FW
US based robotic sewing pioneer SoftWear Automation is collaborating with European manufacturers, brands and retailers.
The aim is to encourage production of sewn goods in Europe. The plan will start with T-shirts and create automation capability within European manufacturing. The company then plans to build those capabilities across a wider range of products, including footwear, since Europe has historically been a focal point of footwear.
SoftWear, which launched in 2012, aims to change the current inefficient market environment by creating autonomous sewn goods work lines for home goods, footwear and automotive sectors. With its patented fully automated sewbots disruptive technology, the company aims at geographically shortening the distance between manufacturer and consumer by utilising the benefits of disruptive technologies.
Sewbots use a combination of patented high-speed computer vision and lightweight robotics to steer fabric to and through the needle with greater speed and accuracy than a human. Using sewbot work lines customers are expected to be able to increase productivity while decreasing their overall defect rate.
The company’s newest sewbot work line is available for global pre-order. The patented sewbot pick-place-sew automation has been expanded to fully-automated shoe uppers.
The fundamental problem in the fashion retail industry today is the wrong product at the wrong time and an oversupply of it. Localised manufacturing has to enter the strategic capability.
The Government of Pakistan has allocated Rs 1,500 million in Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for some on-going and four new schemes. The Pakistan Government has assigned Rs 100 million for establishing an Institute of Fashion and Design in Karachi. The institute will develop and promote the country’s fashion sector and attract investment.
The government has also allocated close to Rs 280.437 million for schemes of the Textile Industry Division in order to promote the country’s textile sector. The Karachi expo centre will also be remodeled and expand as the government has assigned Rs 500 million for it. Additionally, Rs 700 million has been earmarked for setting up an expo centre in Peshawar, according to Pakistani media reports.
Over a thousand stitching units will also be established in the country at a cost of Rs 154 million. About Rs 18 million will be spent on the Faisalabad garment city training projects. The government has also allocated Rs 58 million for standardising the system of producing high quality and clean cotton.
Nilit is a leading manufacturer of high-quality nylon 6.6 fibers. The company operates globally, with manufacturing operations and marketing offices in key regions such as Europe, USA, Turkey, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and China. Renowned brands incorporate the innovative fibers in their collections.
Nilit nylon 6.6 fibers are inherently softer, sturdier, more durable, moisture absorbent and resist odor better than other synthetic fibers, making them perfect for active wear, athleisure and casual sportswear.
Nilit performance yarns are engineered to deliver the added value and functionality that athletes need. Nilit Breeze has a cooling effect for enhanced comfort in warm environments. Nilit Heat keeps one warm in cold conditions or during cool downs, while Nilit Aquarius keeps one dry when sweating. Nilit Innergy has been developed to stimulate blood circulation, energise cells and reduce the development of cellulite.
Functional fibers made from Nilit Fiber’s special high quality nylon 6.6 deliver measurable results when it comes to performance, comfort, and well being. The fibers have energizing, cooling, warming and moisture-transporting properties.
Nilit is based in Israel. It is known its brands Sensil and Sensil Breeze. The secret is in polymer and yarn production. Nilit does not finish its fibers and yarns but integrates mineral micro particles before the fiber is even spun.
Sri Lanka’s apparel exports grew 4.1 per cent during the first quarter of this year. Apparel exports to the European Union grew by 5.2 per cent year on year while exports to the United States grew by 5.1 per cent year on year.
However, exports to the EU slowed down during March, recording only a marginal growth of 0.5 per cent year on year. In contrast, apparel exports to the United States grew significantly by 17.7 per cent year on year.
The trade dispute between the US and China is helping somewhat Sri Lankan apparel exports to the US.
Both apparel and textile exports during the first quarter of 2018 grew by four per cent year on year.
The country has targeted to achieve 5.5 billion dollars in apparel exports this year with a minimum ten per cent growth in exports to the EU countries. However there’s a concern on the European markets due to the weather conditions. Because of the long winter in Europe, the retail sector has 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.
Future Group owned firm Future Retail as part of its joint venture (JV) with Oman based Khimji Ramdas (KR) Group has incorporated a new firm "Future Retail LLC" to foray into the Oman and other Middle East markets.
The firm will open around six FBB fashion outlets in the Middle East during the current financial year. In all, the JV company plans to open around 18 exclusive FBB stores in the Middle East over the next few years with a total investment of Rs 150 crore (approx $ 22.5 million).
Future Group’s value fashion brand FBB also plans to enter the top ten performing global fashion brands in the 2019 financial year with its international expansion.
With the advent of Rohan Batra, Managing Director of Mumbai-headquartered Cravatex Brands, which has the license to sell Fila products in India, fortunes are turning in the company’s favour.
Fila saw sedated growth compared to its much illustrated contemporaries like Adidas and Puma.
In 2014, Fila devised a new strategy by looking at the product mix, closed down outlets that were adding no value to the brand experience, exiting some of the footwear categories, created a design department that was edgy, and adding a lot of global products that were not available earlier in the country.
This has resulted in doubling of the average maximum retail price, increase in average margin delivery, improved profits and modernised products
Fila is present in India since 1970s
Russia plans to allocate up to 250 million dollars in the design and production of nonwovens and technical textiles for the needs of the Russian military forces during the next several years.
The majority of funding for the project will be provided from the Russian military budget. Most of the funds will be invested in the design of special materials, based on technical textiles, which will be used in the production of military uniform clothing and other military equipage for Russian soldiers, including those who are currently deployed in Syria and other Middle Eastern states.
The enterprises that will participate in the project are Russia’s largest producers of technical textiles and nonwovens, which have previously supplied their products to Western markets, European, in particular.
The project also involves acceleration of R&D activities in the industry, involving some of Russia’s leading research institutions in the field of technical textiles and nonwovens as well as the country’s leading technical universities.
In recent years, Russian military and defense has become one of the largest consumers of nonwovens and technical textiles in Russia. This has provided a significant impetus for the industry and created conditions for its further growth.
When denim is worn out, consumers tend to dump old clothes but now denim makers have a new way of reusing used denim. The Blue Jeans Go Green denim recycling programme gives new purpose to old denim. Roian Atwood, Director – Sustainability, Wrangler points out that in 2017, the company contributed more than 43,000 pounds of denim, which produced over 80,000 sq. ft of insulation. In 2006, Cotton Incorporated started the program to help divert denim from landfills. Since then, more than two million pieces including jeans, shorts, skirts, jackets, dresses, and shirts, have been collected and turned into housing insulation.
UltraTouch Denim Insulation is created through a partnership with Bonded Logic Inc. To create this insulation, denim garments are collected. Zippers, buttons and embellishments are removed. The denim is returned to its natural cotton fibre state and then it’s upcycled into denim insulation. So far, more than 4 million sqft of insulation has been manufactured from the Blue Jeans Go Green programme. With this initiative, more than 1,000 tons of denim garments have been kept from being sent to landfills. Looking at the success rate, big giants such as Holt Renfrew, Madewell, Rag & Bone, and J. Crew, have also partnered with the move. At each store, when used denim is dropped, the customer receives a dollar or a percentage towards buying something new from the denim range. So far, Madewell alone has collected close to 300,000 pairs of jeans, and as a result more than 300 Habitat for Humanity homes have been built with insulation made from the pre-worn denim. The homes were built in cities that included New Orleans, Charleston, and Los Angeles.
Wrangler is the recent partner to the program. Currently, the company collects denim scraps, material and products from its internal manufacturing, product development and distribution centres. Atwood observes if customers want to mail in their old denim to headquarters, the company will include it in its recycling programme. In 2018, Wrangler is working together with the Blue Jeans Go Green programme to provide 130,000 sqft of the sustainable denim insulation to All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response for its rebuild effort after Hurricane Harvey.
Upcycling & recycling
The Cotton Council International (CCI) and Cotton Incorporated Global Environment Survey, revealed about three out of four consumers or more say they recycle (82 per cent), use refillable bottles (74 per cent) and purchase energy-saving appliances (72 per cent) in an effort to protect the environment. That’s followed by consumers who say they limit home water usage (69 per cent), recycle clothing or textiles (65 per cent), purchase local made products (62 per cent), and reduce overall consumption (55 per cent).
Besides retailers and manufacturers, Cotton Incorporated’s Blue Jeans Go Green programme has partnered nearly 60 colleges and universities across the country and collected more than 200,000 pieces of denim along the way. Atwood says the company is excited for the possibilities of engaging consumers in the programme. The company has already been insulating homes in Lumberton, NC, post-Hurricane Matthew, and All Hands has already been using the denim insulation for houses and schools in northeast Houston.
VF Corporation is approaching sustainability from the ground up.
It is making progress in ethical sourcing in its supply chains. VF set up the Responsible Down Standard for the treatment of ducks and geese with the non-profit organisation Textile Exchange and works in accordance with the Paris Agreement on climate change, which aims to keep a global temperature rise to less than 2ºC.
Its sustainability strategy, Made for Change, consists of three main pillars: transitioning to a circular economy and business model whereby resources are reused in a cycle rather than disposing of them – for example, recycling fabric from old products to create new garments, using its scale to drive wider industry change, and empowering consumers to live more sustainable lifestyles.
VF is committed to training designers in circular economy principles by 2020, and to a ten per cent increase in quantity of product that it collects through its payback program in The North Face and Timberland stores in the same time period. This scheme encourages shoppers to recycle their old clothing or shoes at in-store drop-off points. So far 4,700 kg of clothes have been recycled via The North Face stores.
Sustainability is becoming a business strategy, an urgent and pressing priority for brands and for the industry. They need to stay relevant to consumers and be competitive in an increasingly eco-conscious market.
MEIS rates on handicraft products have been raised from five to seven per cent. These include attars, candles, jewelry boxes, wooden frames, statues, handmade paper, handmade lace, shawls, scarves, kohlapuri slippers, bangles, glass art ware, articles of brass, aluminium etc. The move will help handicraft exporters recover some of the input costs involved in production of handicrafts and would also encourage them to have competitive pricing and increase their share in exports.
Indian handicrafts exports declined 6.05 per cent in 2017-18. The textile and handicrafts industry constitutes an important segment of the Indian economy. It is one of the largest employment generators after agriculture. The sector employs about seven million people. The sector is strategic from the point of view of low capital investment, high ratio of value addition, and high potential for export and foreign exchange earnings for the country.
It is estimated that out of the total number of persons employed in handlooms, handicrafts, and sericulture, about 50 per cent are women. There are more women in the household industry than in the registered small scale or cottage units. However, in the organised sector, the percentage of women workers is extremely low, with the exception being garmenting.
