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California will be the first US state to ban sales and manufacture of fur. The bill makes it unlawful to sell, display and distribute for monetary and non-monetary consideration a fur product. The bill also would make it unlawful to manufacture a fur product in the state for sale. The proposed law offers exemptions for the sale of vintage fur as well as fur products used for religious ceremonies. A ban would not regulate skins converted into leather or products such as shearling from domesticated animals. The ban would apply to clothing, handbags, shoes, slippers, hats and key chains that contain fur. Civil penalties might be pursued against those convicted of selling or manufacturing fur products in California.
Fur products are already under scrutiny by the Federal Trade Commission and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Many brands have dropped angora wool from their clothing lines. So far more than 300 major retailers have banned angora. Angora rabbit fur is being used for sweaters, hats, gloves, and more. Angora rabbits have long, soft fur. Most angora comes from rabbits on Chinese factory farms. The rabbits writhe in agony as workers tie them down and rip out their fur. Mohair is another product that involves cruelty.
Apparel exporters have applauded the central government’s decision to continue the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), an incentive scheme to promote exports, till December 31, 2019.The MEIS would provide duty credit scrip to compensate the duty paid by the exporters. The scheme was earlier supposed to be stopped after July 31. But the exporters were worried that it would further deepen crisis in apparel exports which was already facing several challenges including stiff international competition.
If MEIS would have been scrapped, the incentives received by the exporters would have been halved. This would have made it difficult for them to survive in the market.
adidas has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the twentieth time in a row. This year also marks the twentieth edition of the globally recognised indices, which evaluate the sustainability performance of the largest 2,500 companies listed in the Dow Jones Global Total Stock Market Index.
The comprehensive assessment considers factors such as corporate governance, risk management, climate change mitigation, labor and environmental standards both within the company and with its suppliers, as well as innovation management.
In addition to being again included in the indices, adidas was ranked best in its industry in the criteria of Brand Management, Information Security/Cyber Security & System Availability, Environmental Policy & Management Systems, Operational Eco-Efficiency, Social Reporting and Talent Attraction & Retention. adidas continues to become ever more sustainable.
The sporting goods manufacturer is currently pursuing tangible and measurable targets up to 2020. Its key priorities include the use of more sustainable materials for products, tackling water scarcity in manufacturing countries and further improving working conditions in the supply chain. The brand plans to use recycled polyester in each of its product from 2024.
"Old sci-fi fiction which portrayed leading characters in futuristic apparels have widened the imaginative realms of filmmakers by transforming traditional fabrics such as cotton or contemporary synthetic fibers with their "future-y" designs. And recent advances by new designers make the future of this clothing look much more imaginative. While some designers are discovering more sustainable materials to fashion our clothes, others are innovating their designs and styles."
Old sci-fi fiction which portrayed leading characters in futuristic apparels have widened the imaginative realms of filmmakers by transforming traditional fabrics such as cotton or contemporary synthetic fibers with their "future-y" designs. And recent advances by new designers make the future of this clothing look much more imaginative. While some designers are discovering more sustainable materials to fashion our clothes, others are innovating their designs and styles.
Industry leaders experiment with sustainable materials
Around 60 per cent of the clothes that we wear contain plastic microfibers like polyester, nylon and acrylic. However, these microfibers do not remain in our garments for long. They either leach out during the day or are dumped into oceans during the process of laundering. A research published in 2016 notes, millions of kgs of fibers are released into the water supply every year. Textile scientists are experimenting with a range of less environmentally damaging, more sustainable materials derived from naturally occurring sourcing. Some new materials being introduced include:
Pinatex fibers: A leather substitute made from pineapple-leaf fiber, Piñatex is already being used for making
shoes, handbags and dresses. These leaves are discarded during harvesting of the fruit, and so they're readily available with no additional farming necessary.
Mylo fibers: This is a form of synthetic leather made by Bolt Threads, a vegan, eco-friendly material. The company's partnering with fashion brands Stella McCartney and Patagonia in making actual clothing from Mylo.
MycoTEX: MycoTEX is a living materials that can be grown into clothing. Since the material grows into the desired shape without cutting, there's no waste generate when a garment's complete. The most startling thing about MycoTEX is that this living material can be grown into clothing. The garment can be built three-dimensionally and shaped whilst being made, fitting the wearer's wishesusing clothing-shaped molds.
Another smart-tech use being explored for fabrics are materials laced with sensors that can monitor the wearer's health, going far beyond fitness watches to clothes that keep an eye on a wide range of health indicators.
Haptic fabric: Some of the new materials are designed to be helpful. Wearable X specialises in materials that support Haptic feedback, electrical signals that mimic a sense of being touched or of interaction with virtual objects. The company currently sells NADI X yoga garb with embedded haptic feedback that provides training cues. An earlier product put the "fun" in Fundawear by allowing touch to be transmitted from a smartphone to a partner anywhere in the world, "created with long-distance couples in mind."
Brands are delivering on the demand for new, attractive and workable materials that offer a feel-good factor to their consumers. However, we’ll have to wait to see what these clothes will actually look like.
"The centerpiece of fast fashion industry ‘denim’ is also one of the most polluting and water intensive fabrics. The fabric requires copious amounts of water across its production three processes that include growing of the cotton, dyeing and finishing the material, and finally texturising the product. This entire process needs approximately 10,000 liters of water for making a single pair of jeans."
The centerpiece of fast fashion industry ‘denim’ is also one of the most polluting and water intensive fabrics. The fabric requires copious amounts of water across its production three processes that include growing of the cotton, dyeing and finishing the material, and finally texturising the product. This entire process needs approximately 10,000 liters of water for making a single pair of jeans.
The environmental and human costs of making denims is also high as the process uses harmful chemicals to create acid-wash and distressed styles of denims. The exposure to such chemicals and the run-offs of these washes can seep into the local water systems of cotton workers, putting them at health risk. As a solution to this, four European brands have introduced innovative denim making process that enable its consumers to not only live in their denims but also nurture and last them.
Emphasis on reliable craftsmanship
Promoting a new kind of eco denim, Huit Denim Co emphasises on reliable craftsmanship for denim-making.
The company introduced an initiative called ‘The Denim Breaker Club’ which includes making the ‘breakers’ wear the jeans for six months before sending them back to Hiut for giving them one good wash and reselling them, giving the breaker 20 per cent profit. The brand was trying to inspire a more eco-friendly way of owning denim through this initiative.
Denims made with 40 per cent BCI cotton
Known as a trendy yet functional brand, Ullac was established in 2017. The brand advocates gender neutrality besides fostering a socially and environmentally conscious ethos. The fabric is sourced from Velcorex in France, which has its own water waste treatment plant. The brand is also linked with BCI, which promotes better standards of cotton farming by encouraging fair labour, training for farmers, minimising pesticides or harsh chemicals, and economic development. The denim comes from Italian company Candiani, which has the greenest mill in the blue world. The brand creates its denim with 40 per cent BCI cotton, which is amongst a few of the reasons why it has been awarded the Global Organic Textile Standard and Global Recycling Standard.
Lazer and ozone gas for a faded look
Though German brand Closed, which also uses the Candiani Denim Mill, is not yet a certified eco-label, it plays a huge role in innovating denim in order to make it a kinder industry. The company creates its finishing techniques and is known for its chic style and popular pedal pusher pocket detailing. The company uses lazer and ozone gas to give its denims a faded look and manipulate different shades of blue. Its stone-washing technique substitutes the cheaper but potentially more dangerous process of sandblasting, for the safer use of artificial stones in a drum, creating the same stone wash effect without the output of water and harmful stone debris.
Eco-friendly accessories for non-toxic denims
Netherlands-based Mud Jeans’ dedication to creating a better social, economic and environmental world is supported by an array of certificates, such as BCORP, PETA-approved vegan, Cradle 2 Cradle, Ecocert, GRS. The brand claims to have saved 300 million litres of water, avoided using 700,000 kilos of carbon dioxide and saved 12,000 jeans from landfill in the past 3 years. It turns its old jeans into new one by using recycled and organic cotton.
The brand specifically uses stainless steel buttons that can be easily recycled or reused. It uses laser, ozone and e-flow techniques in the finishing of its jeans. The only few chemicals that it uses in producing its denim are non-toxic and Nordic Swan Ecolabel certified.
Wrangler has launched archival garments in partnership with Fred Segal.
Wrangler is a heritage denim brand. Fred Segal is a boutique in the US and is a place of invention and reinvention for the best brands in the world. They have both held significant roles in the history of fashion for decades.
As Wrangler evolves in front of a global audience, it wanted to stay true to its heritage but show an unexpected and fresh twist. The Bluebell 1919 capsule celebrates the foundation of the brand with workwear-inspired jackets and on-trend coveralls with authentic Blue Bell patches. The back of each garment features Wrangler embroidery. The War and Peace collection takes a look back to when Wrangler became part of youth culture in the 60s and worn by revolutionaries, riders, and rock stars alike. Garments include a cut-off jean vest, a studded leather jacket and tie-dye carpenter jeans. The’70s are brought to life in a collection of boot cut jeans, hypnotic patterns and colorful prints. The feeling of the ’80s is captured in a pop culture-inspired collection of booty shorts, graphic T-shirts with racing motifs and racing jackets.
During a fashion cycle where nostalgic designs thrive, heritage brands like Wrangler are taking the opportunity to delve into their archives.
Traders in India are against Amazon and Flipkart festive sales.
According to them, deep discounts violate the country's foreign investment rules for online retail and that these companies influence prices.
The two e-commerce firms typically hold annual festive season sales ahead of Dasara and Diwali, which are due this year in October, when Indians make big ticket purchases such as cars and gold jewelry. Both e-tailers offer big discounts on everything from fashion to smart phones to home appliances. India does not allow foreign direct investment in inventory-driven models of e-commerce, where goods and services are owned by an e-commerce firm that sells directly to retail customers. It modified e-commerce rules late last year to protect the country’s vast unorganized retail sector that does not have the clout to purchase at scale and offer big discounts.
Those rules forced Amazon and Flipkart to reconfigure ownership structures and re-jig some key vendor relationships and agreements. There are more than a lakh sellers on Flipkart’s platform. More than five lakh sellers on Amazon- a bulk of which are small businesses, women entrepreneurs, startups, weavers and artisans - use the festive sale to reach customers. Sellers decide the pricing for their products on this marketplace.
The second GOTS seminar was held on September 08, 2019 in Dhaka. The theme of the seminar was ‘Connecting for Success.’ It was attended by around 330 participants from six countries, who congregated for fruitful discussions on sustainability and organic textiles. These included representatives from different stages of the manufacturing industry like spinning, knitting, wet processing, garmenting as well as buying houses, international brands, certification bodies, testing laboratories, media, and academics.
Session 1 of the seminar was titled ‘Connecting Sustainable Retail: Stories from Fashion Industry’. It was moderated by Claudia Kersten, Managing Director of GOTS. Bruno Van Sieleghem from Stanley/Stella, Belgium and Jan Moritz from Julius Huepeden GmbH, Germany participated as speakers. The session revealed success stories from brands, market trends, and data about GOTS. Both brands reaffirmed their commitment to sustainability and buying GOTS certified products.
Session 2 named ‘Technical Criteria and Implementation’ was moderated by Rahul Bhajekar, Managing Director, GOTS, who was also the session speaker. Sumit Gupta, GOTS Deputy Director Standards Development & Quality Assurance and Prachi Gupta, GOTS Expert, Quality Assurance & Impact, shared their expertise as speakers and talked about important technical topics like GMO Testing and GOTS technical criteria.
Besides, the speakers explained the existing software tool for Certified Entities the ‘GOTS Monitor (Water/Energy), and the ‘Central Database System’
Sohail Pasha has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA).
Hailing from a famous, prominent and successful business family, Pasha is an active member of the renowned business network Riaz Enterprises. He has earned a good name and a fame in exports, business and industry. He holds rich practical experience of 25 years as a professional management executive. He serves on the board of many charitable, health and educational institutions contributing to society. Faisal Nisar and Haris Yousaf are senior vice chairman and vice chairman.
The hope is that the new PTEA team would make its utmost efforts to meet the upcoming challenges and strive for an enabling environment to restore viability and growth of the textile industry and turn Pakistan into a destination for outsourcing of textile businesses. Serious efforts, strong lobbying, tangible initiatives and out of the box solutions are necessary to keep the textile industry operational.
Pakistan’s textile industry is a major contributor to the national economy. The country is taking all steps to attract foreign and domestic investment and revive sick units in the textile sector. The installed capacity of the manufacturing sector will be increased to enhance competitive import substitution, export enhancement, employment generation and revenue generation.
Riri Group, a leading brand in the zip and button manufacturing sector for high couture and outdoor apparel, will launch its new Fall/Winter 2020-21 collection at the Première Vision Paris from September 07 – 19, 2019.
The new collection is inspired by winter landscapes and polar tones. It features shades of grey, azure and white that remind of the typical tones of ice. Its dominant presence of the blue color is in contrast to its attractive green inserts; while black interventions have been harmoniously inserted as part of the color palette and create an appealing interplay of color references.
Tapes, pullers and chains provide new unexpected visual inputs to the collection. The garments reproduce an iceberg effect with a laser system, their texture reminiscent of the snake skin. Among the new innovations include the Metal 3H zip which is the smallest and most innovative in the collection, lightweight and with a streamlined design. The collection also features a zip made of synthetic fur and incorporated buttons, whose cover can be removed and then reapplied, to face polar temperatures with a touch of glamour.
