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Sending a message to the global market that Sri Lanka is gearing up to become a top fabric destination, the country’s fabric industry is positioning itself to emerge from the shadow of the apparel industry.
The industry’s repositioning comes in the backdrop of knitted fabrics manufacturer Textured Jersey – Sri Lanka’s only multinational mill – becoming the largest textile manufacturer in the region, post-acquisition of Quenby Lanka Prints and Ocean India as its subsidiaries in 2015.
According to Textured Jersey Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne, today the fabric industry in Sri Lanka is bigger than some of the historical big local industries and is ahead of other key industries. TJL Group is presently the only one of its kind of this scale and sophistication in South Asia and has set its sights set on becoming a $ 300 million business by 2020.
Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) says there has been a drastic downfall of 14.4 per cent in exports of the country since July 2015 whereas exports of the competing country Bangladesh has increased by 8 per cent in the same period. Pakistan’s total exports declined to $12.087 billion in the first seven months of the current fiscal year (Jul-Jan) 2015-16 from $14.115 billion during the same period last year. According to a member of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), the government without perceiving the significance of time has wasted seven months of the current fiscal year and is still yet to release the trade policy and the new auto policy.
As per the PTEA statement, 5 per cent of the export revenue gets stuck in present refund regime of which resultantly massive working capital has been stuck up which is the major cause of export decline. Refunds of goods exported 12 months earlier are still outstanding, the statement said.
PTEA also complained for being charged above the settled price for Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG), while describing the terrible state of Punjab based textile industry because of fuel gas deprivation
Kingpins will debut a new show. ‘Why By Kingpins’ alongside their Amsterdam event on April, 13-14, 2016. Focused on branding in the denim industry, the new event will be also organized by Kingpins Shows’ founder Andrew Olah and Kris Dumon. Located at the Transformatorhuis in Amsterdam’s Westerpark, adjacent to and running concurrently with Kingpins Amsterdam, ‘Why By Kingpins’ aims to act as a platform for denim brands and branding companies.
Attendees will find everything from labels and trim to accessories and innovative technologies represented on the show floor. Like Kingpins, ‘Why By Kingpins’ show will offer complementary seminars and panels, catering and an open bar. Attendees and invitees of Kingpins Amsterdam will also be able to attend ‘Why By Kingpins’ show. Kingpins’s is an exclusive denim show that attracts top brands, manufacturers from across the globe to showcase their latest innovations to specially invited guests. The guests include manufactuers, brands, experts select media among others.
In a recent development, 20 companies from Italy’s Prato fashion district pledged their commitment to Greenpeace’s fashion Detox. The district is home to some of Italy’s oldest textile manufacturers and is Italy's most extensive fashion supply chain, exporting 2.5 billion Euros of clothing annually to retailers such as Burberry, Valentine, Armani and Gucci.
This agreement of companies within the Prato district will affect 13,000 tons of yarn and 13 million meters of fabric each year. These companies have already removed several hazardous chemical groups from its production as required by the Detox campaign. These include brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, organotins compounds, and amines associated with azo dyes that can have negative effects on human reproductive systems and cause cancer.
To eliminate the use of all hazardous chemicals from their global supply chain by 2020, Greenpeace Detox campaign demands that fashion brands avoid the use of all hazardous chemicals. Among the companies joining Detox are Miroglio and Inditex as well as major international brands such as Valentino, Adidas, H&M, and Burberry.
Textile Exchange has released the first draft of the ‘Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) for Public Stakeholder Review’ by interested parties. This is an important opportunity for the public to give their input into the standard, and ensure that it meets its goals and delivers value to the wool industry.
The intention of RWS (responsiblewool.org) will be a global benchmark for animal welfare and land management practices in sheep farming. The goals of the standard are to provide the industry with the best possible tool to recognize the best practices of farmers around the globe, ensure wool comes from responsibly treated sheep and from farms with a progressive approach to managing their land, drive understanding and adoption of best land management principles and practices and provide a robust chain of custody system from farm to final product to ensure consumer confidence in RWS products.
To develop the Responsible Wool Standard, Textile Exchange started an International Working Group. The standard has been written through an open, multi-stakeholder process, with representation from a broad spectrum of interested parties, including animal welfare groups, farmers, wool suppliers, and brands and supply industry associations, covering both apparel and home categories.
Surat is planning to enter production and export of western wear. Saris and dress materials worth Rs 110 crores are traded at the textile wholesale markets in Surat on a daily basis. But it is felt Indian or ethnic garments have a market only in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. So textile entrepreneurs want to grab the opportunity and manufacture western outfits and increase garment exports across the globe.
Surat is the country's biggest man-made fabric hub. The polyester fabric hub employs over 10 lakh workers. If textile entrepreneurs set up western outfit manufacturing unit, the employment in the textile industry is expected to rise from 10 to 20 lakh.
Right now there are just a few players in the textile industry manufacturing western kurtis and leggings. Most textile players make Indian outfits including saris, chudidars, lehengas, Punjabi dresses, etc. Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad have been manufacturing western and indo-western outfits for the domestic and export markets. Most western outfits are exported to UAE, the US and Europe.
Under the Trans Pacific Partnership, Vietnamese companies won’t have to pay tax when exporting products to the US. Vietnamese textile and garment products now have an import tariff of 17 per cent on an average when entering the US market. However, there is a feeling that it is not Vietnamese enterprises, but US importers which will get benefits, because US importers have to pay the tax.
The question being raised is whether US importers would pay more for the products of Vietnamese exporters and if so whether they would share benefits to be brought by TPP with Vietnamese enterprises. The opinion is that US importers will take full advantage of TPP to optimise their profits. However, in an indirect way, there will be benefits to Vietnamese enterprises, because US importers would get higher profits thanks to TPP, and therefore, would place bigger orders with Vietnamese enterprises.
Once demand increases, and Vietnamese supply is limited, US importers will have to offer higher prices to scramble for contracts with Vietnamese enterprises. Meanwhile, it has been estimated that 70 per cent of Vietnam’s textile and garment export turnover is from foreign invested enterprises. Vietnam exported $23 billion worth of textile and garment products in 2015, while only $7 billion went to Vietnamese enterprises’ pockets.
A slide in China’s exports in January was eclipsed by an even bigger tumble in imports, leaving a record trade surplus for the world’s biggest trading nation. Shipments from China declined 11.2 per cent in January in US dollar terms from a year earlier and compared with a 1.4 per cent drop in December. Imports extended a stretch of decline to 15 months, tumbling 18.8 per cent.
The yuan surged the most in more than a decade. The slide in exports suggests the yuan’s depreciation since August has yet to result in a sustained boost to the competitiveness of China's factories. China's economy continues to give mixed signals. While areas like consumption and services show signs of holding up, the manufacturing sector remains in the doldrums. Retail sales over the spring festival holiday rose 11.2 per cent from the same vacation period a year earlier, with cinemas posting sharp increases in box-office sales.
If China wants to deliver a 6.5 to 7 per cent growth target this year it has to rely on domestic demand. Exports are likely to grow zero per cent this year and property investment by zero to five per cent. The country needs to come out with a bigger infrastructure package to invest.
Apparel Industry Suppliers Exhibition (AISEX) will take place in Sri Lanka, June 10 to 12, 2016. AISEX aims at sharpening the manufacturers’ hunger for technological innovations in the apparel industry and providing the garment industry with the complete solutions necessary to forge ahead in Sri Lanka.
It will bring together suppliers and service organizations under one roof and focus on a wide range of textile machinery, accessories and services from many parts of the world. The exhibition will generate new opportunities closer to home, within the South Asian region. AISEX 2016 will encourage suppliers and service organisations to showcase their latest products for apparel manufacturers. The networking taking place during this exhibition will also help build global relationships between such parties.
Exhibiting companies will be from material flow, quality control, model and cutting preparation, cutting room, fusing, stitching, joining and fastening technology, product processing, distribution logistics, energy and air-conditioning, information media, fabric and yarn, and support services like insurance companies and banks, freight forwarders, courier companies and shipping companies.
Readymade garments are Sri Lanka’s biggest export products. However, the region’s investment in technological development and R&D is rather low, and in the face of increasing global competition, the apparel industry is in need of sustainable solutions to meet its technology needs.
Intermoda was held in Mexico from January 19 to 22, 2016. This fair is regarded as one of the most important and specialised apparel and textile events in Mexico which connects potential buyers. It was supplemented with a fashion extravaganza showcasing the latest fashion trends on colors, textures, fabrics and merchandising.
The event brought together Mexican and international companies, manufacturers, importers and distributors, and was an ideal place for publicising brand image, besides giving one and all the opportunity to analyse competition, step up sales, launch new products, get to know market trends and expand network of business contacts.
India unveiled her apparel and textile export potential at the fair. India's participation was aimed at strengthening bilateral trade and economic cooperation with Mexico, a strategically located Latin American country bound by the United States to the north and Belize and Guatemala to the south-east. Indian brands exhibited apparel, textile, leather garments, fashion accessories, blouses, skirts, evening wear, woolen shawls, tie and dye items, made-ups, fashion jewelry, wooden block printed garments and terracotta items etc.
The fair aims to provide an excellent business opportunity in high potential Mexican markets, which attract a large number of buyers from North America and Latin American regions.
intermoda.com.mx/
