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Vietnam’s earnings from garment and textile exports in the first quarter of 2017 rose 12.4 per cent against the same period last year. Exports to new markets grew strongly, with Russia up 115 per cent, Singapore 38 per cent, Cambodia 36 per cent and Brazil and India 34 per cent.
Traditional markets like the United States and the European Union saw more humble export growth at 6.3 to 6.4 per cent.
Exports of traditional products grew by 13 to 17 per cent while exports of newer ones, including swimming suits, raincoats and scarves, increased by 18 to 41 per cent.
New products and different ways to approach markets have resulted in higher and more stable growth, while helping the industry rely less on traditional partners.
Exports are expected to increase by ten per cent in the second quarter of the year based on the recovery of main markets such as the US, the EU and Japan as well as the stability of the global economy and politics.
The industry aims at a ten per cent growth to reach 32 billion dollars in export turnover in 2017. To achieve the goal, businesses have been encouraged to invest in new equipment and enhance competitiveness with new technologies.
SPG Prints’ digital textile printer offers quality and value to textile printers who are taking the first step into digital production.
The Javelin has several multiple-pass scanning printing modes that can print high-resolution images up to 1,200 dpi on a variety of substrates. It uses 36 Fujifilm Dimatix Samba print heads and SPG Prints’ unique Archer technology to produce variable drops for optimal control of detail and saturation.
The printer offers flexibility in configuration for use with acid, reactive and disperse inks from SPG Prints. Its capability of printing up to two million linear metres annually on a wide range of substrates makes it an ideal solution for printers taking their first steps into digital production, and those wishing to supplement an existing digital capability.
Printers can use the Javelin with a wide range of substrates and achieve high levels of print quality.
Modern retailing demands shorter runs, faster turnarounds and shortened supply chains with no compromises on colour or print quality. The Javelin printers offer this capability to different ends of the volume spectrum.
SPG is a company in the textile, label and industrial printing markets. It provides total systems solutions, with a portfolio including screens, lacquers, inks, digital engravers, and a range of rotary screen and digital printing systems.
Oeko-Tex will promote sustainability at The Summer Conference and at The AAFA Product Safety Seminar, to be held at The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), the epicenter of the apparel industry, June 5 to 8, 2017.
Oeko-Tex is an independent textile testing institute working for enhanced product safety and sustainable production in the textile value chain.
The Summer Conference at FIT will address sustainability standards, closed loop, and circular economies, farm to fashion, and textile innovations.
Oeko-Tex will host its 25th anniversary reception for all conference participants, customers, media representatives, and other colleagues at FIT.
Anna Czerwinska, the International Oeko-Tex Association’s head of marketing and communication, will discuss third party standards at the FIT summer conference event. Representatives from other certification organisations and certified manufacturers will join the panel as well. Czerwinska will also moderate the State of Sourcing – Trends, Shifts, and Looking Ahead panel at the AAFA Sourcing Conference on June 7, 2017.
Globally harmonised standards like those in the Oeko-Tex system set the bar for defining and measuring textile safety and sustainability. From raw materials through to the final product, third party certifications help brands and retailers reassure consumers that products are made in environmentally and socially responsible ways and are safe for people to use.
The ready-to-wear sector in Iran has long been impacted by the sanctions, but has nevertheless grown, adopting a series of avoidance strategies throughout the 35-year sanction period.
Iranian sales representatives Mana Sharifi and Patrick Sinz stated that the conference in the early 2016, 99 per cent of apparel imports in Iran were made illegally. Among European countries, Italy is the leader in terms of clothing exports to Iran, Italian products accounting for 52 per cent of European apparel items exported to the country. France ranks fourth in this respect.
Iran is a large country by European standards, with a population of 82 million which still harbours deep disparities in economic means. Nearly 7per cent of Iranians are very well off, and a large number of them belong to the middle class, a boon for western labels.
According to Patrick Sinz, the apparel market in Iran is tricky, but more mature than it seems. Window-display dummies must be headless, brand logos cannot be too transgressive. Even if they follow these rules however, international brands and retailers still have to win over the trust of Iranian consumers.
The country's isolation has given rise to a host of parallel channels and to a large market in counterfeit goods, particularly in ready-to-wear apparel. Agreeing to this Patrick Sinz and Mana Sharifi, Iranian clients must be reassured about the authenticity of the products they purchase. They also want to make sure they buy at a price that is similar with that prevalent in an item's country of origin.
Iranians are social-media savvy and they are regular patrons of airport fashion stores. Over the years, they have always managed to get hold of the clothes they wanted. They are well-travelled and know how to compare prices. Iranian consumers seek exclusivity and peer recognition. They pay special attention to the 'chic factor' in what they buy, and they like to stand out for their outfits and fashion accessories.
Intertek one of the leading testing and quality assuring company, recently has re-declared their goal to become the leading global Total Quality Assurance provider. The company was addressing representatives from a range of industries including leading retailers, brands, and manufacturers of apparel and footwear companies at an event to mark the launch of Intertek’s bold new brand identity. The event was presided over by Karthik N.D., Country Managing Director, Intertek Bangladesh.
A recent release from the company has informed that Bangladesh and across the world, Intertek offers customers a Total Quality Assurance value proposition, assisting organisations as their trusted quality partner providing ATIC (Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification) solutions which go beyond assuring the quality and safety of a corporation’s physical components and assets to also look at the reliability of their operating processes.”
Organizers of the event has informed that Intertek’s history spans over 130 years and dates back to some of the world’s leading pioneers in scientific innovation and industry. It is a powerful legacy which has been handed down from great founders Including Thomas Edison, who invented the first incandescent lightbulb. Intertek’s new brand identity is inspired by Edison’s passion for innovation.
Intertek’s ATIC services focus on a number of areas, including Softlines and Business Assurance Business Lines, being two of company’s major business lines. Intertek’s Total Quality Assurance commitment plays a significant role in each stage of the supply chain, from Research and Development to Consumer Management, with a focus on global delivery’.
The company has informed that changing the colour and logo is only one aspect of Intertek’s new brand identity. Intertek is differentiating it by shifting the focus from a standalone service provider to a Total Quality Assurance service provider. Intertek is a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide. Through a network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 42,000 people in more than 100 countries, the Group is re-defining the industry with its Total Quality Assurance proposition.
European Textile Services Association (ETSA) will have a conference in France, June 14 to 16, 2017.
This year, the bi-annual event is expecting around 120 to 130 participants. The conference is open to top management of ETSA member companies and associations.
ETSA's mission is to promote the textile services industry and the interests of member companies, in cooperation with national textile services associations across Europe.
Since 1994, ETSA has represented the industry-leading textile service companies, suppliers of garments, detergents and machinery and national associations across Europe.
The textile services industry supplies timely and cost effective textiles, usually on a rental basis, to an extensive range of professional end-users in a wide variety of industries. Textile services companies are committed to providing services for a healthy and safe workplace, while maintaining the greatest possible concern for the environment.
Every day, millions of people across Europe wear, sleep on, eat off or use rental textiles in some way or another. Rental textiles include work wear and protective clothing, corporate business wear, hospital and surgical textiles, textiles for hotels, restaurants and care homes, hand-drying towels, floor mats and mops and industrial wipers. Textile services include textile selection, garment manufacturing, stock management, logistics and delivery, care and maintenance.
A special cell will be created in Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) to familiarize local exporters with recently introduced Registered Exporter System (REX) in order to facilitate the Pak exports to EU countries under GSP Plus scheme, says engineer Muhammad Saeed Sheikh, President FCCI.
He explained the GSP plus status given to Pakistan in 2014 and told that its basic objectives were to dilute the damages caused to Pak economy due to war on terror. He further says that during 1st year of this facility Pak exports recorded a phenomenal growth of 23 per cent but after that the exports experienced a steep decline. Government of Pakistan has taken a number of steps including uninterrupted electric supply to the industrial sector and declaring five important export sectors zero rated from July 2016 to mitigate its problems but still the exports are not stable he added. He appreciated the recently introduced REX scheme and stated that it will further facilitate Pak exporters to make their exports to the EU countries without any hassle and unnecessary procedural bottlenecks.
He further pointed out that it is actually a self-certification system and many European countries are already following it to streamline the exports from Pakistan under GSP plus to the EU countries. He also mentioned saying that as REX is a new system and many exporters are not fully aware of its modalities, hence Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) has arranged this seminar. The FCCI has also decided to setup a cell which will provide much needed awareness and guidance to the local exporters.
Engineer Asim Munir, Chairman FCCI addressed the seminar saying that the local TDAP office should be further strengthened to facilitate local exporters to enhance their participation in international textile exhibitions.
Nadia, Kanwal Shehryar, Dost Muhammad, Faqeer Muhammad, and Allah Dad Tarar Director TDAP Faisalabad also addressed the seminar and explained in detail the modalities of the REX system. They stated that TDAP is fully aware of the export potential of Faisalabad and it was in this respect that TDAP is regularly arranging different awareness sessions to facilitate the exporters of Faisalabad.
Cambodia’s real growth is projected to remain strong, expanding at 6.9 per cent in 2017 and 2018.
Risks to this outlook include the fallout from further rises in US interest rates, a slower-than expected economic recovery in Europe, and uncertainties over global trade.
US monetary policy tightening is expected to result in the dollar appreciating vis-a-vis the euro and other currencies, which would make Cambodia’s exports and tourism relatively more expensive for the rest of the world, and therefore less competitive.
Continued interest rate hikes in the US may weaken prospects of further capital inflows to Cambodia. Any disruption in global trade flows will have substantial negative impacts on Cambodia, given its high level of dependence on exports, particularly garments and footwear, as one of the main drivers of economic growth.
Improving labor productivity would be fundamental for Cambodia to remain competitive, given rising competition from other low-wage garment exporting countries.
As a result of competition from low-wage countries, year-on-year growth of garment exports from Cambodia fell to 8.4 per cent in 2016, compared with 12.3 per cent growth in 2015.
Growing competition slashed garment export prices to all major destinations. Export prices to the US market were the hardest hit, dropping by 7.2 per cent in 2016.
Dubai had hosted Arab Fashion week for its fourth edition, which began on May 16 and ended on May 20, the program offered more than twenty pre-collections runway shows, featuring clothes that are being described as “ready couture.”
Young designers and established brands representing some 20 different nationalities had come together to show their art and craft on the top floor of the Meydan hotel in Dubai, the event's hub. The venue provides an ideal setting, offering a bird's eye view of the city and its countless skyscrapers.
A hundred buyers, mostly from the Middle East, and hundreds of guests were present at the five-day fashion marathon. The audience were quite diverse, themselves attired in a multitude of styles that comprised everything from ultra-sophisticated chic to flat-out sportswear looks or traditional Arabic clothing worn by the Emirati and their wives.
The unisex style of Rad Hourani opened the event march on May 16, followed by the masculine and feminine silhouettes of Jenanne Filat and Jeans Couture, the muslim wear of Eckett Couture, and the women's wear collection of Michael Cinco. The event closed on May 20 with the runway shows by Marchesa Bridal, Ingie Paris and Antonio Marras.
Jacob Abrian, Arab Fashion Week's young founder, decided to pitch his fashion week in the "ready couture" niche, a unique positioning that has enhanced the event's reputation. The collections on display exemplify the approach, offered ready-to-wear apparel along with a high-quality materials and finishes typical of Haute Couture.
Besides the schedule of catwalks, the designers also hosted pop-up stands at the Meydanwhich were less fleeting presentation of their designs as well as they could sell individual pieces to the buyers and the general public.
Mimaki Europe, developer of wide format inkjet printers and cutting machines for the sign/graphics, and apparel markets, has bagged two prestigious awards at the recently concluded FESPA 2017 expo, a leading digital print expo encompassing screen, digital and textile print, was held at Hamburg, Germany from, May 8 to 12, 2017. It was the most successful expo ever with two stands totaling 534 square metres.
The company received two prestigious awards for the best object printer for their Mimaki UJF-MkII Series and the best textile printer under 100 square/h for their Mimaki Tx300P-1800 with its dual ink capability. At the show, the company introduced Yuji Ikeda as their new managing director.
Ronald van den Broek, general manager sales at Mimaki Europe, commented that they were especially pleased with attendee interest in the demonstrated technology of their 3D printer, the Mimaki 3DUJ-P. Based on Mimaki’s advanced UV inkjet technology, the 3DUJ-P offers high definition modeling.
Van den Broek also reports that Mimaki’s new high-speed direct-to-textile Tiger-1800B printer was also well received. It was the first time that Mimaki showcased the printer with sublimation ink after demonstrating the machine with reactive ink in previous shows.
In the textile hall, where the high-speed, direct-to-textile Tiger-1800B with sublimation ink took centre stage, Mimaki also had on display the award-winning Tx300P-1800 and Tx300P-1800B direct-to-textile printers, updated to simultaneously load both textile pigment and sublimation dye inks. This enables the use of a single printer to print directly on a wide range of textiles without the need to change out ink systems.
Van den Broek disclosed that many visitors to the stand were seeking solutions that would enable them to print on natural fibres with solutions like the Tx300P-1800 with textile pigment ink. Visitors were interested in using sublimation printing for fast fashion and soft signage. In addition to learning about the Mimaki printers on display, visitors to the Mimaki stand discovered the wide range of applications that Mimaki printers are able to produce.
