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According to General Department of Customs reports, Vietnamese textile and garment exports to the United States in Q1 2018 increased 13.2 per cent year-on-year and hit three-year high touching $3.15 billion. The high exports was partly due to the rebound of American economy with improved data on employment, income and consumer confidence.
The US imported textile and garment products worth $25.29 billion, up 4.15 per cent against the same period last year. This was a positive signal as the market had shown a 3.89 per cent decline in Q1 2017. In terms of growth rate in the quarter, Vietnam ranked third among the US’s leading textile and garment exporters. Vietnam is also the US’s second largest textile and garment supplier, accounting for 11.53 per cent of its total market share for the first two months.
As China’s textile exports dip, there is a possibility that Chinese government will step up production rotation in neighboring countries to take advantages of cost-competitive labor, commercial expenses. Then, Vietnamese textile producers may see a wave of investments from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. VITAS expects textiles exports to the US will rake in $13.84 billion in 2018 for the country.
In Q1 2018 Vietnam’s textile and garment export to all markets was nearly $8 billion, a year-on-year rise of 13.3 per cent. And the country is expecting to meet its export target of $35 billion in 2018. Maintaining two-digit growth garment and textile exports in 2018 is expected to be better than in 2017. At present Vietnam exports more than $3 billion worth of yarn, nearly $1 billion worth of fabric and $400 million worth of garment accessories each year.
Global Fashion Agenda, organiser of Copenhagen Fashion Summit has unveild the full programme for upcoming edition. It features a line-up of 75 leading voices and discussion topics ranging from robots to #metoo. On May 15-16, 2018, the 6th edition of Copenhagen Fashion Summit will open doors at the Copenhagen Concert Hall. Under the patronage of Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Denmark, the multi-stakeholder event boasts of an impressive line-up of no less than 75 speakers from the fashion industry, politics, NGOs, media and academia.
Speakers include: fashion designer and sustainable fashion pioneer Stella McCartney; Graydon Carter, former editor in chief, Vanity Fair; sustainability thought leaders William McDonough of McDonough Innovation and David Roberts of Singularity University; Margrethe Vestager, EU Commissioner for Competition; Tonne Goodman, fashion director, Vogue US; Dame Ellen MacArthur, sustainability pioneer; Spencer Fung, CEO, Li & Fung; Eric Sprunk, COO, NIKE; the founders of Vestiaire Collective, Fashion Revolution, High Snobiety and many more. The Summit will be hosted by Amber Valletta, actress, model and entrepreneur, and Tim Blanks, editor-at-large of The Business of Fashion.
Eva Kruse, CEO & President, Global Fashion Agenda, which organises the Summit, says, “I am beyond excited to reveal this year's Summit programme. It is not only filled with incredibly inspiring speakers, but the breadth of discussion topics ranging from robots to China to #metoo makes the full experience this year extra dynamic and diverse.”
The schedule
The Summit presents a thought-provoking line of topics to be addressed in keynotes, deep-dive sessions and panel discussions. Among these are ‘Don't mention the S-word’, a panel discussion challenging that sustainable fashion may be necessary, but it's still not cool. David Fischer, founder, High Snobiety; David Sinatra, CEO, Stüssy; Brendon Babenzien, designer, NOAH; and Matthew Williams, creative director, ALYX, will take part in the discussion. Another panel zooms in on China. What are China’s own brands actually doing, are manufacturers ahead of the game and what type of information is communicated to the growing number of concerned consumers? The panel will feature leading voices from China, such as Shaway Yeh of Modern Weekly and Dee Poon of Esquel Group.
Among the other topics at the Summit are: ‘The robots are coming’, a discussion on what impact a robot revolution will have on the industry’s sustainability performance; an ethical discussion on ‘The well-being of models in a #metoo economy’ featuring, among others, model Edie Campbell and casting director James Scully. A discussion on how the fashion industry can make sustainability less complex for consumers to grasp is titled ‘How do we talk about sustainability outside this room?’ and features Tonne Goodman of Vogue US, former model, now actress and entrepreneur Lily Cole, Amber Valletta and Tim Blanks.
The six fashion corporations that are Global Fashion Agenda Strategic Partners will also go on stage to address why sustainability should be a leadership priority and discuss some recommendations from the 2018 Pulse of the Fashion Industry report, which will be released one week prior to the Summit. The speakers represent Kering, H&M, Target, Li & Fung, Bestseller and Sustainable Apparel Coalition.
The programme this year at Copenhagen Fashion Summit is guided by the CEO Agenda, a common industry document, which was released recently. The CEO Agenda defines the top seven sustainability priorities for fashion industry executives to take action on, and it is these seven topics that interlink to the different sessions of the Summit.
Vietnam’s overall cotton consumption in 2018-19 is expected to grow 6.6 per cent year on year. The country’s demand for cotton, and import requirement, is of importance in particular to exporters in the US, the major origin of Vietnamese purchases for nearly a decade.
The US share of Vietnamese cotton imports this season is forecast at 51 per cent, a little down from the 54 per cent in 2016-17, thanks to tough competition from other major cotton suppliers. The US share of imports in 2018-19 is seen as returning to 54 per cent.
Further, CPTPP will offer an opportunity for Vietnam’s textile and garment industry to grow in the coming years. Increased export revenue can be expected from Canada, Mexico, and Peru, the three CPTPP members with which Vietnam does not yet have a free trade agreement. Growth in cotton imports by Vietnam will slow to a seven-year low next season. Vietnam is the world’s second-largest buyer of the fiber.
In the five years to 2016-17, annual growth in Vietnamese cotton imports averaged 28 per cent, making the country the second-ranked buyer, behind only Bangladesh. The lower growth rate expected for next season is attributed to factors including a broader market slowdown. Another factor is a slowdown in investment in the country’s spinning sector.
Stäubli provider of weaving solutions offers range of solutions for automated weaving preparation, frame and jacquard weaving, and carpet and technical textile weaving. The machines feature state-of-the art technologies.
Whether weaving upholstery fabrics, terry cloth, or technical textiles, Stäubli jacquard machines master every challenge. The recently re-engineered LX series features a lifting mechanism that allows high-speed weaving of even extremely heavy fabrics. With a coaxial drive shaft, and a special chassis supporting the beams and bearings, the latest models can handle up to 26 per cent greater loads than the previous models.
Improved positioning of the fans in the LX housing optimizes internal airflow, ensuring that the machine interior remains clean and at a controlled temperature. Both the SX and LX series include special models for the production of all sorts of velvet fabrics. Offering the possibility of flexible combination of the three-position modules with the height-adjustable two-position modules, the pile and ground warp can be activated with the same machine. Because a precisely matched jacquard system gives mills even higher performance, Stäubli offers high-end harnesses for any application.
Stäubli offers automatic warp-tying machines for reliable single- or double-knot formation at maximum tying speeds. The machinery ensures efficiency, and the warp threads are perfectly drawn through the weaving harness.
For the first quarter Puma’s net earnings went up by 35.8 per cent. Double-digit sales growth in all regions and product segments, including an exceptionally high growth in Asia, led to a strong 21.5 per cent organic sales increase.
Gross profit margin improved by 110 basis points from 47.1 per cent to 48.2 per cent. The increase came from a favorable regional sales mix, higher sales of new products with a better margin and further sourcing improvements. Operating expenses grew by 7.5 per cent in the first quarter. The increase was mainly caused by higher marketing and retail investments as well as higher sales-related variable costs.
The operating result increased by 60 per cent in the first quarter due to a strong sales growth, a higher gross profit margin and an improved operating leverage. This corresponds to an EBIT margin of 9.9 per cent compared to seven per cent in the first quarter last year.
Puma started the year with both first-quarter sales and profitability coming in stronger than expected. Because of an uncertain business environment caused by volatile currency rates and the difficult economic trade environment, Puma has raised its outlook for the full year only slightly. It now expects sales to grow ten per cent to 12 per cent in local currency.
Circularity has become the buzzword in fashion circles today. But it’s usually an abbreviated definition of circularity that is going around. A more comprehensive circularity would look at the amount of clothing produced and the full life-cycle costs of a garment, from eliminating the industry’s reliance on petroleum-based plastics and coal-powered plants to toxic dyes, sweatshop assemblies, and massive shipping footprint required to make our clothing.
The circularity conversation in the fashion industry tends to focus primarily on reducing waste and, more specifically, recycling clothing. The global fashion industry’s circularity focus is on reusing and recirculating clothing, not a retooling of the industry. And while recycling is important, it misses the mark when it comes to meaningfully reducing emissions. Even if the fashion industry reaches the ambitious target of recycling 40 per cent of fibers by 2030, it would reduce emissions by only three or six per cent. At best, that’s a reduction rate of a paltry half of one per cent a year. To seriously address climate change and the industry’s environmental impact more broadly, it must do better.
A genuinely circular agenda would focus on slowing down the cycle of fashion production and consumption and getting these fossil fuels out of every aspect of our clothing.
Indonesia hopes to increase export of Muslim apparels by 10 per cent this year. The country’s exports of Muslim fashion products in 2017 were up 8.7 per cent from the previous year. Indonesia will continue to encourage Muslim fashion industrialists and designers to make innovations by increasing their productivity and strengthening their brands to be able to penetrate the export market.
At present, Muslim fashion industry is projected to absorb 1.1 million of the total 3.8 million fashion industry workers in the country. World Muslim fashion market is expected to grow to $327 billion by 2020. Indonesia, at present, is the fifth biggest exporter of Muslim fashion products among members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation after Bangladesh, Turkey, Morocco, and Pakistan. Several established international brands have looked to tap into growing demand for modest and Islamic clothing and footwear, with the likes of Zara, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and H&M all releasing collections targeting the sector. Dolce & Gabbana has a hijab and abaya collection, specifically aimed at Muslim women.
Muslim consumers spend an estimated $230 billion on clothing - more than the combined clothing markets of the UK, Germany and India.
The buzz is that Hennes & Mauritz AB will probably cut dividend for the first time next year as the Swedish clothing retailer struggles to attract shoppers to its stores. The company is expected to reduce its dividend 7.5 per cent for fiscal 2018, according to the average estimate of 27 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. That would be the first cut since H&M shares began trading in 1974.
H&M’s dividend policy is to distribute about half of its profit after taxes to shareholders. By maintaining dividend this year, H&M paid out almost all of its profit from last year. As H&M increases spending on its online platform, it may not have enough cash from operations to maintain such payout levels. Plus, analysts expect the company’s profit to drop about 10 per cent this year.
The company’s return on invested capital is down 38 per cent from the first quarter of 2016 and at the lowest level in 16 years, while its debt level is at a historic high.
Aitor Throup has stepped down as Executive Creative Director, G Star Raw to focus on new challenges through his own, Aitor Throup studio. His exit put an end to his nearly five-year-long collaboration with G Star Raw. Throup has been working for the denim brand as a creative consultant since 2013 but was appointed Executive Creative Director in 2016. He began working full-time for G Star Raw, as he was in charge of the brand's women’s wear and menswear collection in addition to the Raw Research division.
At the time Throup took over the creative reigns from Pierre Morriset, who had worked for the denim label for 27 years. Morriset remained on board as a mentor for the creative division and Throup saw his appointment as a collaborative process between him, Morriset and the other designers. His final collection for the label was shown in spring 2018.
Cambodia expects garment exports this year to grow by three or four per cent. A top garment-making hub, Cambodia is now the sixth fastest-growing economy in the world over the past two decades, with an average GDP growth rate of 7.6 per cent, thanks largely to garment exports.
Around 30 per cent of its garments are destined for the European Union. The country’s growth in the EU market was largely the result of preferential treatment under the Everything But Arms agreement, which allows its garment products to enter the EU market duty-free due to its status on the list of least developed countries.
Last year, minimum monthly wage of workers in Cambodia’s textile and footwear industry was raised by 11 per cent. Cambodia’s new minimum wage is more than double the minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh. The country expects purchasing orders in the garment sector in 2018 to be higher than in 2017.
Cambodia is the fifth biggest supplier of garment and textile products to the European Union. It’s behind China, Bangladesh, Turkey and India. There is a lot of room for progress in the garment sector and many opportunities for the government and buyer companies to work together towards a better future for the industry.
