The trade war between China and the United States is expected to favor Turkey and Vietnam. Turkish clothing exports are expected to rise ten per cent in 2019. In 2018, the country increased clothing exports by 3.6 per cent compared to the previous year.

The European Union continues to be the largest market for the Turkish clothing industry. In 2018, 71 per cent of its sales went to European countries. The only fear the Turkish sector has is a hard Brexit, which could put in check exports to the European Union.

Vietnam too is looking to improve its positioning by taking advantage of the bad relationships between the largest fashion consumer market and its main supplier. The Vietnamese textile and clothing industry plans to increase its exports by 11 per cent in 2019. Vietnam is about to sign a free trade agreement with the European Union, which would eliminate practically all existing tariffs in the exchange of goods between both parties.

Bangladesh also aims to take advantage of the trade conflict between the United States and China, and political tension between the European Union and Bangladesh. In the first half of fiscal year 2018-19, textile and clothing exports from Bangladesh grew by 14.42 per cent compared to the same period of the previous year. Clothing exports soared in these six months by 15.6 per cent.

Millions of workers in the Indian garment industry, many of them women, work from home. These women or girls are mainly from minority or marginalised communities. Each night after their children go to sleep, they spend hours at home, sewing, cutting and checking clothing given them by a garment factory contractor.

For each finished item, they earn less than a rupee. If they were at a factory, they would earn more and get overtime money, bonus and other benefits. But they cannot join a factory for one reason or the other. The price they pay for that is very low wages.

The Indian garment sector employs more than 12 million people in factories but millions more work from home. These workers are involved in the many stages of garment production from cutting sleeves to stitching buttons, embroidery, bead work and giving other finishing touches to items of clothing.

Up to 19 per cent of the workers are in the age group of 10 to 18 years. Eighty-five per cent of the workers exclusively work in supply chains for the export of clothing to the United States and the European Union. Besides being denied minimum wages, home workers have virtually no avenue to seek redress for abusive or unfair conditions.

Planet Textiles 2019, which will take place on June 22, 2019 in Barcelona at the giant ITMA event, will provide the basis for a new, practical ‘Blueprint’ for how the denim sector should operate in the next decade ahead. The event, held every four years becomes the meeting point for the global textile industry. The textile industry ‘Olympics’, as it’s often known, was last held in Barcelona back in 2011 when it attracted over 100,000 visitors from 138 countries and is where the very latest advances in textile technology are revealed.

The conference will be held in the CC5 convention centre inside the Fira Barcelona near to Hall 3 and visitors will benefit from a heavily discounted 7-day access to the ITMA exhibition through a joint ticketing scheme with the ITMA organisers.

LVMH’s latest results show, the Chinese luxury market is on an upswing with investors momentarily shaking off fears of a slowdown along with the anxieties surrounding Brexit and US-led trade spats. Both Burberry and Tiffany reported an increase in sales in mainland China in otherwise underwhelming results announcements.

Burberry also increased its Instagram and WeChat followers by 1 million last quarter thanks in part to a high-profile holiday marketing campaign. The brand’s B Series limited edition flash sales introduced by Riccardo Tisci are also proving very successful on social media channels, especially in China. This millennial-friendly sales tool has been used successfully by streetwear labels as well as makeup brands, but luxury brands have remained shy of it.

Copenhagen trade show CIFF was held from January 30 to Feb 1, 2019. The show’s perennial special project was the first thing to greet visitors. This time, the third and final part of the Northwind Trilogy was unveiled – an experimental, multifaceted work by Bahamian-born artist Tavares Strachan. Commenting on the industry’s sustainability and social responsibility, the work featured six bomber-style jackets produced using various craft methods in ethical workshops across the Bahamas. The immersive work also encompassed video installations, sculptural works and photographs documenting the artist’s training as a cosmonaut.

Raven was the section dedicated to young, progressive designers. Most designers presented their wares in installation-like set-ups. Sunglasses and watches brand Komono sees CIFF as an important networking platform. With a well-established store network in Sweden and Norway, it was looking to boost its presence on the Danish market and find a local agent.

For the upcoming spring/summer 20 edition in August 2019, CIFF will have a dedicated sports section. In a bid to boost its international exposure, CIFF will bring a taster-showcase to Paris Fashion Week Men’s in June 2019. This follows in the footsteps of Revolver, whose Scandinavian Manifesto showcase launched in June 2018 as an ongoing partnership with Pitti Uomo in Italy.

"Heimtextil 2019 displayed key trends in structure, graphic patterns and health-promoting materials. The leading trade fair for home and contract textiles, held from January 8 to 11 in Frankfurt, offered an attractive backdrop for the innovations of 3,025 exhibitors from 65 countries. Graphic patterns dominated all segments at Heimtextil 2019. These included variations in geometries, checks, diamonds and diagonal stripes as well as inspirations from the 50s, 60s and 70s, elegant style elements from Art Deco and designs à la M.C. Escher."

Heimtextil 2019 displayed key trends in structure, graphic patterns and health-promoting materials. The leading trade fair for home and contract textiles, held from January 8 to 11 in Frankfurt, offered an attractive backdrop for the innovations of 3,025 exhibitors from 65 countries. Graphic patterns dominated all segments at Heimtextil 2019. These included variations in geometries, checks, diamonds and diagonal stripes as well as inspirations from the 50s, 60s and 70s, elegant style elements from Art Deco and designs à la M.C. Escher.

Health-promoting and sustainable fabrics on display

Furniture and decorative fabrics including upholstery and imitation leather, carpets and contract business were displayed in halls 4.0, 4.1 and 4.2. Innovators such as Trevira CS and Antex presented recyclable yarns made from marine waste such as fishing nets and PET bottles. Froca presented a Teflon-free upholstery fabric line that can be cleaned with pure water. Suppliers such as Toucan-T presented PVC, latex and bitumen-free solutions that save around 12,600 ton of waste and 70,000 barrels of crude oil per 10,000 ton of raw material. In addition, exhibitors such as Tecnografica, Cerda Fabrics and Essegomma 0 also displayed their innovations. Suppliers such as Höpke marked the paradigm shift in the elderly and care sector with their display of easy-care and attractive fabrics.

Sustainable solutions in digital printing, wall decorations

The exhibition also focused on sustainable solutions in digital printing. Here, international market leaders such as HP and Mimaki demonstrated their skills in adapting these works of art on canvas, wallpaper and textile.

In Hall 3.1, suppliers A.S. Création, ATT Rotex, Rasch, Grandeco, Architects Paper and Galerie Limited focused on wall decorations. These ranged from industrial and rustic-natural to sophisticated Art Deco. Designs from European metropolises, from London club chic to Amsterdam tile styles (AS Design), provided fresh impetus to these decorations. Technical innovations were displayed in the field of fire protection and odorless materials.

Exploiting creative strength of decorative textiles

Exhibitors such as Apelt, Eustergerling, Heco, IFI Design, Saum & Viebahn and Style Library exploited the creative strength of decorative textiles at the new Interior Decoration hotspot in hall 8.0. Graphic designs dominated these displays. These ranged from simple geometric patterns such as diamonds, checks and stripes to complex, multi-coloured optical illusions.

Solutions for improving nightly regeneration were also on display. These ranged from hotel beds that can be individually adjusted and smart sleep sensor mats from Withings Sleep to technical materials from Outlast Technologies. Sustainability was also focused by Ecobel/Belnou, Traumina and OBB in the form of increasingly mature recycling and cradle to cradle approaches or the conscious focus on organic qualities, origin and tradition.

Trends from Hall 12 supported sweet dreams. Here, HG Hahn presented sustainable bed linen that does not use plastic in its packaging. Major brands including Bierbaum, Christian Fischbacher, Cawö, Esenza, Estella, Irisette, Lexington, Schlossberg and Vossen presented their coherent collections here. In hall 12.1, suppliers such as Estamparia Textil Adalberto, Altinbasak, Bestitch, Casa Soft, Doksan, Erteks, NLG – Nile Linen Group and Makroteks presented contemporary collections for e.g. the hotel industry.

Vietnam is aiming for a 10.8 per cent increase in export turnover of garment and textile products this year. In 2018, export turnover from garment and textile products saw a year on year increase of 16 per cent. This level of growth would make the nation among the top three largest exporters of textiles and garments in the world.

In addition, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is expected to help the economy grow 1.3 per cent and boost export turnover by four per cent. The CPTPP is expected to cut import tariffs and diversify products available in CPTPP member countries.

The sector has gradually completed the supply chain thanks to increasing flow of capital invested in the textile and dyeing industry, making its products more competitive. Order statuses for 2019 are also very positive. Many businesses already have orders for the first six months of this year and even the whole year.

However, Vietnam has to depend on raw material imports. Enterprises have to import over 60 per cent of the raw materials they need. If the dependence on imported materials is not reduced, the industry may not be able to enjoy the benefits of CPTPP.

Pakistan textile and clothing exports, which fetched $13.5 billion or almost 60 per cent of total export earnings last fiscal, continue to struggle. The industry’s total shipments remain flat at $6.64 bn during the first half of 2018-19 on an annual basis. This raises questions about the rationale for the subsidy worth billions of rupees given to the country’s largest manufacturing industry that contributes 8.5 per cent to GDP and employs 46pc of non-farm labor.

Ali Ahsan, Chairman, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) believes textile and clothing exports can easily double to $26 bn in the next five years if the government continues to support the industry through a long-term policy. He advocates removal of upfront incidentals on the import of manmade fibers, which is short for industry consumption. This will enable the industry to diversify into products that are in high demand in foreign markets.

Further, the government must liquidate all outstanding refunds of the industry on account of sales tax, duty drawbacks and previous textile policies, withdraw gas infrastructure development cess (GIDC) arrears of pre-GIDC Act 2015, allow the payment of the post-GIDC Act arrears in installments, and expedite new gas and electricity connections and tagging for the zero-rating of the industries by departments concerned.

UBM’s Magic marketplace and Agenda, each proposing a range of events addressing everything from conscious fashion to the history of streetwear, will open tomorrow in Las Vegas. Spread over the Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay Convention Centers, Magic will play host to 12 trade shows, among which WWDMagic, Project Women’s and Stitch @ Project Women’s will be dedicated exclusively to womenswear.

Project Women’s is partnering with the Conscious Fashion Campaign to recognise brands that seek to work towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through their production or business practices. The collaboration is the continuation of the trade show’s Conscious Collections initiative and will spotlight a broad variety of brands, including organic cosmetics label Bitchstix, female-led skate brand Doyenne and Korean upcycled accessories start-up Pleatsmama.

For the latest in the menswear industry, Magic attendees can seek out a comprehensive overview of the sector at Project, home in on the high-end luxury market at The Tents or explore branded and licensed apparel for men and young men at Magic Men’s.

Along with industry staples, Magic’s menswear shows will also feature a line-up of upcoming brands. At Project, these include Casual Scandi label Redefined Rebel and Montreal-based steel jewelry brand A.R.Z Steel, while The Tents will welcome men’s swimwear specialist Nine + Eight and North Carolina-based apparel brand Lords of Harlech, and Magic Men’s will host South Africa’s Carducci and high-end menswear label Baqchi.

The rise of fast fashion has not only changed shopping habits but has led to the creation of more waste as people are discarding clothes at twice the rate as in 2000. In addition, people on an average have 60 per cent more clothing items than they did 19 years ago.

With that trend, the strain on environment is increasing because the fashion industry -- from garment production to disposal -- causes environmental damage. The garment industry is the world’s second largest source of pollution, after the petroleum sector. Modern clothing is made mostly from either cotton or polyester fibers. The latter is a byproduct of the petroleum industry, while cultivation of the former requires huge amounts of water, land and pesticides.

The garment industry impacts the environment because production of synthetic fibers indirectly increases carbon emissions, while the disposal of clothing produces greenhouse gases, whether they are burned or buried. With the rise of fast fashion -- inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends -- the volume of recycled clothes has increased but the quality has dropped, which reduces their life expectancy. These are the results of a Greenpeace survey published in June 2016.