FW
Contributing in a big way
Some of history’s most important textile and fashion inventions and today's most celebrated manufacturers, innovators and artists hail from the continent. ‘Made in Europe’ is a label steeped in heritage, unparalleled quality and award-winning craftsmanship. Hundreds of leading brands, retailers, internationally acclaimed designers, thousands of talented emerging designers and forward-thinking entrepreneurs, researchers and educators belong to this vibrant and colourful land.
In the EU, textile and clothing sector remains a SME-based industry today. Companies of less than 50 employees consist of over 90 per cent of the workforce and produce almost 60 per cent of the value added. One of the most globalised industries, clothing and textile has a chain of production, wholesale and retail of just one product at times, that span dozens of stakeholders and many continents.
In 2014, over each quarter, EU clothing imports increased manifold. Now they consist of about half of the world's entire clothing production with China manufacturing an estimated 65 per cent of the world's textiles.
Fashion Revolution Day
Human development can benefit greatly and positively with European trade in clothing and textiles. However, it needs to be ensured that this is done in an empowering, participatory and sustainable way for the entire global value chain. Fashion Revolution Day is all about this vision. On the April 24 every year, people from all over the world get together to challenge the current industry-wide system and demand that fashion be used as a force for good.
Unfortunately, today, consumers don't know how and where things are made, and producers have become invisible. This scenario gives rise to conditions that allow disasters to happen and obscures responsibility and accountability when things go wrong, for example, the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh.
Fashion is the world's second most polluting industry, says a Danish Fashion Institute (2013) report, second only to oil. Nearly 25 per cent of chemicals produced worldwide are used for textiles. And the industry is often cited as the number two polluter of clean water (after agriculture). Also, the ways things work today, the industry contribute to a loss of time as Europe has seen the decimation of techniques such as Harris Tweed weaving, haute couture embroidery and specialist leather making over several decades.
To avoid this discontent and discord, Fashion Revolution believes in building an industry that values people, the environment, creativity and profit in equal measure. The Revolution believes that stakeholders should start by making the industry more transparent. This would collectively help them see and begin to understand how it truly works, and only then industry player can begin to fashion a new way of working.
As this is the EU’s Year of Development, it is the right time to dwell on how the players can legislate a cleaner, fairer, more sustainable future for the fashion industry within Europe and with those the continent trades with in this sector.
Inmates of the Special Prison for Women, Chanchalguda, Hyderabad are stitching 5,000 school uniforms for boys and girls. These uniforms, stitched by women prisoners will be worn by students of various social welfare schools in Telangana. For the first time, a garment manufacturing unit has been set up in the jail at a cost of Rs 10 lakh sanctioned by the Telangana prisons department authorities. Experts have trained 25 women prisoners in tailoring and designing.
Basheera Begum, prison superintendent said that the unit has 25 sewing machines, which run on power. In Telangana, there are 14 social welfare hostels for boys and girls, out of which some have already placed an order with the women's prison for stitching the uniforms for students. The social welfare department would otherwise pay the amount to private tailors, which they now pay to the jail.
DG Prison's V K Singh has also asked prison authorities to contact several other government departments to get orders for stitching. A prison official said that they wanted to work with government departments to meet their requirements and stitch uniforms. However, they are also looking forward to any work orders from private organisations.
The whole purpose of getting the women prisoners to work in any units set up in the prison is to equip them for employment after their release apart from earning revenue for the jail and pay inmates’ wages.
The Fashion Consulting Group (FCG) predicts pressure from a depreciating ruble would result in Russia’s $33 billion fashion market losing by about 20 percent this year. As per FCG review of the fashion market in the country, inflation significantly influences consumption, which includes clothing and footwear, and thus the market is changing substantially. Last year, the fashion market dipped 8 per cent compared to the previous year, while import dynamics were positive due to pre-orders, because orders in the fashion industry are usually made five or seven months in advance.
FCG further stated that middle-class consumers are moving to lower price points and people’s incomes have been affected by the weak ruble. Thus, many Russians now spend half of their budget on food and much less on clothes. The fashion industry particularly and retailers have been affected by the country’s slow economy, with some global brands quitting the country.
Last year in March, Adidas announced plans to shut 200 shops this year because it was affected by the devaluation of the ruble and other emerging market currencies. Reinhard Doepfer, Chairman, European Fashion and Textile Export Council says despite this, the process of construction and opening of shopping centres continues. Since the beginning of 2015, more than 15 new brands have entered the Russian fashion market. Also, e-commerce trade is gaining momentum in Russia now, with Chinese online retailers Alibaba and JD.com expanding in the country.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif had called a meeting of exporters associations after two and a half years. This is, after 50 per cent of the tenure of the incumbent government. At the meeting Sharif, gave time to the spinning sector representatives All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), while allotting little time to the vital value added textile export sector, said Muhammad Jawed Bilwani.
Bilwani also stated that the PM didn’t understand who to give more time to, the Spinning sector with exports of $just 1.8 billion or the value added apparel sector, which contributes $5.267 billion in exports. He added it is clear from this meeting that the PM did not understand, nor realise the crucial importance of the value added apparel sector, and has turned a blind eye and is being misled by APTMA. Bilwani feels that this is the reason the country’s exports are far behind, while Bangladesh’s exports are on the rise.
Globally, exports of a country rise rapidly as the main target is apparel sector whose value addition is higher, while the spinning sector's value addition is much less. The value added apparel sector, generates largest forex earnings and employment. Besides, the government has also not appointed a textile minister. Bilwani has urged the PM to take notice of the apparel sector and call a meeting separately of the value added apparel sector for a clear presentation.
The Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia says that at least 15 factories have removed workers, due to a lack of job orders. Union leaders on the other hand are demanding higher minimum wages. Cambodia’s manufacturing industry is one of the largest employment generator providing jobs to around 600,000 people. However, issues like low wages have been leading to strikes and conflict among workers, who have to deal with the rise in cost of living. More wage negotiations are expected to take place later this month.
Union leaders have announced they plan to negotiate for higher minimum wage than demanded earlier. Unions had been pushing for a minimum monthly wage of $177, up from $128, but now they will seek $207 per month.
The industry started suffering after labour disputes hit in 2013, with workers’ agitation leading to large-scale strikes around the country for increase in wages. Some of the demonstrations were led to riot like situation. To ease tension, the government increased monthly minimum wage from $61 to $80 in 2013, to $100 last year, and to $128 in January. After adding other benefits like housing assistance, transportation and other allowances, a worker’s minimum earnings reach to more than $150.
www.gmac-cambodia.org
The Rana Plaza factory tragedy in 2013 drew international attention of factory workers in the country, and prompted the National Retail Federation (NRF) and other associations to collaborate to improve worker conditions. A couple of years ago, the National Retail Federation (NRF) partnered with global retailers and other associations to build the Safer Factories Initiative and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety.
Since then companies such as Gap, Sears, and Costco, along with organisations such as American Apparel & Footwear Association, Retail Industry Leaders Association, etc seek to prevent future tragedy through rigorous examination of Bangladesh’s garment industry. Thus, recently NRF representatives were in Bangladesh to review the progress to safeguard workers and improve their working conditions.
David French, NRF Senior Vice-President for government relations said they saw firsthand that significant progress was made to improve conditions at factories in the country and work was on track to see more improvements in the future. NRF Vice-President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold and French also toured factories and ports and met with local stakeholders and Alliance executives.
According to Alliance’s report, efforts have led to 661 factory visits, 591 approved corrective plans, and 6,177 payments to displaced workers. Besides, until July, 2015, 528 factories completed at least one remediation visit. Moreover, the Alliance also established a helpline in 414 factories connecting workers with resources. One of the Alliance’s biggest priorities though, this progress doesn’t ebb as the initiative enter the third year of its five-year commitment.
Mobile technology has now reached the textile town Tirupur in Tamil Nadu. Spinners are now using a newly designed mobile app that helps them track the demand-supply challenge. Indian Texpreneurs Federation is the force behind this app. It has selected 80 mills operating in polyester and polyester yarn with a capacity of 20-lakh spindles for this pilot project. The app lets the mills update the last-sold price of their yarn, stock position and related market data. The survey will be conducted periodically in a month to arrive at a standard price list of yarn from Tamil Nadu mills.
The application while protecting the identity of the mill entering the data about prices and stock, provides pure statistics such as average yarn selling price over the last week and average stock positions. The result of this exercise over the last four months was that the excess capacity gave buyers an upper hand and led prices of polyester cotton yarn down from Rs 185kg.Over the past few weeks in operation, the new system has helped Tirupur mills to find buyers for their yarn as high as Rs 161 kg.
The Paris edition of Premiere Vision is being held from September 15 to 17, 2015. For over 40 years, Première Vision has been held high for the quality and exclusivity of the fashion information it provides the global fashion industry.
The show features updated and newly adapted tools, redesigned informational forums and fashion seminars specifically developed by Première Vision for the benefit of international buyers. The covers highlights of the Autumn/Winter 2016-17 season. The fabric and accessory color ranges are featuring changes. Fabric color range is now made of fabric rather than paper. In addition to the poster and fabric color card, a new digital tool has been developed, forging a direct link between creative and industrial teams.
The tool allows industry brands, designers and manufacturers to render drawings into prints, jacquards, color-wovens, plains, harmonies and silhouettes for autumn winter 2016-17 with total color accuracy and an increased speed of execution and quality.
A new cutting-edge fashion information area – the Shoe Focus forum – has been developed. This cross-disciplinary fashion information forum showcases technical elements and components, ornaments and both leather and fashion material preferences for footwear, lending an exclusive and pertinent outlook to seasonal trends and footwear manufacturing secrets for autumn winter 2016-17.
www.premierevision.com/
India is increasingly becoming a dumping ground for countries like China. After a panel of industrialists raised their voice against it during a meeting with the PM Narendra Modi, industry associations too have warned the government saying if not checked in time, domestic industry would be extinct.
Experts claim as much as 60 per cent of dumping happens from China, and as per unofficial estimates, the size of this trade varies between 20 and 40 per cent. Chairman for Policy, Apparel Export Promotion Council Premal Udani, said that if the dumping activities continue without getting checked in time the domestic textile industry will be extinct over the next few years. He added that China, facing over capacity situation, has for long been dumping their fabrics and ready-made garments in the Indian market through Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam and even Cambodia.
He appealed to the government to ensure that Indian borders are better policed, and the customs officials undertake vigorous inspection of the country-of-origin of goods being shipped in, while engaging in better terms of trade with the neighbouring countries. He pointed out that China uses tactics like sending shipments via countries like Hong Kong, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Cambodia to avoid customs inspections. Even companies such as Birla Cellulose, Century, and other textile mills have expressed concerns over the rise in dumping.
www.aepcindia.com
Garment manufacturers in Aba, the commercial centre of Abia state, Nigeria, are seeking support from government agencies to produce seamless products that would withstand competition in international markets. Manufacturers have specially appealed to the Bank of Industry (BoI) and the Nigerian Export, Import Bank (NEXIM), for this purpose.
Manufacturers have urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to use part of the N220 billion small and medium enterprises fund, to acquire modern equipment needed in the industry, which would help in finishing of their products. They feel that the garment makers in Aba have the capacity to manufacture for local and export, with the right facilities and equipment.
The President of Association of Tailors and Fashion Designers (ATFAD), Onyebuchi Nwaigwe, says if sector operators are properly empowered, then good quality products would be produced, and this would help create jobs and contribute to the country’s GDP. Besides, he urged the Abia State Government to fulfill its promise of developing the industrial cluster at Umukalika in Obingwa Local Government Area. This would create a more conducive environment for the leather and garment sectors of the country. Aba has one of the largest concentrations of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and a huge number is engaged in leather works, steel fabrication and garment making. Estimates state that Aba has 110,000 shoemakers and 50,000 garment makers.
The region’s artisans’ ingenuity grabbed the attention of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to collaborate with the Federal Government, to set up a Common Facility Centre (CFC) in the city, which would support the clusters to further develop their skills.
