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India’s exports of leather and footwear in the last fiscal year were 0.85 per cent lower than the previous year’s. This is the third year in the last five years when the growth rate of leather and footwear industry has fallen. One reason is falling demand for leather in the apparel and footwear industries of Europe and China. Another reason is the downward trend of using leather made apparels in the fashion industry. Also synthetic footwear has emerged as an alternative to leather products. Due to awareness about global warming and better scope of designs in synthetic products, many countries, including China, have aggressively changed their preferences from leather to synthetic.
However, exports of footwear can still find hope as the demand for footwear, the value-added product of leather, is still prominent. Indian leather industry has many competitive advantages as the country has an abundant source of raw materials.
Leather is among the top ten foreign exchange earners for the country. Around 12.9 per cent of the world’s leather production of hides and skins, and nine per cent of the global footwear production, takes place in India. Twenty per cent of the world’s cattle and buffalo, and 11 per cent of the world’s goat and sheep population, are found in India.
Chinese companies can buy US cotton, corn, sorghum and pork without having to pay the 25 per cent retaliatory duty. The move follows the approval of some three million tons of US soybeans for purchase with tariff waivers. There could be a second round of exemptions depending on how the trade talks progress.
Some companies are willing to buy US farm products in line with domestic demand and their purchases are made on their own decisions. Even with tariffs in place, the US sold about 64,000 tons of cotton in May. Were it not for the tariffs, the US could have been in a strong position to cater to the demand.
The US cotton industry enjoyed a 46 per cent share of all imports going into China. But that changed when China issued a 25 per cent tariff on US cotton in retaliation for tariffs placed on Chinese goods by the US. However China is still seen as a key market for US cotton and the US will promote the benefits of its cotton. Chinese mills like US cotton for its quality, its consistency and its low contamination. China is the US’ most efficient market to ship to in the world so it keeps costs down.
"As per the Fashion Transparency Index, launched in 2017, fashion brands are finally waking up to the environmental demands of their consumers. These brands that include noted names such as H&M, Adidas, Reebok and Patagonia are embracing sustainability as an operational and marketing strategy to remove negative impact of their operations on the environment."
As per the Fashion Transparency Index, launched in 2017, fashion brands are finally waking up to the environmental demands of their consumers. These brands that include noted names such as H&M, Adidas, Reebok and Patagonia are embracing sustainability as an operational and marketing strategy to remove negative impact of their operations on the environment.
H&M, one of the Fashion Transparency Index leaders, harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce waste, increase customer-focus and successfully embed sustainability into their operations without compromising on the score a significant victory for sustainability within the ecommerce arena.
Brands like H&M realise when customers shop online, they face many other challenges that include the inability
to try these clothes on. So they either have to return a garment if it doesn’t fit them or buy multiple sizes and styles. This not only proves costly for them but also has a significant impact on the environment as the transport of these goods back and forth releases a significant amount of CO2 in the environment.
Brands can therefore significantly reduce this impact on the environment by harnessing the power of AI. Outdoor recreational retailer Moosejaw, for example, has used this approach to cut its returns rate as a result of size sampling by nearly a quarter.
AI increase customer focus, prevents overproduction
Ditching the traditional ‘push’ model, brands are now analysing a wide range of data points such as weather forecasts, social media trends, local demographics and body shapes. This is resulting in increased customer focus, higher sales conversions, fewer markdowns, inventory levels better matched to demand, better management of resources and less waste going to landfill.
The use of AI in this new model enables retailers to better understand their customers’ shopping behaviour and product preference thereby reducing the chance of overproducing inventory and optimising product development, design and sourcing.
Making sustainability inherent to their operations
Unlike their earlier counterparts, newer fashion brands are making sustainability inherent in their operations. For instance, footwear brand TOMS donates a pair of shoes to a disadvantaged child for every pair that it sells. So far, TOMS has given away 86 million pairs. It also offers shoes made from vegan, sustainable materials, such as hemp, organic cotton and recycled polyester. H&M also has its Conscious Exclusive collection, designed to reduce waste and made from sustainable, eco-friendly materials such as pineapple leaves, orange peel and algae.
This spotlight on sustainability in the fashion industry is likely to intensity in the future with brands increasingly waking up to its commercial benefits. Emergence of new data and artificial intelligence also enables these brands to understand their customers exact requirements thereby minimising wastes.
Functional Fabric Fair New York was held from July 22 to 23, 2019. The event hosted 1,866 apparel industry professionals from 22 countries to preview the latest trends and source high performance functional fabrics and accessories from more than 130 regionally diverse and hand-selected textile manufacturers. Attending industry professionals represented market leaders, up-and-coming designers, apparel manufacturing veterans and mass merchandisers such as Alexander Wang, Macy’s, Michael Kors, New Balance and Perry Ellis. More than 130 textile manufacturers, suppliers and service providers presented their latest developments in functional fabrics, membranes plus treatments, laminates, paddings, finishes, and accessories such as yarns, tapes, prints, buttons and zippers. A platform spotlighted textile and accessory innovations. Industry leaders presented 13 complimentary workshops in a series of educational programs on the latest trends, sustainability and technological advances.
Functional Fabric Fair was launched last year by Performance Days. This is a trade-exclusive event showcasing the latest trends in fabric development for the functional textile industry and provides an opportune marketplace in the United States for the sourcing of high performance functional fabrics and accessories. The fair is open to verified designers, product, purchasing or material managers looking to source fabrics and accessories for sportswear, work wear, sportive fashion and athleisure apparel.
Lectra has acquired Retviews to help its customers to quickly enter the era of Industry 4.0. Thanks to artificial intelligence algorithms, Retviews' enables brands to make the best decisions at every moment throughout the life cycle of a product, in order to optimise their collections. The brand will collaborate with Lectra to develop its technology and market its solution to its fashion customers worldwide.
The transaction involves the acquisition of 70 per cent of Retviews for €8 million today. The acquisition of the remainder of capital and voting rights will take place in three times in July 2020, July 2021 and July 2022for amounts of about 0.9 times 2020 revenues, 0.7 times 2021 revenues and 0.5 times 2022 revenues, respectively. These amounts will come from Lectra's available cash, with no financing from the bank.
A delegation from Indian leather companies are scouting for opportunities in the Kenyan leather sector. According to the Industrialisation Principal Secretary (PS), Betty Maina, the leather sector in Kenya contributes 0.3 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the partnership with India will try to improve the sector’s output.
The focus of this partnership is to increase leather, textile and apparel and the government feels it can collaborate with India to reduce the trade imbalance which is skewed in favour of India.
The Principal Secretaries (PSs) will soon organise a workshop to propose policies on the revitalisation of manufacturing with leather and footwear being some of the priority areas. The government will also create a market for local leather industry by ensuring that all footwear for the disciplined forces and the police is exclusively bought from local manufacturers.
Global fashion accessories market is projected to grow at 6.5 per cent during the forecast period 2018 to 2023. Growing preference for convenience, along with rising popularity of online retail stores, is driving the demand for fashion accessories across the globe. Growing demand for apparel and eyewear products along with growing influence of promotional strategies by e-commerce players especially during festival season is supporting the market growth from last few years.
Additionally, plant-derived products help to reduce dependence on animal based fashion accessory products. This factor is likely to change the fashion accessories market dynamics in upcoming years. Significant rise in influence of social media and fashion blogs that are communicating the benefits of various fashion accessories is likely to influence sales of fashion accessories. Moreover, easy availability and affordability of fashion accessories are influencing the sales of products such as apparel, footwear, handbags, and eyewear. Continuous improvement in distribution strategy by key players especially in distribution structure, available resources, inventory turns, order filling techniques, etc. are expected to drive the market growth during the forecast period.
There is an increasing demand of different fashion accessories such as eyewear, footwear, handbags etc. owing to the rising consumer preference towards high quality and branded fashion accessories across the globe. Major players in fashion accessories market have been acquiring emerging players in the market to expand consumer base who are progressively passionate about adopting latest fashion trends. For example, in 2011, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton acquired Heng Long, a Singapore-based crocodile tanning company. Two years later, in 2013, Chanel bought a lamb hide tannery, France-based tannery Bodin-Joyeux, which had long been responsible for providing the iconic design house with a portion of its leather fashion products.
Fabrics for business and casual shirts can be produced on the Karl Mayer HKS 3-M high-speed tricot machine in a gauge of E 28. A fine polyester yarn is processed by ground guide bar GB 1 to form a tricot lapping and the GB 3 produces a 2 x 1 lapping with a thicker polyester yarn. With a partial weft lapping made from cotton in-between, the GB 2 is responsible for producing a soft, silky feel.
Also jackets can be manufactured from a fabric produced on an HKS 3-M in a gauge of E 28. The stretch is perfect for producing comfortable jacket fabrics. Textured yarns and the fabric construction also make another contribution to elasticity. This construction produces an unusual elastic recovery behavior for warp-knitted textiles not containing elastane and has already been used successfully to produce tracksuits.
Warp-knitted textiles with a woven look are conquering the world of men’s fashion. Jackets, trousers and shirts made from these practical fabrics are often mistaken for woven products, but they offer better easy-care and performance properties. Warp-knitted fabrics are crease-resistant and machine washable and they dry quickly. By using clever patterning and selected yarns, they can also be made up into items with comfort stretch, which deliver freedom of movement and a perfect fit.
Levi recently launched Future Finish, the first online customisation platform that offers next level personalisation through the use of laser finishing. With over 3,000 possible permutations, consumers can make a true original.
To start, consumers can choose their favorite iconic Levi’s fit—the 501 Original and 502 Taper for men, or the 501 Short and 721 Skinny for women—in a light or dark denim wash. Throughout the process, they can select from three different tints (midnight, black or rose), six patterns like natural worn, bandana, logo, camo or leopard, and then add wear through rips or distressing. Consumers can also swap the leather back patch of their jeans with six different color options.
Future Finish garments retail for $98-$148. The customised jeans are made at and shipped from Levi’s Sky Harbor Agility Center in Henderson, Nev. to consumers within 3-5 days of being designed.
Created in Levi’s Eureka Innovation Lab, Future Finish garments utilize the capabilities born out of Project F.L.X., Levi’s digital finishing operating model. Launched in early 2018, Project F.L.X. automates the jeans finishing process through laser-powered technology, allowing the company to reduce time to market and eliminate thousands of chemical formulations from the finishing process. Roughly 25 percent of the Levi’s denim bottoms business on a global basis is finished with its F.L.X. technology.
Additionally, all Future Finish garments will be produced with 100 percent recycled water. The resulting product is one with a reduced environmental impact and a one-of-a-kind look.
European Union plans to imports retaliatory tariffs worth $39.1 billion on US goods entering the bloc’s member states. These tariffs would be imposed by November 2019. The timing is a direct response to President Trump’s claim in May that some imported vehicles and parts posed a national security threat, giving him reason to put a 25 percent tax on cars from the E.U. However, a final decision was put off for six months, which is expected to end around mid-November.
Car taxes aren’t the only battle between them. The two have an ongoing dispute over subsidies connected to EU firm Airbus and American firm Boeing. The U.S. plans to impose about $7 billion in levies on imports from the region as soon as a World Trade Organisation arbitrator issues his decision on damages. That decision is expected before the end of this summer, although it could be delayed by a few weeks.
The U.S. in April disclosed an initial list of proposed categories that could face tariffs, such as handbags over $20; sweaters and vests from wool and cashmere from Kashmir goats, as well as apparel items such as men’s and boys’ suits. When the U.S. tariffs are imposed, the E.U. in turn is expected to face retaliatory duties on $22 billion worth of U.S. goods imported to the member states.
