the period of the agreement. The MoU, announced at the International Paris Air Show, includes GE Additive affiliated companies Concept Laser and Arcam AB. The five-year agreement between Oerlikon and GE agrees the provision of additive machines and services by GE to Oerlikon, and Oerlikon becoming a preferred AM component manufacturer and materials supplier to GE Additive and its affiliated companies. The MoU states that GE Additive and its affiliated companies will be preferred suppliers of AM machines to Oerlikon, also the companies will collaborate on machine and materials R&D.
Roland Fischer, CEO of the Oerlikon Group, says that developing innovative technology is key to growth strategy and a distinct advantage Oerlikon brings to customers. The collaboration will strengthen both companies’ positions in additive manufacturing, and allows us to meet the growing demand for additive services in many industries.
Vice President and General Manager of GE Additive, Mohammad Ehteshami, stated that GE Additive and Oerlikon both are aware of the transformative power of additive manufacturing throughthis strategic partnerships there can be uptake of AM in industries.
Additive manufacturing involves transforming digital designs from computer-aided design (CAD) software, and building them using an additive machine, layer by layer, with metal powder. GE has been a leading end user and innovator in the additive manufacturing space, GE has also invested approximately USD 1.5 billion in manufacturing and additive technologies over the past ten years
Paul T. O’Day, president, American Fiber Manufacturers Association, is dead. He was appointed president of the association in 1984. He was fiercely dedicated to the industry he loved. A true gentleman and a powerful intellect, Paul O’Day led the association with a sophisticated wit and charm.
O’Day led the initial implementation of the multi-fiber arrangement (MFA), the international agreement which imposed quotas or quantity limits on textiles and clothing from developing countries, in force from 1974 until 2004. Under the auspice of the MFA ensuring realistic quota outcomes on sensitive items and was lead negotiator for fibers and yarns in the Uruguay Round, the most ambitious multilateral trade agreement in history, calling for elimination of all textile and apparel quotas by January 2004.
O’Day was also a lead negotiator in textiles and clothing in the NAFTA agreement, the first free trade agreement with phase out of tariffs among partners, and was responsible for establishing a yarn forward rule of origin which became standard for all subsequent FTA agreements.
He has been deputy assistant secretary of commerce for trade development, executive assistant to the secretary, and other senior positions in the commerce department and the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
“British Wool is proud to be a partner of the National Sheep Association (NSA) for the valuable work”, said Joe Farren, British Wool’s chief executive officer, while inaugurating, NSA Sheep South West 2017”. He further commented that British Wool is keen to work more closely with the NSA on key industry issues as well as promoting British sheep products, be it wool or meat.
The South West of England is hugely important in the world of sheep farming for updating the audience on wool prices. Wool prices at auctions fell 10 per cent in 2016, mainly due to a move in Chinese fashions away from the use of our finer wools in clothing.
Farren also discussed on the improvements currently being made within British Wool, the producers’ business. All depots are being run more efficiently and have targeted a 3p/kg reduction in depot floor costs for the 2017 clip. British Wool works with the NSA in many areas including: co-participating in their Next Generation Ambassador programme which seeks to encourage and support young sheep farmers; many of the NSA’s regional managers are also representatives on British Wool regional committees; platforms are shared at agricultural shows and industry events and British Wool news is extensively covered in the NSA newsletter.
The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) will organize a textile convention along with all textiles associations of the country in the second week of July. The aim is to plan action for the growth of the industry in the country.
Pakistan wants to compete with regional competitors including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam for enhancing the county’s exports and achieving the target of economic stability and growth.
The textile industry contributes 60 per cent to the total exports of the country. An export enhancement package has been given the textile sector. The package eases the import of textile machinery which will modernize and enhance the capacity of the sector. The package is expected to strengthen the country’s economy by increasing exports. Energy at competitive prices will be provided to the spinning, weaving and processing industry.
APTMA is the premier national trade association of the textile spinning, weaving, and composite mills representing the organized sector in Pakistan. APTMA represents 396 textile mills, out of which 315 are spinning, 44 weaving and 37 composite units.
The total installed capacity of APTMA member mills accounts for 9,661,366 spindles, 61,608 rotors, 10,452 shuttle less/airjet looms and 1897 conventional looms.
The association’s members produce spun and open-¬end yarn, grey, printed dyed fabrics and bed linen.
Levi’s 501 jean has kept up with the evolving styles of young pioneers. It is a mix of both vintage and current, as it continues to reinvent itself to be more relevant in the modern age. It’s worn by artists to athletes, activists to heads of state, including Hollywood icons James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Marilyn Monroe.
It was 144 years ago when Levi Strauss and Nevada tailor Jacob Davis partnered in 1873 for the first riveted pockets on men’s pants. The number 501 was assigned to the world-renowned copper riveted waist overalls as lot numbers were then used to classify products made by the duo.
Seventy years later, in 1943, the classic Arcuate design on the back pockets of the 501 jeans was registered a trademark and remains to be the oldest one still in use today. In 1964, a 501 pair entered the Permanent Collections of Smithsonian Institution.
The iconic 501 is where vintage meets classic. In 2000, Time magazine named the 501 jean as the fashion item of the 20th century, edging out the miniskirt and the little black dress.
In celebration of its 144th year in the market, Levi’s has launched a celebration collection featuring limited edition jeans, shorts and vests. The brand also released its fifth and latest episode of the 501 Documentary Series, The 501 Jean: Stories of an Original, Music, which explored its relationship with music history.
Wool and Woollen textiles is a rural based, export oriented industry in which the organized sector, the decentralized sector, and the rural sector complement each other. India is 7th largest producer of wool and contributes 1.8 per cent to total world production of wool. In 2014/15, India achieved total wool production of 48 million tonnes, because of 3rd largest sheep population in the world. Out of this about 85 per cent is carpet grade wool, 5 per cent apparel grade and remaining 10 per cent coarser grade wool for making rough Kambals( blankets) .
Currently, Rajasthan is the largest wool producing state in India. There are 70 wool processing units in the state, and with over 15 million tonnes wool production ever year, Rajasthan represents over 30 per cent of the wool production in India. The state has eight different breeds of sheep that are well-known for producing high quality carpet wool.
According to the recent figures from the Government of India, the India’s top 10 wool producing states in 2014 and 2015 were Rajasthan, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
The top 5 states account for over 80 per cent of the total wool production in India, while the top 10 wool producing states represent nearly 95 per cent of the total wool production in the country. Punjab alone represents over 40 per cent woollen units in the country, while Haryana accounts for 27 per cent, Rajasthan for 10 per cent, and the remaining 23 per cent are for the remaining states.
The textile industry wants the proposed 18 per cent GST rate on manmade fibers and yarns to be reduced to at least 12 per cent. The industry says fixing the GST rate for manmade fiber at 12 per cent will encourage companies to diversify from the cotton-based textile segment.
While the GST for cotton fiber and yarn is five per cent, the same as now, the tax rates for manmade fiber and yarn have been fixed at 18 per cent. Although the current tax incidence for manmade fiber and yarn producers is roughly around the same level, it doesn’t bridge the existing duty differential with cotton fiber and yarn.
The industry says the excise duty on manmade fibers is preventing domestic synthetic fiber producers from scaling up operations. They say the huge duty difference has ensured that India’s textile market remains cotton-driven, in a stark contrast with the trend globally, and has eroded the country’s export competitiveness in the manmade fiber segment.
While manmade fibers account for around 60 to 70 per cent of the world’s total fiber consumption, they make up for just 30 to 40 per cent of Indian fiber demand (with cotton textiles contributing the rest).
While the GST rate for job work in textile yarn and fabric manufacturing segments has been announced, the tax rates for job work for garments and made-ups have yet to be declared.
