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Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) and brand members are committed to supporting a more sustainable future for cotton production. The global not-for-profit is the largest cotton sustainability program in the world, which last year provided training on more sustainable agricultural practices to 1.6 million farmers from 23 countries.
More than 350 brands are now committed to supporting cotton farmers through the initiative. Among these are Takko Holding, Coolinvestments Group, Task International, Target Australia. They pay a fee to BCI based on the amount of cotton they source as Better Cotton, which is invested into training BCI farmers on more sustainable agricultural practices like reducing inputs (water, pesticides) and addressing gender equality and child labor issues.
BCI was launched in the United States in 2014. BCI also has civil society organisations like Sawera Foundation (Pakistan), Aga Khan Rural Support Program (India), Responsible Sourcing Network, a project of As You Sow, (United States), Rural Business Development Centre (Pakistan) and Centers For International Projects Trust (India) as members. It works with a total of 37 civil society organizations.
Civil society members are progressive not-for-profit organisations who are taking decisive steps towards securing a more sustainable future for cotton production by partnering with the Better Cotton Initiative.
"CENTRESTAGE, Asia’s premier fashion event, will open for the global audience from September 5 to 8 in Hong Kong. Organised by the HKTDC to consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a fashion hub in Asia, CENTRESTAGE offers a platform for international, especially Asian, fashion brands and designers to launch and promote their designs. In its 3rd year, the opening gala, CENTRESTAGE Elites, will see three of Asia’s most celebrated designer labels, Facetasm from Japan, Idism from Hong Kong and Ms Min from the Chinese mainland, showcasing their latest 2019 Spring/Summer (SS19) collections for an international audience of trendsetters."
CENTRESTAGE, Asia’s premier fashion event, will open for the global audience from September 5 to 8 in Hong Kong. Organised by the HKTDC to consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a fashion hub in Asia, CENTRESTAGE offers a platform for international, especially Asian, fashion brands and designers to launch and promote their designs. In its 3rd year, the opening gala, CENTRESTAGE Elites, will see three of Asia’s most celebrated designer labels, Facetasm from Japan, Idism from Hong Kong and Ms Min from the Chinese mainland, showcasing their latest 2019 Spring/Summer (SS19) collections for an international audience of trendsetters.
Hong Kong brand Idism will launch its latest line of ready-to-wear women’s wear at CENTRESTAGE Elites. Design duo Julio Ng and Cyrus Wong who debuted Idism in 2016, have since participated in Paris Fashion Week several times. With the brand’s philosophy based on being active, true to nature, attuned to the senses and following a distinctive lifestyle, Idism was created for the spontaneous lifestyle of the contemporary city woman, which manifests true beauty coming from within. At the same catwalk show, Chinese luxury women’s wear label Ms Min will reveal its newest collection. Its founder Min Liu, mentored by fashion mogul Sarah Rutson, has built a fashion empire around an aesthetic that seamlessly meshes modernity with classicism.
Global brands mark their presence
As one of Asia’s signature fashion events connecting brands, buyers, media and fashionistas, CENTRESTAGE 2018 will feature a record number of over
220 brands from around the world, presenting about 40 events including more than 20 fashion shows and parades during the event period. A series of insightful seminars and panels such as the Master Sharing Series and Trend Talk Series will be hosted by fashion design masters and industry experts, with a focus on upcoming fashion trends and the importance of sustainability in the industry.
YDC: A runway for young designers
The Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest 2018 (YDC) is another highlight of this year’s CENTRESTAGE. The judging panel will include Lawrence Leung, Chairman of the HKTDC Garment Advisory Committee and Michael Mok, General Manager of Merchandising/Head of Merchandising at Joyce Boutique Ltd, while internationally renowned fashion designer Martine Rose will be the VIP judge. YDC has successfully nurtured and promoted a new generation of Hong Kong fashion design talent since 1977. This year, 16 shortlisted candidates will compete for five awards including the New Talent Award and Best Footwear Design Award. Arto Wong, last year's Champion and New Talent Award winner, will release her capsule collection Zero to Unlimited at Joyce this August and display it at CENTRESTAGE this September. The event will also feature the latest works by other YDC 2017 winners, including Sonic Lam, who has partnered with Woolmark to develop a new outfit made with wool, and Jason Lee, winner of last year’s Best Footwear Design Award, who will showcase his capsule collection I Go to School by Bus.
A launch pad for local designers
In its 12th edition, Fashionally Collection, a highlighted CENTRESTAGE show dedicated to Hong Kong designers, will welcome 10 local designer brands, including contemporary classic menswear label Demo and Kevin Ho, a modern womenswear label that participated in New York Fashion Week 2017. The Fashionally Presentation at CENTRESTAGE will feature three new local designer labels launching their SS19 collections. Unlike at conventional runway shows, the three labels, Redemptive, Tak Lee and YLYstudio, will present their collection in a storytelling format on a theatre-style stage.
Copenhagen will hold S/S’19 edition of Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) from Aug 8 to 10, 2018. The three day’s will pack in several catwalk shows to run alongside key tradeshows CIFF and Revolver. The design-driven fashion fair – Revolver, to be organised by Christian Mailbom has partnered Pitti Uomo to promote Scandinavian fashion and Revolver globally.
The show will host around 300 exhibitors including newcomers such as British line The Cooper Collection and Danish denim brand Blanche will feature alongside established brands like Wood Wood, Henrik Vibskov, Soulland and Rodebjer.
CIFF will feature 2,000 brands across the 60,000 sq. m. space. Raven – the perennial showcase dedicated to emerging talent will include rands like Daniel W. Fletcher, 424, Black Barret, Geym, Magliano, Phipps and Second Layer. Brands such as Ellesse, Superga, Fila, Helly Hansen and Eat Dust within the fair’s Urban section, and Woolrich, J. Lindeberg or Belstaff’s latest collections will be displayed in the Premium area.
The US will work with the European Union on eliminating tariffs between the two regions. Makers of blue jeans in the US have to pay an eight per cent duty rate to import Italian denim. The cost of these goods, if duties were off, would be down significantly.
In 2017, the United States exported textiles and apparels worth $2.6 billion to the European Union while importing $5.5 in textiles and apparel from the EU. Eliminating tariffs would put US companies on par with countries such as South Korea, which already has a free trade agreement with the EU. Japan has signed a free trade agreement with the European Union. Mexico and the European Union have agreed in principle to an updated free trade agreement.
So , US manufacturers don’t want to be at a disadvantage. In the meantime the US has spent months threatening or imposing tariffs on various imports from China, Canada and Mexico. Chinese and US textile and apparel organisations are concerned about the escalating trade tensions and have voiced their opposition to protectionism. Tariff increases are not just a tax on consumers but also bring uncertainty to the supply chain for brands. Top brands depend a lot on a stable global supply chain.
A research by Cotton USA’s Global Lifestyle Monitor reveals, man-made fibers are falling out of favor as more UK consumers are opting for natural fabrics. A survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affair on behalf of Cotton Council International revealed that out of 1,002 British people aged 15 to 54, almost 28 per cent refused to buy polyester, 17 per cent eschewed synthetic acrylics and 2 per cent gave rayon and viscose an equally wide berth.
Additionally, 45 per cent of shoppers revealed their willingness to pay more for clothing derived from natural fibers such as US cotton versus only 4 per cent who would opt for synthetics. Around 65 per cent respondents insisted that natural fibres were comfortable, 57 per cent perceived them to be of better quality while 34 per cent believed them to be more durable than their synthetic counterparts.
Consumers also associated cotton with eco-friendliness with 79 per cent respondents saying cotton was the safest fiber for the environment, and 69 per cent hailing it as the most sustainable fabric.
As per latest CII reports, the additional 25 per cent duties levied by the US on imports worth $34 billion from China, would make certain Indian products more competitive. According to an analysis by the industry chamber, India should now focus on the US market for items like machinery, electrical equipment, vehicles and transport parts, chemicals, plastics and rubber products.
Top exports from India to the US covered in the list of items for which tariffs have been hiked include pumps, parts of military aircraft, parts for electro-diagnostic apparatus, passenger vehicles of 1500-3000 cc, valve bodies and parts of taps. The exports of these items stood at over $50 million in 2017 and can be increased with concerted efforts. Based on India's current exports to the US in these categories, products such as intermediate parts for the defence and aerospace sector, vehicles and auto parts, engineering goods, etc, have a higher potential for export. Countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have also increased their exports of these products to the US in recent years.
Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles will be held from August 27 to 30. With growing demand for textile solutions for architecture, interior design and the hotel industry, the fair will feature a showcase area displaying quality contract upholstery. The area will be decorated by interior designers, demonstrating the functionalities of different contract textile products.
To introduce the opportunities that the textile industry can capture from contract business, both domestic and international architects, hoteliers, interior designers and industry experts have been invited to share their insights about design, market, materials and project management.
An advanced digital printing system will be introduced. The system streamlines the entire production process by combining printing and drying together, hence, multiple machineries are not needed. It is also eco-friendly as one single ink set suits various types of fabric and designs will be printed in shapes and sizes that are ready for cutting. Visitors can learn more about the complete production process from printing and cutting to sewing via the onsite demonstration.
In addition to forums discussing how digital printing helps flexible production, there will also be an array of forums where some top domestic industry players will share their experience in resolving technical problems in productions and satisfying requirements in different product tests.
According to a confidential UN report, North Korea has violated a textile ban by exporting goods worth more than $100 million between October 2017 and March 2018 to several countries including Sri Lanka. The countries to which North Korea has exported include China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey and Uruguay. Additionally, North Korea has also not stopped its nuclear and missile programs in violation of United Nations sanctions. It is cooperating militarily with Syria and has been trying to sell weapons to Yemen.
The six-month report by independent experts monitoring the implementation of UN sanctions was submitted to the Security Council North Korea Sanctions Committee recently. The report was published even as Russia and China recommended that the Security Council discuss easing sanctions after US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met for the first time in June. The United States and other council members recommended strict enforcement of sanctions until Pyongyang acts.
Sri Lanka’s July apparel exports grew 12.1 per cent. Exports to the EU increased 16.35 per cent and to the US 7.8 per cent. Exports to other countries increased 12.7 per cent. Half yearly exports were up five per cent.
Sri Lanka expects apparel exports to the EU to grow above 10 per cent in 2018. New clients are switching from East Asian destinations to Sri Lanka over US-China trade war fears. The US is the biggest buyer of Sri Lankan apparel, growing 3.8 per cent. Exports to the EU are a close second, growing 7.8 per cent.
The trade dispute between the US and China is helping Sri Lankan apparel exports to the US. However, there’s concern about the European markets due to the weather conditions. Because of long winter in Europe, the retail sector slowed down as the long winters cause people to spend lesser time in shopping. Some manufacturers in Sri Lanka are still engaged in manufacturing basic apparel despite the country’s gaining the GSP Plus concession last year. What the industry is also doing is upgrading itself to the next level by focusing on high tech and designer apparel.
Fashion consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental and ethical conditions that their garments are produced in. They refuse to buy shady and shoddy crap even though these may be available at dirt cheap rates. A striking example of this is the plummeting sales reported by fast fashion labels and shutting down of her clothing line by Ivanka Trump. H&M too reported an enormous drop in sales and, as of last March, $4.3 billion of unsold inventory. Zara’s parent company Inditex is also seeing sluggish sales this year, driving its shares to a three-year low, while Forever 21 reported a $40 million loss at the end of 2017.
New and old fashion businesses alike are now focusing on creating transparent supply chains, or at least the impression of them. It is standard practice to talk about factory conditions, environmental stewardship, textile production methods, etc. in the FAQ section of fashion websites. There is a growing distaste among mainstream consumers for unethical fashion. The source of clothing now matters more than ever before and brands are questioning the source from where their raw materials are procured from.
