Denim is on the upswing in the US. Retailers are starting to rebuild their denim assortments. So far this quarter, there’s 42 per cent more denim product in stock than this time last year. In terms of growth, leggings continue to outpace denim though the denim market is double the size of the leggings category.

Price points have increased considerably since 2014, creating a more competitive denim market. The average price point for men’s jeans in the US is up 20 per cent this quarter, and prices for women’s denim have increased ten per cent. Skinny jeans still represent 58 per cent of women’s jeans. Straight leg jeans come second followed by cropped and ripped. Other silhouettes that have gained since 2016 are cropped, culotte, mom and wide.

Wide leg jeans that hit just above the ankle have been an area of focus for brands like Madewell and Everlane. Finished hems, frayed hems, and black and white denim have performed well. Flared jeans are also gaining momentum with consumers. Flared shaping on skinny styles is the most versatile, but high-waist wider cuts bring a refreshing hit of newness.

Apart from jeans, others like denim outerwear, dresses, shirts, shorts and skirts have grown 12 per cent in the last month.

Turkey plans to achieve textiles exports worth $500billion by 2023. As a part of this plan, the country is seeking to make a number of investments and improvements in the sector. The government plans to add 13,000 km roads as well as 12,000 km new railways to allow easier shipping. It also plans to increase the number of logistics centers from 8 to 21 over the same period. This will help maximise the rate at which goods can be exported to the EU as a way to try and mitigate higher labor costs.

Another way Turkey plans to increase export value is by increasing the amount of specialised materials that the country is able to produce, along with raising the general quality of all textile goods. The government has put forth economic incentives to encourage research and development through grants and subsidies, aiming to of spend 1.8 per cent of the GDP on R&D by 2018 and to 3 per cent by 2023.

The government also plans to decrease the number of unofficial employees in the economy. This will be achieved by focusing on female employees in the garment industry who largely work as sub-contractors or out of the home. A framework has been laid out to increase the number of part-time positions, traineeships, and daycare centers that would allow for greater flexibility.

Indian textile and clothing exports increased 11 per cent in July 2018 over July 2017. Overall exports growth during April-July 2018 was three per cent vis-a-vis the same period last year. Production of manmade fiber grew five per cent in the same four month period of the last fiscal. Similarly, spun yarn grew 1.1 per cent during the said period as against the same period last fiscal. Fabric production grew by 2.5 per cent.

Being the single largest industrial employment provider with 10 crore people, the textile sector has benefited with continuous support from a slew of measures on all fronts. Import growth has come down significantly. While imports of textile and clothing grew five per cent from April-June 2017 to the same period this year, it is significantly lower than the growth of 16 per cent last year.

Measures taken to increase import duty on various textile and apparel goods will help in further reducing imports in coming months. Devaluation of the rupee by nine per cent in the last few months has made the industry competitive globally and imports dearer. The import duty on about 400 products has been enhanced, providing relief to the industry which was hit by huge imports post GST due to import barriers’ reducing significantly.

Setex and Halo have entered into a partnership. They will put into practice a comprehensive solution for processing and finishing of textiles via integration of Inteos and Orga Tex components. Setex is a market leader in designing, manufacturing and implementing automation solutions for the textile dyeing and finishing market. Halo is an ERP-provider and specialist for customized solutions from fiber to product.

Clients, that is, vertical manufacturers with knitting or weaving departments, can benefit from the range of Inteos modules, integrated into the Orga Tex platform and working out of the box. Setex has locations around the world. With the newly formed project management, and its excellent relationships with textile machine manufacturers, this collaboration will allow Setex to provide, commission and support the new solution locally worldwide.

Both Setex and Halo contribute a rich source of information and technology to the new Orga Tex-Inteos package, which goes far beyond providing just a software solution. Orga Tex-Inteos enables Setex to react to different customer needs and offer one-stop complete solutions that meet the most specific individual requirements.

The combination of Halo´s longstanding experience as a provider of customized MES- and ERP-solutions and Setex´s position as a market leader for textile automation solutions ensures a maximum in competence for fully integrated textile manufacturing solutions.

Plus size clothing sales represented around 17.5 per cent of all women’s clothing sales in the US in 2016. The US women’s plus size apparel market is expected to grow at an average of four per cent annually from 2015 to 2020. Over the past months the industry has witnessed a non-stop drip of retailers launching their own plus size labels or growing their large size fashion ranges. Nordstrom began selling plus sizes from 100 brands online and in 30 selected stores in May. J. Crew is adding a size inclusive collection.

Non-apparel centric retailers have also spotted the opportunity and started to invest in their inclusive-sizing. Amazon has included plus sizes in its new private fashion labels, while Walmart has introduced its Terra & Sky plus-size brand. Plus size fashion is here to stay and has already conquered the hearts and budgets of many in the apparel industry. Spending on this niche is on the rise and so are the opportunities for retailers wanting to tap into the 46 billion dollar opportunity.

E-commerce contributes to the growth of plus size fashion primarily because of ease of access, size availability and convenience that it provides. While one size does not fit all, and standard sizes for all is one of the major challenges to the segment, personalization is further leading to the success of many brands.

As per Confederation of Indian Textile Industries, the Indian apparel sector is poised for a turnaround with exports estimated to grow 7 per cent in the current financial year. Data by the DGCI&S reveals exports increased 11 per cent in July 2018 to Rs 19,636 crore over the same month last year.

The Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence & Statistics (DGCI&S) under the commerce ministry is responsible for collection, compilation and dissemination of the country’s trade statistics and commercial information. The overall growth in exports during Apr-July 2018 has been 3 per cent vis-a-vis same period last year. Further, production in the man-made fibre segment, which is expected to be the growth driver of the industry in the coming years, has also increased.

However, CITI reports suggests, import growth in the sector have come down significantly. While import of T&C (Textiles and Clothing) rose from $1.78 billion in April-June 2017 to $1.87 billion in the same period this year, an increase of 5 per cent, it is significantly lower than the growth of 16 per cent last year. The measures taken by the government to increase the import duty on various textile and apparel items will help in further reducing the imports in coming months. As per RBI Financial Stability Report-June 2018, the stressed advance ratio of textile sub-sector has also improved from 23.7 per cent in September 2017 to 22.3 per cent in March 2018, indicating signs of recovery.

Federation of Gujarat Weavers’ Association (FOGWA) has urged the Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya to formulate a textile policy, similar to the one made by the Maharashtra Government ,to stop migration of power loom weavers from Surat. Reports suggest around 250 power looms in Surat have migrated to Navapur a border district in Maharashtra due to proactive textile policy of Maharashtra government. The units have been set up in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) estate in the last one year or so.

The benefits provided by Maharashtra government include cheap electricity tariff at less than Rs 3.5 per unit, 35 per cent subsidy on capital investment on bank loan and 50 per cent subsidy on own investment and cheap land prices. On the other hand, power loom units in Surat have been paying electricity tariff at Rs 7.30 per unit and the total subsidy on capital investment is just about 15 per cent.

The first US Footwear Innovation Summit by FMNII will display latest innovations in the technology and footwear sectors to 250 industry leaders from footwear brands, design institutes and factories, on October 2, 2018. The summit will be moderated by oth Natacha Alpert, founder of Miras3D, and Katherine Stein, Director of business at SGS. It will introduce advanced innovations in 3D design, sustainable innovation materials, 3D scanning and 3D printing for the footwear industry.

Brendon Marczan, Manager of leading digital creation enterprise Foundry, will present their in-house technologies Modo and Colorway. Chris Lane, CEO, 3dMD, will share developing technology in 3D scanning that will help shape the future of footwear designs. Dr Geoffrey Alan Gray, founder of footwear testing lab Heeluxe, will break down the new technologies like wearable sensors, 3D printing, and additive manufacturing to show how these are helping create more comfortable shoes for brands.

The event will attract enterprises from the US, Europe and Asia to exhibit their most innovative products, ranging from machinery to digital creation, from sole materials to sustainable textiles and more.

Pakistan’s textile exports fell 0.49 per cent in July 2018 compared to the same month a year before. Export of cotton cloth decreased by 9.94 per cent. Exports of bed wear decreased by 3.56 per cent. Tents, canvas and tarpaulin export declined 4.73 per cent. Exports of readymade garments decreased 0.46 per cent. Exports of art, silk and synthetic textiles contracted 16.02 per cent. Exports of made-up articles went down by 6.91 per cent.

However, there was an increase of 7.62 per cent in exports of cotton yarn. Exports of yarn other than cotton yarn increased by 73.74 per cent in July 2018 compared to July 2017. Exports of knitwear were higher by 7.78 per cent while exports of towels were higher by 0.51 per cent. Exports of other textile materials increased by 3.24 per cent in July 2018 compared to July 2017.

Textile exports make up around 60 per cent of the country’s total exports. The textile sector has the largest share in Pakistan’s exports. Pakistan’s competitors are upping the ante on textile exports to make inroads into newer global markets. While China’s share in global textile exports is 36 per cent, Vietnam contributes 12.4 per cent, and Pakistan seven per cent.

The volume of European Union clothing imports rose 6.62 per cent during the first five months of 2018. However, the value of imports fell 2.10 per cent. Bangladesh’s apparel exports to the EU rose 0.83 per cent year on year. Meanwhile, Turkey is impressively expanding its share in the European market due to its close proximity. Though volumes are not as high as Bangladesh’s, Turkey is shipping more value-added garments to the European Union.

Indian apparel exports to the EU fell 3.58 per cent in value terms and marked a marginal growth of 0.49 per cent in volumes. The country’s inability to take advantage of the rupee depreciation of around six per cent against the euro hurt exports big time. Further, the absence of a free trade agreement with the EU is clearly making products manufactured in India non-competitive as compared to countries like Bangladesh which get trade benefits by the EU.

Vietnam’s apparel exports to the EU are on the up but only in volumes. The value of exports declined massively by 26.09 per cent. However, growth prospects for Vietnam are bright due to the upcoming free trade agreement with the European Union.