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Knitwear exporters in the Tirupur cluster are disappointed over the inadequate allocation of funds in the union budget for Rebate of State Levies (ROSL) for garment exports, a key scheme introduced on September 20, 2016. The allocation is not seen as enough since total apparel exports from the country between October 1, 2016, and March 31 this year was around Rs 53,000 crores and an average rebate of three per cent would itself work out to Rs 1,590 crores. Added to that, made-up articles have also been included now to avail of the benefits under the ROSL scheme.
Similarly, they are concerned over the lack of thrust given to adequately fund the Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana, a scheme that was envisaged during 2016-17 financial year to incentivise employers for generating employment. At the same time, industrialists and technocrats are cheerful over the focus given in the budget to enhance the viability of micro, small and medium-scale enterprises and start-up ventures by giving sops like income tax reduction and exemptions.
For micro, small and medium enterprises, the budget proposes to reduce the income tax slab from 30 per cent to 25 per cent for annual turnover up to Rs 50 crores. This move is expected to make the Tirupur cluster, which is predominantly made up of medium and small units, vibrant.
Texworld Paris will take place from February 6 to 9, 2017. The show will see 730 exhibitors, all of whom are weavers. Among them, for are weavers from Egypt, a country specialized in cotton fabric production. Most exhibitors are from China, followed by Turkey (87 exhibitors) and Korea with 71 exhibitors. India too participates with 53 exhibitors, while Taiwan has 26 and Pakistan has 19 companies.
A series of lectures about latest developments in the sector, news from exhibitors, catwalk shows and the Trends Forum area will be offering a varied and imaginative program, fueling visitors with new ideas and inspiration for their work. Elite, the segment dedicated to customized solutions, will present its second show hosting 21 exhibitors. The majority will present specialist offers adapted for European markets.
The show will also host the third edition of Frankfurtstyleaward, an international fashion competition that has been promoting young designers since 2007. Simultaneously other shows will also take place – Apparel Sourcing and Avantex. Apparel Sourcing will offer a variety of solutions for clothing and accessories production. It will host more than 300 exhibitors from China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Myanmar and Guatemala.
Avantex will present a selection of innovative textiles and materials. These include an instant dyeing machine for embroidery and robotic mannequins to be employed for pattern making.
MAS has become the first company from Sri Lanka to join the ZDHC program. ZDHC is aiming to achieve zero discharge of hazardous chemicals in the textile and footwear value chain. The new partnership makes way for both MAS and ZDHC to create a positive impact across the group’s value chain and is aligned with the company’s own sustainability plan which includes an ambitious internal goal to reduce hazardous chemical use in its manufacturing processes, products and its own supply chain by 2025.
MAS is one of the world’s most recognized design-to-delivery solution providers in the realm of apparel and textile manufacturing. It has 50 manufacturing facilities across 15 countries, and design locations in key style centers across the globe. Over 88,000 people are involved in its operation.
The group has expanded its product portfolio to bras, shape wear, performance wear, sleepwear, swimwear and active wear as well as its own fabric supply chain. The customer portfolio includes brands such as Victoria's Secret, Nike, Lululemon, Calvin Klein, Marks & Spencer, Patagonia, Speedo and others.
MAS Holdings is driving a culture of sustainability among its workforce, 70 per cent of whom are women. Now the apparel conglomerate is broadening its mandate by seeking out greater collaboration on projects that will position Sri Lanka as a hub for sustainable manufacturing.
American sportswear brands are beginning to experiment with manufacturing at home. What they do is limited run collections that test both the process and the prices that customers are willing to pay for domestic goods. Often, the manufacturing processes that are being utilized in the US are new technologies that aim to disrupt decades-old processes. Disruptive because the broader sports industry still makes a vast majority of goods abroad, mostly Asian nations. Local manufacturing is seen as competitive as it allows products to be made at a tighter timeline and for a local audience. The aim is to bring jobs back to America and to tighten American brands’ supply chains around the world.
Under Armour is one such brand. It’s the second largest sports brand in the US. It’s committed to designing and manufacturing apparel and footwear out of a 35,000-sq. ft. facility that opened last year.
Under Armour isn't the only sports brand that is experimenting with US-made processes. Adidas plans to build a 74,000 sq. ft. production factory that would focus on running footwear. It is expected to be fully functional in the second half of 2017 with an initial targeted production of 50,000 pairs of shoes this year. Reebok is also bringing some manufacturing capabilities to the US. It plans to open a manufacturing lab that relies on futuristic liquid material and 3D drawing.
The Kenyan garment sector remains relatively small, with just 40,000 workers. But if the African Development Bank gets its way, this is set to change. In 2015, it launched an online business platform designed to boost small businesses in the fashion and textile industry. The bank believes the sector could generate 4,00,000 jobs in sub-Saharan Africa by 2025.
In Kenya, like many other African countries, the domestic textile industry has suffered because of the race to the bottom by global brands seeking out low-cost labor. Most artisans are trapped in domestic markets without links to international trade. Now some companies are trying to challenge this norm by sourcing artisans from marginalised communities to produce their fashion lines. There are initiatives that connect Kenyan artisans to luxury brands such as Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney in a bid to pull high fashion houses away from mass production factories.
Community groups, recruited from existing networks like self-help and women’s groups, produce 1,00,000 units a year, mostly bags and accessories. A portion of the profits will be reinvested into further training, as well as providing support to families, for instance, through improved childcare facilities.
There is another initiative which enlists established western designers with an existing client base to come up with designs for traditional artisans in Kenya to produce. The hope is this will ensure a sustainable market.
Italian producers of knitting yarns are seeking new clients and new markets on the strength of craftsmanship, creativity and innovation. Over the past few years, the high-end market segment has been penalized by Russia’s difficulties and China’s consumption crunch.
In 2016 turnover for Italy’s yarn industry was down largely due to a drop in exports while imports grew. A decrease in exports is predicted for 2017. Fashion trends do not favor knitwear and the US is not doing well in the retail sector. Some customers have been wiped out by recession. Others are having a hard time and have reduced orders.
So luxury companies have repositioned themselves in a slightly lower segment. Fancy yarns are an increasing focus for Cariaggi, which specializes in high-end carded and combed yarn. Lineapiu has presented a yarn mixing paper and polyamide fiber, providing an organdy effect that recalls Japanese washi paper, used in origami. This type of yarn is seen as broadening opportunities for the fashion industry. Lineapiu will launch 3D fashion components to recoup in 2017 the loss suffered in the US last year.
For Pecci Filati exports are 65 per cent of its turnover. The company launched a new brand Filati Naturali two years ago.
Dutch denim brand G-Star Raw is using Bluesign components in its collection, from zippers and rivets to labels and linings. Bluesign is a sustainable technology provider. G-Star Raw will launch Bluesign products this year. Components will be sourced from Bluesign-approved suppliers and produced according to Bluesign criteria. G-Star has already introduced the fabric into its supply chain.
In 2017, G-Star also plans to begin launching a new sustainable production innovation every other year. The innovations will be based on either materials or washing levels—steps that will help close the loop in denim. In 2013, G-Star was the first denim brand to join Bluesign and allowed the sustainability solutions provider to set the standard for responsible chemical use. In 2015, the brand partnered Calik, the first Bluesign denim mill. One year later, G-Star and Calik debuted the first Bluesign-approved denim fabrics, which are in the market now.
G-Star combines Bluesign’s chemical use guidelines with support from the ZDHC Foundation and its own individual action plan, which entails a team of technical engineers working with G-Star’s 28 key suppliers (50 per cent have been partners for over ten years) to clean up their chemistry. The brand sees this as a challenge to detox its denim processes and the industry.
Copenhagen Fashion Week is being held from January 31 to February 3. The two big fashion fairs, CIFF and Revolver, are running from February 1 to 3. CIFF is holding its biggest fair to date, peppered with a promising line-up of brands and agencies and a comprehensive program of special projects and collaborations, including installations. CIFF is also hosting a roster of fashion shows by Danish designers.
The show’s Raven and Raven Projects area houses a selection of global menswear, with highlights such as Cottweiler, Phire Wire, Xander Zhou and Axel Arigato. Japanese retailers have brought several brands to the show and Los Angeles-based street wear brand 424 is displaying a collaborative collection including clothing, but also candles, perfumes, posters, bags and tools.
Revolver is presenting a variety of new brands this season, including Swedish brands, Kings of Indigo from the Netherlands and four new Danish brands. These will join Scandinavian favorites such as Soulland, Saks Potts, Whyred and Mads Norgaard Copenhagen. For the second time, Revolver is hosting a mini-edition of White Milan. White Inside Revolver presents a selection of Italian brands including names such as PDR Phisique du Role, Corelate, Nine In The Morning, OOF, Delirious, Virginia Bizzi, Aalto, Sides Wow and Oc Lab.
World cotton output is expected to rise by two per cent in 2017-18, International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) in its first estimate of the 2017-18 crop. The growth is the result of an increase in planted area, which is expected to grow by five per cent after two seasons of contraction. But after improving by 13 per cent in 2016-17, the world average yield is projected to decline by two per cent.
In 2016-17, the cotton area in India, the largest cotton-producing country, fell by 12 per cent due to competition from food crops. However, the average yield recovered by 16 per cent and production in 2016-17 is estimated to rise by two per cent. In 2017-18, India’s area is forecast to recover by seven per cent as firm domestic cotton prices and less attractive prices for competing crops attract more farmers to cotton.
Cotton area in China has declined for five consecutive seasons. However, output has not fallen as quickly due to the fact that the share of cotton grown in Xinjiang, which has higher yields than other producing regions in China, has increased considerably. In 2017-18, China’s cotton area may expand by three per cent. Following a season of higher than expected yields and firm cotton prices, cotton area in the United States is expected to expand by 10 per cent in 2017-18.
Apparel Textile Sourcing Canada (ATSC), will be held in Canada from August 21 to 23, 2017. This is the first Canadian trade show to be launched by an online B2B trade platform and is also the largest being held in the country. This is the second year of the show. The 2016 show had more than 200 booths of merchandise and more than 1800 attendees. Canadia’s import of clothing, textile and footwear touched an all-time high in 2016 at CAD$2.1 billion. With positive business sentiment, ATSC has increased 50 per cent exhibit space at Toronto’s International Centre for this year’s show.
The event connects Canada to the world players. It attracts to Canada hundreds of apparel and textile manufacturers from around the world including China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the US, the UK, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and more. Through an impressive platform of seminars and sessions, attendees can make global industry connections, and gain the insights needed to navigate the international sourcing process.
New for 2017 will be a leading-edge trends showcase featuring the latest and greatest in apparel and textiles and a high-profile roster of international speakers. A fashion show and design contest will also be held, featuring items available to be sourced at the event, as well as fashions from local designers and students.
The growth of the Canadian market and its unique business opportunities are attractive to Chinese manufacturers. An increased number of high-quality Chinese producers will be seen at the 2017 show.
